Creating energy efficient communities with Bohemian FC and Friends of the Earth

Bohemians Football Club and Friends of the Earth have launched a joint report exploring how sports clubs can engage fans and members on community-led climate action, including energy efficiency upgrades to their homes. 

Bohemian Football Club (Bohs), a fan-owned football club based in Phibsboro, has been engaging fans and members on climate-related issues through the Bohemian Climate Cooperative. This new report, launched in partnership with Friends of the Earth, is the latest in their work to support members of their community to enhance energy efficiency in their homes and local area. 

The report, ‘Levelling the Playing Field’, outlines how Bohs used direct consultation and community engagement with fans and members to understand their perspectives on issues such as retrofitting and energy efficiency. Expert stakeholders including Codema – Dublin’s Energy Agency, the local credit union, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and other industry professionals were involved in co-developing solutions with the community to enhance energy efficiency initiatives amongst Bohs fans, such as tailored finance, trust-building with local contractors, and formation of a local Sustainable Energy Community.

Speaking about the initiative, Clare O’Connor, Energy Policy Officer at Friends of the Earth, said “the benefits of climate action, such as warmer homes and lower energy bills from home retrofitting, will have to be felt by everyone if the government’s climate policies and targets are to be successful. Our work with Bohemians marks a fundamental shift towards demystifying climate action by making it more relevant to communities and engaging communities directly”.

On the role of sports clubs in engaging communities on climate action, Seán McCabe, Head of Climate Justice and Sustainability at Bohemians FC, said “we are delighted to be partnering with Friends of the Earth to demonstrate how the power of football can mobilise and inspire diverse groups, making climate action accessible and engaging for everyone”.

Some of the key solutions co-created with the community include:

• Developing a Sustainable Energy Community (SEC) in the area.
• Providing more accessible retrofit information, using analogies and language fans can understand.
• Building up a list of trusted contractors for carrying out retrofit work.
• Developing targeted funding strategies based on the needs of club members.
• Collaborating with the local Credit Union to provide innovative financial solutions.
• Tapping into the skills that club members have and arranging volunteer opportunities.
• Developing more community engagement events.