Reading FC climate project puts Reading on the map

Starting climate conversations all over the world has helped put Reading on the map, according to the judges of the Pride of Reading awards.

The University of Reading and Reading Football Club were recognised for their joint efforts in highlighting the town on a global stage at the awards ceremony last week.

The University and the Club teamed up to launch a bespoke home kit in July 2022, with Professor Ed Hawkins’ ‘warming stripes’ on the sleeves. The stripes - which also featured on the Club’s away kit - illustrated through a simple colour code how annual average temperatures have risen in Berkshire over the Club’s 151-year history.

Over the course of the 2022/2023 season, the shirts received widespread global media attention and appeared in the FIFA 23 video game. In January 2023, ITV Sport gave unprecedented airtime to talking about the stripes during Reading FC’s live televised FA Cup fixture versus Manchester United.

Professor Ed Hawkins, creator of the climate stripes, said: “It was fantastic to see the positive reception the kit received from Royals fans and further afield.

“Football fans may not have expected their club to use their kit to highlight how the planet is warming, but the simple message featured on the shirts helped to start more vital conversations about climate change. We saw the results online, on TV coverage of games, and between fans at football stadiums. Importantly, the partnership between the University and the club has also enabled them to move their own environmental sustainability work forward.

“Helping to put Reading on the map is a great achievement for the University of Reading and Reading FC, and doing it with such an important message is even better.”

Tim Kilpatrick, Head of Commercial at Reading FC, said: "We’re immensely proud of our partnership with University of Reading, so it’s especially pleasing to be recognised at Pride of Reading awards. The University’s work and dedication towards climate science should certainly be celebrated locally so we’re very happy to have joined forces in hopefully increasing the reach and relevance of the climate emergency amongst Reading fans and football fans.”

The University of Reading and Reading FC were awarded the inaugural Putting Reading on the Map award at the Pride of Reading awards on Friday, 27 October. The new Elizabeth Line, which links the town directly to the London Underground system, and the world-famous Reading Festival were also nominated for the award.