FrontRunners

$40,000 | September 2022

 
 

What do FrontRunners do?

Athletes are some of the most trusted voices in our community, frequently and FrontRunners is harnessing this cultural power to accelerate climate action and environmental care. Their strategy basis is if athletes and sporting organisations realise the threat climate and environment crises pose to their business model, and the positive opportunities climate action offers them, then they will take action on these issues. To do this, FrontRunners motivate and mobilise athletes and sporting organisations and give them the right information, tools, and opportunities to take care of the future of sport and the future of all of us.

Why is this work important?

Sport creates and reflects part of our national identity, a cultural institution like no other. Sports stars are highly influential with their fans, so activating them and the organisations they represent has the potential to reach millions of sport-loving Australians through messengers they love and trust. By mobilising sport we mobilise the culture. If athletes and sporting organisations realise the threat climate and environment crises pose to their business model, and the positive opportunities climate action offers them, then they will take action on these issues, using their voice and influence inside and outside the locker room.

How is Groundswell supporting this work?

With Groundswell’s support, over the next 12 months FrontRunners will focus on the following projects:

Back in the Game

  • FrontRunners is working in collaboration with Stonehaven on a second phase of The Cool Down, called Back in the Game.

  • The campaign will feature a video of 5-6 professional athletes performing their sport with a positive climate message.

  • We aim to re-engage with the 480+ athletes and thousands of fans who signed The Cool Down

  • Paid and earned media will be used when the campaign is launched later this year

Player-led climate movement

  • AFL Players For Climate Action: FrontRunners is supporting the production and premiere of the short film, Our Local. Ongoing support with communications, strategy, administration and fundraising.

  • Cricket for Climate: FrontRunners has an ongoing advisory role with Cricket for Climate, focusing onstrategy, risk management and MP engagement

Ending fossil fuel sponsorship in sport

  • FrontRunners is in the late stages of developing a strategy to end fossil fuel sponsorship in sport. We are currently exploring a range of mechanisms to achieve this including:

    • A commercial strategy that involves replacing existing fossil fuel sponsors and blocking future sponsors

    • Public campaigns to end existing relationships and/or celebrate the end of relationships

    • Legislative reforms like those we saw with the end of tobacco sponsorship

Additional work

  • Matildas 2023: Helping the Matildas develop and execute a strategy foregrounding Climate during the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand

  • World Rugby: Supporting the development and execution of a comprehensive climate strategy for the 2023 World Cup

  • Sporting Allies of Western Sydney: FrontRunners is working with AFLW player, Nicola Barr to form a group of professional athletes to support and advocate for the Community in Western Sydney

  • Ongoing support: an important part of FrontRunners work is having the capacity to respond quickly to clubs and athletes, as things arise so opportunities are not missed and have maximum impact.

Grant update

Throughout 2023 FrontRunners have achieved these major wins:

  • Delivered a report with Environmental Defenders Office looking at sport, climate change and legal liability - “After working with athletes leading the charge on climate, we realised a critical barrier to their ongoing advocacy was their employer's (clubs and national sporting organisations or governing bodies) silence on climate action. We wanted to create a body of work that would help unlock that hesitation and shift sporting organisations from laggards to leaders and so turned to the legal expertise at the EDO to do a deep dive into sport, climate change and legal liability. They produced a report mapping the legal risks facing sporting organisations who fail to consider, act and report on climate.

  • Worked with the Climate Council on developing and delivering their recent report Calling Time: How to Remove Fossil Fuel Sponsorships from Sports, Arts and Events.

  • Cohosted the inaugural Climate roundtable with Richmond FC, Footy for Climate and the AFL.

  • Provided research and advisory support to Sustainability leads at various organisations, including Cricket Australia, the AFL, Tennis Australia, Richmond FC, Fremantle Dockers, and GWS Giants.

To learn more about FrontRunner’s impact, read our interview with founder and CEO Emma Pocock.