Should football clubs travel so far for pre-season?

Fans from all over the world have been able to see their favorite players in stadiums that have sold out this summer.

After two years of Covid-restricted travel, most clubs in the English top flight played matches overseas on money-spinning tours.

The return to vast amounts of plane travel has raised questions about the cost to the environment after calls for sport to use the Pandemic as a chance to reset.

Villa top of CO2 emissions

The table shows an estimate of each club's emissions in order of how much CO2 they produce.

Air travel is the most damaging way to travel for the environment, so it has not been included in this comparison.

During their pre-season tour, the club produced the most CO2

Their Australia tour included a number of games, including a match against Manchester United, as well as a game against the Broncos.

Villa have emitted 87.63 metric tonnes of CO2 from five flights this summer, which equates to 2,921 kilograms per passenger.

Driving from London to Manchester is equivalent to driving from London to Los Angeles 136 times, or 17 times the average UK citizen's annual emissions.

They traveled to Australia to play a number of teams. The Yorkshire club emitted an equivalent of 15.8 times the average UK citizen's yearly emissions during their tour.

Dale Vince said it would take his club almost a decade to generate the same amount of emissions.

Some clubs at the bottom of the table traveled to Europe for training camps and low-key friendly matches.

The club is in the very early stages of developing a strategy to be a sustainable business according to the chief operating officer.

Many clubs will have overseas tours built into their commercial agreements in order to further extend the brand in global markets, according to Mullen.

There's an expectation to be a good citizen, to be a leader in this and show good practice where we can but, at the same time, recognising our business poses some challenges.

It is a collective responsibility. I think that the Premier League will come up with a strategy in which clubs entering the league have certain minimum commitments that they have to abide by.

"I think the football is going to be the driving force in terms of the business and we have to realise that and the environment that we're operating in, but I think we can align and integrate, improving our sustainable credentials through that."

As they plan and deliver their own pre-season tours, the clubs were contacted by the Beeb.

'Clubs' climate claims judged on behaviour'

The British Association for sustainable sport is headed by Dr. Russell Seymour.

Flying to distant countries for pre-season friendly matches surely isn't about preparation for the upcoming season, but is about extending the reach of the brand and increasing the fan base in these countries.

Six clubs made up two-thirds of the emissions. Two of these clubs were recognised for their good work by being tied as the top club in the Sport Positive Sustainability League.

Air travel is demonised and we should fly less. It's more complex than condemning all flying, but clubs should know that the credibility of their claims will be judged on their actions.

Football has a large influence over which behaviors are accepted and which are not.

Why do clubs fly so much?

The Climate Change Committee, the UK government's advisor on the issue, has called for an urgent plan to reduce the amount of flights.

Manchester United, another of the clubs with the highest emissions this summer, said it "recognises the impact of international travel on climate change" and had offset its carbon emissions by investing in a reforestation project in Western Australia.

Carbon offsetting has its detractors because it doesn't help reduce emissions, while the reforestation project United are investing in becomes more effective when the trees reach maturity.

Pre-season tours provide vital preparation time for players and management ahead of a new season, according to a spokesman for the club.

The wider appeal of English football is an important commercial opportunity.

For the first full pre-season tour since the beginning of the Pandemic, we have offset the carbon emissions generated by air travel.

We are committed to taking necessary steps to reduce our carbon footprint despite the fact that this doesn't have an immediate impact on the environment. If we continue to promote this work, we can help protect our planet.

The English top flight lost a total of over one billion dollars in revenue in the last two years as a result of covidination.

The losses were caused by empty stadiums, a reshaped calendar, TV rebates and commercial reductions.

It was possible for supporters who weren't able to travel to England to attend matches.

While giving the opportunity for our millions of fans worldwide to see the team in person, we also recognise the need to do this responsible."

How have we worked out the figures?

The actual figures are likely to be underestimated.

Extra staff and unknown quantities of luggage are not accounted for on larger scale tours. Economy class on commercial planes has been assumed as a base level.

• business class - which can increase emissions by a factor of around 2.75*
• first class - which can increase emissions by a factor of around 7.4*
• via private jet which multiplies emissions and generates additional flights compared to existing commercial airline routes

We have calculated the air miles and emissions using this website - but have not added the multiplication method for capturing "the maximum climate impact" at high altitude, known as 'radiative forcing'.

How sustainable do Premier League clubs claim to be?

The Green League is a table that measures the viability of all 20 top-flight sides. The use of sustainable aviation fuel in the future will reduce emissions by 80%, as well as reducing the emissions of squad coach travel by more than 80%.

Other clubs have pledged to do the same.

The home shirt will be the same for two seasons, saving money and helping the environment.

Two journalists from the British Broadcasting Corporation were sent to Thailand, Australia and the United States to cover a number of the premier league clubs on part of their tours.

Dave Lockwood is an editorial lead for sustainable journalism.