Gloucestershire football chairman given UN role

23 April 2019, 14:44 | Updated: 23 April 2019, 14:45

Forest Green Rovers chairman Dale Vince has been given a new role by the United Nations to help get the world of sport involved in the fight against climate change.

He has been made a Climate Champion for its recently launched 'Sports for Climate Action' initiative.

Forest Green became the world's first carbon neutral sports club earlier this season, as part of a new United Nations initiative and have already been labelled the 'world's greenest football club' by FIFA.

The club is also famously vegan, serving plant-based food to its players and fans. It also plays on an organic football pitch, with the stadium powered entirely by green energy from the wind and the sun, and it also has electric car charging points for fans.

Dale said: ''There are billions of sports fans, all of them passionate people. We share the same view as the UN that by engaging sports around the world in the issues of sustainability, we can get supporters involved in the fight against climate change, by making them fans of the environment.

"Sport has such a big influence on the way people think and act, it’s a powerful platform that can be used to address the most urgent issue of our time – climate change. This new UN framework can help bring about change.''

Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, added: ''I would like to extend my personal congratulations to Dale for his action on climate change and support for the UN's new framework. Dale has demonstrated a genuine commitment to communicating strong and clear messages about the importance of raising awareness and empowering citizens to act on climate change.''

Dale will visit UEFA in Switzerland in May to talk about the work being done at the club.