Children growing up around Wembley Stadium, connected by EE, may dream of one day playing on its hallowed turf. Now they can come one step closer as over 130 tonnes of premier soil from the world-famous pitch will be dispersed across London playing fields.
The nutrient-rich soil – trodden by professional footballers and international athletes – is removed annually in the off-season to allow for the installation of a pristine playing field ready for the first game of the new season in August.
As part of the focus on stadium sustainability, Veolia and The Football Association will redistribute the topsoil in Brent’s community football fields. This avoids landfilling the soil and allows locals to enjoy improved pitches and play on the same soil as their favorite footballers.
Playing fields in Gladstone Park and Northwick Park, used by teams from all over London, are set to become London’s luckiest pitches. The Wembley soil will enrich the grass and put an inspirational spring in the step of all who play on it.
Bruna Silva
Operations Manager for Veolia
Veolia’s partnership with The Football Association identifies innovative solutions to reuse and recycle so no material goes to waste. Over the past year, we have facilitated the stadium’s move towards being free of single-use plastic, have introduced a merchandise redistribution scheme, and have set the standard for sustainable waste practices in sports facilities. The 130 tonne pitch distribution is another environmentally friendly initiative that will positively contribute to the local community, and I’m confident that those who benefit from this environmental solution will be inspired to know they are playing on the same soil as professional footballers and athletes.
Karl Standley
Wembley Stadium’s Head Groundsperson
Sustainability is taken into account in everything that we do at Wembley and I’m pleased that we are able to put the stadium’s hallowed turf to good use in this way. The Wembley pitch plays host to a wide range of events each year, including England internationals, NFL and rugby games and the Emirates FA Cup Final. It’s a premium surface and a little piece of history, so I’m delighted that we’re able to reuse and share it with our local community in this way.
Cllr Krupa Sheth
Lead Member for Environment
This is another brilliant example of how materials can be repurposed and recycled – something we should all be thinking about more. What’s more, people living in and visiting our borough can enjoy soil previously trodden by the likes of David Silva, Paul Pogba and Harry Kane! We are grateful to the FA and Veolia for making this happen.
Wembley Stadium is the largest sporting facility in the UK. It has a 90,000 seating capacity and hosts up to 75 major events annually. The stadium is a ‘zero to landfill’ venue with around 65% of all waste being recycled, the remainder is sent to a waste to energy facility helping to heat and provide hot water to 48,000 local homes.