Czech Floorball wants to grasp the topic of environmental sustainability not only as a global trend, but as the right thing for the future and the value it wants to gradually incorporate into floorball. It wants to inspire not only its members, but also to be a role model for other sports

Meet together for training or a match in the hall, go cheer on your favorite team live and also have something good to eat and drink during the break. All this belongs to the sports matches that we are all looking forward to. However, Czech Floorball wants the restart of sport in the Czech Republic to take place with regard to nature. It has therefore developed a plan to take sustainability into account in its activities. Gradually, they will change how they organise sports events or how the background works. They want to inspire other sports in Czech Republic with their actions.

–  In the Czech sports environment, no one has yet conceptually grasped the fundamental global issue of sustainability. At the same time, sport leaves a certain mark. We have therefore embedded more sustainable behavior in our long-term strategy. We want to inspire not only our members, but also to be a role model for other sports, “explains Roman Urbář, Marketing and Communications Director of Czech Floorball.

Inspiration in the combination of sport and sustainability is not new in the world. On an international level sports clubs and associations have been perceiving the issue of sustainability for a long time. The British BBC even runs its own sustainability rankings. It evaluates Premier League clubs on the basis of energy use, waste management or the possibility of plant-based products at matches.

THREE PILLARS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY OF CZECH FLOORBALL

The new sustainable direction of Czech Floorball will be based on three pillars at the start – reducing the carbon footprint of the office, circular events and community education.

– Sustainability in sport is really a complex matter and we ourselves did not know exactly where to start. And as the saying goes, if you want change, you need to start with yourself. That’s why we decided to audit our offices as the first step – where we buy equipment, how we use water and energy, how we get to the office. We believe that we are now aiming to reduce our own carbon footprint, and more importantly, we have started to think differently and we now perceive sustainability as part of our sports life,  adds Urbář.

At events organised by Czech Floorball (e.g. Superfinals, Street Floorball League, U19 World Floorball Championships), it sets an environmentally sustainable approach with specific demands on suppliers and partners. Emphasis is placed on minimizing waste, its sorting and especially further use.

– We want to build a circular event out of a normal floorball match. We want to offer products from local suppliers, avoid disposable packaging, use reusable cups and much more, explains Urbář.

Other goals of Czech Floorball for events include the efficient use of energy and resources, and last but not least, special activities for spectators. The concept will also affect the area of ​​merchandising.

In addition to mitigating the impact of its activities on the environment, Czech Floorball also considers it very important to educate the floorball community in the field of sustainability and circular economy.

– Sport and the relationship with it is built not only on the field, but also through activities all around. We would therefore like to pass on the values ​​in relation to sustainability to our community. There are currently more than two and a half thousand teams floorball teams in the Czech Republic, and thanks to our projects and fans, we also have an overlap with the schools we want to involve in educational activities. At the same time, we are aware that if we want to change the behavior of our members, we need to explain to them why, so that they can also identify with the change, says Urbář.

FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN COOPERATION WITH CIRA ADVISORY

The consulting company CIRA Advisory helped Czech Floorball with the audit of the offices, creating the strategy and formulation of “circular” sports matches.

– In general, we like the approach with which Czech Floorball goes into cooperation and that it wants to work long-term and systematically to fulfill its goals. We have audited the offices and together we will focus on the functioning of the association, on mapping the real possibilities of streamlining some steps and we will continue to advise on the U19 World Floorball Championships, says Laura Mitrolios, Director of CIRA Advisory.

– In Czech Floorball, sustainability means the joy of doing the right things for us and our future. That is why we are already very much looking forward to gradually developing and expanding our activities, concludes Urbář.

SUPPORTING THE IFF STRATEGY

The initiative by the Czechs is in line with the sustainability work done by the International Floorball Federation. The new strategy “Strengthening the Foundations”,  approved by the General Assembly in December 2020 includes measures and goals regarding this topic. Sustainability is an integral part of IFF work and consists of three areas: economic, environment and social.

– We are extremely pleased to see Czech Floorball investing time and effort in this initiative. Based on our own experience, we know this is huge topic and requires a lot of work and management to succeed. I’m looking forward to see how this develops, says Tero Kalsta, IFF Sales Coordinator