The University Sustainability Team, The Generator, and the Partnerships Hub joined forces on a groundbreaking student hackathon in partnership with Pledgeball, a UK-based charity that mobilises sports fans to take climate action. Supported by circularity consultancy 5Thread and Premier League club Crystal Palace FC, the hackathon challenged students from the University of Greenwich, University of Westminster, King’s College London, and Kingston University to rethink the lifecycle of sports merchandise and design innovative, circular solutions.
Every year, tonnes of unused football kits end up in landfills, contributing to environmental degradation and missing opportunities for circular innovation. This hackathon challenged students to create a bold, scalable, and commercially viable strategy or concept that enables football clubs and fans to engage in circular kit culture, without compromising the financial needs of the clubs.
Throughout the day, participants engaged in:
· Collaborative team challenge focused on circular kit culture
· Mentoring sessions with industry professionals
· Workshops on fan engagement and sustainability
· Pitch presentations to an expert judging panel
The judging panel featured sustainability leaders, including Katie Cross (Founder & CEO of Pledgeball), Joanna Czutkowna (CEO of 5Threads), and Julie Brown (Chief People Officer at Crystal Palace FC). Their insights and feedback helped shape the students’ ideas into actionable solutions.
David Jackson, one of the event’s facilitators, praised the students' efforts:
“It was a fantastic day, bringing the innovations and ideas from students into tackling a huge challenge surrounding sports merch and circularity. The passion of our students throughout the day was inspiring, their pitches professional, and solutions shifting the mindset on what is achievable. A huge thanks to Pledgeball and 5Thread for delivering an impactful brief and background to the issues surrounding sports merch, and to Crystal Palace for their industry knowledge on the judging panel. A bigger well done to the winning team and to all students for making it a groundbreaking event.”
The event schedule included icebreakers, team formation, mentoring, and a final pitch event where students showcased their ideas. Participants were encouraged to wear their favourite football shirts, adding a vibrant and spirited atmosphere to the day. With prizes, networking opportunities, and a shared commitment to sustainability, the event proved that sport can be a powerful driver of environmental change. Pledgeball continues to lead the charge, showing that small lifestyle pledges, like using reusable cups or cycling, can add up to a big impact when fans unite.
