Salvation Army teams up with Green Football’s Great Save to help tackle climate change

We are delighted to be partnering with Green Football’s Great Save, a campaign aimed at encouraging people to donate unwanted sportswear and keep it in circulation for longer, helping to reduce waste, save money, and support those in the community who may otherwise lack access to kit.

As the trading arm of our parent charity, known as SATCoL, we are the largest charity-owned textiles collector in the UK, and we operate a nationwide clothing collection and around 260 stores on behalf of The Salvation Army.

From March 11-April 2, donations of pre-loved sportswear will be welcomed in around 260 SATCoL-operated Salvation Army shops across the UK, as well as by free post, to help support Green Football’s Great Save, kicking off this spring.

Every year, an estimated 100,000 tonnes of sportswear ends up in UK waste streams, which is the equivalent to 951 football shirts every minute. Keeping kit in play for just nine more months can reduce its carbon, water, and waste footprint by up to 30%.

Kelly Castelete, SATCoL Head of Communications, says: ‘We are delighted to be partnering with Green Football - a major initiative tackling climate change.  Through our reuse and recycling schemes, we can lessen the impact on overflowing landfill sites by extending the useful life of sportswear items and minimising waste. We are always on the lookout for good quality stock for our shops and sportswear is popular all year round.’

Now in its third year, Green Football shines a light on climate change and unleashes the power of football to rally fans and the general public to take action.

Sarah Jacobs, Co-founder of Green Football adds: ‘This year fans, clubs, schools and leagues across the UK are coming together for Green Football’s Great Save to save kit from landfill by donating, selling or reusing kit instead of throwing it away. With around 260 Salvation Army shops accepting donations, it has never been easier to have a clear out and pass on any sportswear that has been relegated to the back of the wardrobe and give it a second life.’

Anyone making a Green Football Great Save donation in a Salvation Army store during the campaign can scan a QR code to be in with a chance to win a host of sports related prizes.

Current and former footballers have been visiting Salvation Army shops in support of the Great Save campaign and donating second-hand sportswear. Kris Boyd - sports presenter, former Rangers and Kilmarnock player - donated to our Kilmarnock shop and England and Newcastle player Demi Stokes donated to our Wallsend shop. We also welcomed Ethan Ampadu from Leeds United and Sky Sports Presenter David Prutton to our Ripon shop, among many more celebrity visitors. See all the photos here: Green Football Visits | Flickr

For more information on how to get involved in Green Football’s Great Save, go to www.greenfootball.org

Find your nearest participating Salvation Army shop: https://salvationarmytrading.org.uk/find-us/

Green Football Take Back / Donate by Post: https://greenfootballtakeback.intelligentreturns.net/main/landing

Picture: Three photos from left to right feature footballer Demi Stokes with three colleagues from our Wallsend shop holding up donated orange football shirts; footballer Ethan Ampadu wears a blue Leeds United zip top and either side are our Ripon colleagues; final picture features Kris Boyd holding signed Rangers and Kilmarnock football shirts with reverse displaying the name BOYD and number 9, with our Kilmarnock shop colleagues either side.