Two football clubs with ambitious sustainability goals and a high-performance sailing series have joined the growing list of signatories to the Sports for Nature Framework.
Thimphu City FC, the framework’s first signatory from Bhutan and the broader Central Asia region, has long been active in conservation. The club established the ‘Goals for a Cause’ initiative, donating US$20 for every goal scored to protect the critically endangered white-bellied heron, around half of whose population resides in Bhutan. The funds support the White-Bellied Heron Conservation Center.
Owned by renowned conservationist and birder Hishey Tshering, the Bhutan Premier League team has joined the framework to deepen its dedication to preserving nature for future generations.
Meanwhile, representing the same sport but as the framework’s first Italian signatory, non-professional football club ASD Riccione Calcio 1926 has also committed to concrete actions for halting and reversing biodiversity loss.
Based in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, near the coast and close to national parks and forests, the club recognises the vital connection between nature conservation and the wellbeing of its athletes and communities. ASD Riccione has already taken meaningful steps, such as achieving ISO 20121 certification for sustainable event management, to reduce its environmental footprint.
Moving from the field to the water, the TF35 Trophy, a high-performance sailing competition on Lake Geneva, is the latest signatory from the sport of sailing, joining World Sailing, The Ocean Race, Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy, and sailing teams Sails of Change and Doudous Sail.
By participating in Sports for Nature, the event seeks to raise awareness about marine conservation and biodiversity protection while enhancing its own sustainability practices. Efforts will include improvements to race logistics, energy use and waste management, alongside collaboration with other signatories and progress monitoring.
The Sports for Nature Framework now has 93 signatories with more to be announced in the coming weeks.