By: EUROCROWD

As part of our work on the energy transition and sustainable finance, EUROCROWD is proud to present its new publication showcasing a collection of significant case studies that offer a first look at how crowdfunding can be used to support the sustainable transition towards carbon neutrality of a particular segment of Europe’s building stock: football stadiums and sports buildings.

Sports buildings are among the main consumers of energy in Europe, with an estimated 229-448 kWh of energy used annually per square meter of space. In order to significantly reduce the CO2 produced by this intensive use and unlock sports building energy efficiency savings, crowdfunding can, and does, represent an innovative engagement and financing tool to support football fans and clubs alike to get involved in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and take an active part in the energy transition through the demonstration of energy efficiency projects in the context of football buildings and stadiums.

The report builds on data previously gathered by the GREENFOOT project to identify major trends and assesses potential criteria for success or failure, highlighting the wide array of practical implementation options offered by the different crowdfunding models in combination with the unique emotional leverage traditionally associated with sports fandom.

The examples presented clearly show that more and more sports clubs are indeed interested in reaching out to the crowd to co-finance infrastructure projects for their sports facilities, and provide an in-depth insight into the potential of mixing sports fandom with energy crowdfunding initiatives. The report also includes specific recommendations for further exploiting the potential of crowdfunding solutions for community-based investments for energy efficiency measures in sport-related projects.