This Wednesday, San Diego fans in attendance will be able to help Manchester United and Real Betis reach a goal outside of the field. Their “Greenest Game” initiative will promote sustainability in soccer ahead of the match at Snapdragon Stadium.
The initiative is a collaboration with the San Diego River Park Foundation, Sports San Diego, San Diego FC, and San Diego Wave FC.
As part of the experience, Real Betis will be distributing biodegradable bags in the fan zone on match day. Fans who return litter will be entered to win prizes including autographed merchandise. In addition, each team will be drinking from signature green reusable water bottles during the match to raise awareness for the environment.
This initiative isn’t the first action either soccer team has taken towards sustainability. Earlier this year, Real Betis and Manchester United met in the “City of Trees” in Manchester, and legends Wes Brown from United, and Rafael Gordillo from Betis joined to plant trees in the surrounding area.
“We recognize the responsibility we have in mitigating the environmental impact of our tours. A big part of that is the travel and that is why we have invested in renewable energy to compensate for the carbon emissions generated across our travel to and within the U.S,” said Christoffer Komen, director of tour and friendlies at Manchester United.
“We thank all our fans and partners for supporting the ‘Greenest Game’ initiative as we continue to capitalize on opportunities to minimize our environmental impact during pre-season tour.”
Aside from the activities on the day of the match, the teams along with partner organizations will carry out a joint clean-up on Tuesday, July 30, at the Mission Valley preserve. The ecological preserve is located along the San Diego River and only ten minutes away from the stadium.
Notable attendees for the clean up include Real Betis CEO Ramón Alcarón, Manchester United legend Andrew Cole, San Diego River Park Foundation CEO Rob Hutsel, and Sports San Diego CEO Mark Neville.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Manchester United, San Diego Wave, San Diego River Park Foundation, Sports San Diego, and San Diego FC on this initiative, which we hope will have a significant impact on the city and be the first of many future collaborations,” said said Alarcón.
For those interested in attending the game on Wednesday, July 31 at 7 p.m, you can purchase tickets at snapdragonstadium.com/events/detail/manchester-united-vs-real-betis.
