‘It costs just €25 to power the grounds for three hours’ – eco measures a win-win for Drogheda Town FC
It’s obviously about the players, the fans and the coaches. But running a busy football club and youth academy? Well it’s also about the future, says Greg Doran.
As manager of Drogheda Town FC, Mr Doran has been at the forefront of a new vision, seeing climate change as one of the biggest challenges facing large organisations such as sporting clubs.
“We’re a busy club with hundreds of players, junior and senior, involved in teams of all ages, so we are a big part of the community,” Mr Doran said.
“The role we play, I believe, means we also have a responsibility to protect the club’s future, and one of the ways we can do that is by working to be more sustainable; by putting in place measures that are not only better for the environment, but make financial sense in the long run.”
One of those steps was replacing the club’s halogen floodlights, which were previously powered by a diesel generator.
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“When I first got involved with the club, the smell of the fumes from the generator was terrible, especially when matches were on. It was awful. The players, the fans and the neighbours in houses beside us, everyone was affected by the smell, so I knew we had to do something to change it.”
Mr Doran heard about grants available under the Community Climate Action Fund, led by Louth County Council, and applied for funding to install new LED floodlights that would be directly linked to the electricity supply.
The club were granted €77,900 to upgrade and replace the lights, which he says “made an enormous difference”.
He pointed to the “huge savings” the new lights have brought to the club’s finances.
Reducing our costs gives us more stability
“It costs just €25 to power the whole grounds for three hours,” he said. “There is just no comparison, as we used to spend up to €2,000 a year on diesel for the generator, plus another €500 for the servicing.”
Managing a football club is “just like running a business”, Mr Doran said: “We have to make savings where we can. We are a limited company, so reducing our costs gives us more stability.”
Among the raft of sustainability measures introduced were 39 solar panels, which were self-funded by the club. Support from Louth Local Development has also helped with the addition of earth-to-water heat pumps. According to Mr Doran, these will greatly help in the reduction of energy costs overall.
Introducing sustainability to the club’s operations is a personal mission for Mr Doran, he said: “Sometimes it is difficult to imagine what we can do as individuals about climate change, but I feel if I can work on my own patch – the club – it can make a difference.”
Mr Doran is an advocate of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals through Drogheda’s Development Perspectives programme.
He said: “My project is to somehow ‘wrap’ what we do at Drogheda Town FC into a template of sorts that other community groups can use, and that realises not only climate benefits, but financial benefits as well.
“And, at the end of the day, the club benefits if you can get a grant and cut your ESB bill or your gas bill.