Eco players: The club turning plastic bottles into football kits

Video report by ITV News Meridian's Sarah Gomme


A football club has big ambitions to be one of the most eco-friendly in the sport, starting with their football kit.

Whitehawk FC who play in the Isthmian League have entered into a new partnership with a kit manufacturer who is not using traditional methods.

They will play their next two seasons in kits made from recycled plastic bottles, and for every shirt sold to a fan, they will plant a tree.

Club Chairman Andy Schofield said: "It's a statement about our commitment to the environment and you can see we're sitting right next to the South Downs National Park. We're in one of the greenest environments your could possibly be in for a football club.

Whitehawk FC are now using football kits made from recycled plastic bottles. Credit: ITV News Meridian

"So it's just about doing our bit for the environment and also the fact that the kit is for two years rather than every season which for our fans it means they don't have to keep forking out for a kit every season."

The Hawks Isthmian League South East campaign is expected to begin on 14 August and every shirt worn on the pitch will have been crafted from the plastic of 16 bottles, which has been melted down to produce a fine yarn.

Player Adam El-Abd says he was apprehensive at first about the new kit but has since changed his mind.

Adam said: "Now I've got it on and feeling it, it feels like a normal shirt. It's a good idea really. It's good for the environment, Brighton is a green city, and it is great that Whitehawk are doing their bit to help out."