FIGC

Developing the first sustainability strategy for Italian football.

Internal engagement and co-creation / Sustainability strategy and communications

Brief

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) plays a fundamental role at the centre of the nation’s favourite sport, which involves 4.6 million active practitioners and around 25 million fans.

As part of a process within UEFA to embed sustainability practices into all national members, FIGC asked for our support in developing its own sustainability strategy, building on existing initiatives and laying the ground for new priorities.

Our Work

We developed a process to tailor the Italian strategy to the domestic context and to involve internal stakeholders as a way of building awareness and buy-in. Applying the framework established by UEFA, our project aimed not only to develop a concrete set of actions and targets but also produce a report showcasing what FIGC is already doing on key sustainability topics.

ASSESSMENT

  • Mapping activities and initiatives already carried out by FIGC, and collection of information and governance in relation to each of the 11 UEFA policies

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

  • Engaging directly with 11 internal departments, through working groups, with the aim of raising awareness about sustainability and the UEFA strategy among key figures, plus one-to-one meetings to define targets and KPIs.

DEFINING THE STRATEGY

  • Gap analysis against the UEFA targets and indicators, with recommendations and actions for improvement
  • Definition of short, medium and long-term targets and KPIs
  • Identification of activities required to achieve the defined objectives

CREATING THE REPORT

  • Definition of the key messages and content structure
  • Writing/editing of the document and creation of narrative content
  • Development of the graphic concept and layout

Result

FIGC published its sustainability strategy entitle ‘United for Sustainability’ on its digital communication channels in July 2023. It set out 60 clear, quantifiable and measurable objectives for the entire Italian football ecosystem to achieve by 2030. The report, running over 100 pages, highlighted two main objectives: strengthening the social dimension of FIGC’s commitment and setting out the journey to reducing environmental impacts. Furthermore, it included data and insights for each sustainability topic and presented projects that FIGC carries out around the country.