Sports
Sports Certification
About the certification
Friend of the Earth sports certification assesses how sports organisations manage their activities, facilities and related services. The checklist addresses environmental management, quality, risk, conduct and working conditions, with evidence reviewed for the proposed scope.
Certification identifies the organisation, sites and sporting activities assessed. Participants, clients and partners can check the certification record to understand what is covered.
What can be certified
Sports organisations, including clubs, teams and operators of sporting facilities, can apply for assessment of their defined activities and sites. The application should describe the sports conducted, the facilities or fields involved, related services and any activities delivered through a group or association.
Provide the organisation’s name, addresses, site locations, staff numbers and contact person. Identify the activities and facilities you want included so the team can confirm the scope and assessment arrangements. Events and related recreational activities should be described rather than assumed to be covered.
What the standard covers
Hold the national legal authorisations and permits needed to conduct the sporting activities. Provide the relevant official documents for assessment.
Maintain documented policies, programmes, procedures and records, and designate a person to oversee implementation. Identify significant environmental and social impacts and actions to address them. Keep management-system documentation for at least three years. Checks also cover staff training, access controls, emergency procedures and equipment maintenance. A life cycle assessment and ISO 14001 certification are recommendations.
Provide evidence that sporting activities and operations conform to applicable environmental laws and regulations. The checklist also addresses health authorisation and an organisational identification number. Official documents must be available for review.
Demonstrate how sporting activities are supported by public transport in accordance with local rules. The checklist includes accessible public transport for people with disabilities at each event. Associated recreational activities must suit the local context. It also addresses an accompanying environmental development project and compensation arrangements for damage caused by failure of the sports service.
Describe the setting in which sporting activities take place, organisational leadership and responsibilities. Document a quality policy, the resources and skills needed, stakeholder communication and opportunities to improve activities and related services. Planning includes emergency situations and their impacts. ISO 9001:2015 certification is a recommendation.
Analyse the risks associated with the sports conducted and document how they are managed and communicated. Plans address health and safety, environmental risks, incidents, crises and other relevant operational risks, including risks arising from sporting events. Conformity with international anti-doping rules is an Essential criterion.
Maintain a documented code of conduct and communicate it to the relevant stakeholders. The checklist requires an anti-corruption policy and a privacy policy aligned with applicable legislation. Documentary evidence supports the assessment of these policies and their implementation.
Identify water sources and hold the permissions required for surface-water and groundwater use. Analyse non-mains water at least annually and treat polluted water appropriately. Wastewater must satisfy applicable discharge requirements and avoid degrading receiving waters. Where legal limits do not exist, the checklist sets minimum parameters. Rainwater collection and recovery of suitable substances from wastewater are recommendations.
Identify on-site sources of dust and particulate emissions, with reduction targets and strategies. The checklist excludes substances that deplete the ozone layer.
Document the disposal and treatment of waste streams and maintain facilities that prevent pollution. Separate organic and inorganic wastes and recover materials suitable for reuse or recycling in accordance with local rules. Organic materials are composted or reused where applicable. Appropriate disposal contractors are involved where needed; the checklist also addresses refrigerants.
Calculate operational energy consumption annually, including purchased energy, on-site renewable generation and consumption, transport and equipment fuels, and embedded energy. Adjust and calibrate equipment to improve efficiency. Set reduction goals, strategies and evaluation methods. The checklist also addresses renewable-energy commitments and energy-credit purchases. ISO 50001 certification is a recommendation.
Meet the checklist’s provisions on child labour, wages at least equal to the legal minimum, access to medical care and workplace safety. Forced labour and discrimination are prohibited. Keep records of accidents and injuries. Employment documents and on-site observations support the assessment. SA8000 certification is a recommendation.
Scope and supporting records
Keep records identifying the certified organisation, sites, facilities and sporting activities, together with the management controls and related services assessed. These records help maintain a clear connection between the certificate and public communications.
Membership of a certified group or association does not automatically certify every member, venue or service. Claims and logo use must remain within the authorised scope.
Independent certification
An independent certification body assesses the relevant activities, sites and supporting evidence. It reviews audit findings and the required corrections or corrective-action plans before making the certification decision. Recommendations are recorded separately from the Essential and Important criteria.
The certification body confirms the applicable procedures and deadlines for addressing each finding and the follow-up arrangements for your scope.
How certification works
1 Apply: Submit the Preliminary Information Form describing your sports organisation, activities, facilities, locations and related services.
2 Confirm scope and costs: Review the proposed scope, applicable requirements, agreement and annual logo-use royalties. Confirm the certification body’s separate audit quotation and assessment arrangements before proceeding.
3 Independent audit: Provide site access and the requested records, including authorisations, management procedures, transport arrangements, risk assessments, resource data and employment evidence.
4 Address findings: Complete the required corrections or corrective-action plan and provide supporting evidence within the applicable deadlines. The certification body will explain the procedure for each finding.
5 Certification decision: The certification body reviews the assessment and decides whether certification can be issued for the defined organisation, activities and sites.
6 Maintain certification: Continue meeting the applicable criteria, keep records current and complete the required follow-up assessments. Report changes affecting the certified scope. Use of the logo remains subject to authorisation and the usage rules.
Certification fees
Confirm the annual logo-use royalties applicable to your proposed sports scope before proceeding. Audit costs are separate and quoted by the certification body according to the activities, sites and assessment arrangements. VAT is additional where applicable. Send details of your organisation and the scope you want assessed to obtain the applicable price list and an audit quotation.
Standards and supporting documents
Check certification status
Use the Friend of the Earth ID to find the certification record. Check the certificate holder, activities and sites covered, status and validity dates. A listed organisation does not mean that every venue, event, service or associated business is certified.
Frequently asked questions
Sports organisations, clubs, teams and facility operators can submit their proposed activities and sites. The team will confirm eligibility and the appropriate assessment scope.
Only the sites, facilities and activities expressly included in the approved scope are covered. Identify each location when applying.
Describe the event, location, related services and your role in organising or operating it. The team will confirm whether the sports checklist or another applicable certification route is appropriate.
The sports checklist assesses sports organisations and their activities. It does not automatically certify clothing, equipment or products sold at a venue. Ask the team to identify the relevant standard and scope for those products.
The checklist lists ISO 14001, ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 50001 certification as recommendations. Its applicable Essential and Important criteria still need to be addressed. Holding an ISO certificate does not automatically grant Friend of the Earth certification.
Yes. Its transport criteria include public transport accessible to people with disabilities for each event. Provide evidence of the arrangements relevant to the activities assessed.
Yes. Conformity with international anti-doping rules is an Essential criterion in the risk-management section. The audit also examines the relevant risk-management arrangements.
No. Certification assesses conformity with specified requirements within a defined scope. It is not a guarantee of zero impact or of particular reductions in emissions or resource use.
Use the logo only after certification approval and the applicable authorisation are in place. Communications must identify the activities or services covered. Sponsoring or working with a certified organisation does not automatically authorise another business to use the label.
Check the issue and expiry dates and current status in the certification record. The certification body will confirm the follow-up assessment arrangements for your scope.
Apply for sports certification
Tell us about your sports organisation, the activities conducted, the venues or fields involved and the related services you want assessed. Our team will confirm the scope, evidence needed and next steps.
The Preliminary Information Form is confidential and does not commit you to proceeding with an audit.
