Edgbaston up for prestigious Sports Industry Awards

Edgbaston has been shortlisted for two prestigious Sports Industry Awards in recognition of two innovative initiatives promoting sustainability and inclusivity.

The stadium’s Go Green Game IT20 against New Zealand – cricket’s first sustainable major match day – has been shortlisted for the Environmental Sustainability Award after a report found it cut match day carbon emissions by a third.

And last summer’s Women’s Ashes IT20 between England and Australia – the first time an all women team has prepared a pitch for an international – is in contention for Event of the Year.

The attendance of 19,527 smashed the record for the highest crowd for a standalone women’s international in the UK, outside of global events, beating the 15,187 at Lord’s last summer for the ODI versus India.

The FEVO Sport Industry Awards – at Evolution London, Battersea on 25 April – is considered the blue ribbon event in the sports industry calendar.

Edgbaston Operations Director Claire Daniel said the nominations acknowledged the stadium’s position as one of the country’s most responsible, inclusive venues.

She said: “To make the shortlists is a hugely proud moment for everyone at Edgbaston and a pat on the back for all the incredibly hard work that goes on behind the scenes to stage these events.

“We’re passionate about using cricket for good, to drive social change, and we’ve made a commitment to strive to be the most sustainable cricket venue in the UK.

“The shortlists feature some of the biggest names, clubs and professional bodies in the sports industry. It’s great that Edgbaston is rubbing shoulders with those organisations and shows what progress we’ve made.”

Green projects run by Liverpool FC, Ascot Racecourse and the IOC have been shortlisted for the Sustainability Award, while Edgbaston faces competition from the Ryder Cup, Women’s FA Cup Final, the Cycling World Championships and England Women’s Rugby for Event of the Year.

Dylan Pugh, Managing Director of Sports Industry Group, added: “The FEVO Sport Industry Awards celebrate the immense work done around the sector, whether it’s delivering world-leading events of all formats and scale, to campaigns that have an ingenious creative spark which reverberates throughout the industry and beyond.

“After a record year for entries, I’m delighted to see a shortlist that represents the incredibly high standard of work in our industry.

“This year’s shortlist is full of ambition, creativity, and impact, but also highlights the conscious effort from the industry to consider the environmental impact of their work.”