One of the biggest roars at Eltham Town football club in recent memory doesn't greet a last-gasp winner or the final whistle after a hard-fought victory at their home ground of Starbuck Close in south-east London. It's for a simple announcement in front of assembled players, staff, fans, members of the press and a rather famous former player – from now on, hot showers all round for longer than two minutes.
Eltham, of the Orpington and Bromley District Sunday Football League, has just experienced their first energy audit courtesy of E.ON, a leading UK energy company and sponsor of the FA Cup. Old boy Rio Ferdinand, who cut his teeth here as an attacking midfielder before making his name as a world-class defender with Leeds United, and now Manchester United and England, is back both to mark the event, which comes after a comprehensive survey of energy use at amateur football clubs, and to help launch a nationwide competition.
Eltham embodies what every amateur football club means to its community, performing a function that is equal parts sport, tradition and ritual. But the survey, commissioned by E.ON as part of its Energy Fit initiative, shows that UK amateur football clubs are needlessly wasting around £12m a year on energy. Furthermore, it reveals how clubs could save up to 30% on annual bills by making a few behavioural changes and updating old appliances. It all adds up to savings of about £1,000 a year for each club, the equivalent of 40 new footballs.
Over three weeks Eltham has undergone a significant overhaul of its heating, lighting and power facilities. The club now has energy-efficient LED lighting with occupancy detectors throughout, and a new and re-routed hot water system. The shower block in the changing rooms has been upgraded – put simply, the showers are now warmer for much longer – and a solar PV panel has even been installed which, on a sunny day, will provide enough energy to power the main clubhouse.
Rio, for one, is impressed: "Regardless of the level, all football clubs are looking at ways to save money. Being smart about how you use energy can really help. Having grown up here and played for Eltham as a kid, it's great to see the investment being made. And you never know, the money saved could go towards the development of another future England captain."
Eltham's club chairman Gordon Baldwin, who is thrilled equally by Rio's return and the energy makeover, admits: "Our old facilities were out of date and not fit for purpose. The work E.ON has done should really help us cut out the waste of energy and money every season, and I'd encourage any other club to do the same."
As E.ON's head of sponsorship, Phil Boas, puts it: "Whether it's your football club, your home or your business, we're all trying to save money where we can. And whichever way you look at it, you're not only protecting your purse but the planet too."
Visit facebook.com/eonenergyfit to nominate your local club for its own Energy Fit makeover worth £40,000. A wealth of practical advice and tips on saving energy can also be found at facup.eonenergyfit.com.
