Wrexham AFC has faced criticism following their use of a private jet for traveling to and from an away match against promotion contenders Wycombe Wanderers in League One.
The plane, chartered from the Jersey, travelled a total of 1,178 miles (1,896km) to take them on a 37-minute flight instead of a three-hour coach journey for the match on 15 March.
During the same period, the club’s co-owner, actor Ryan Reynolds, committed to the United Nations to “actively engage with and promote” sustainability objectives designed to make the game greener and more eco-friendly.
Wrexham has been contacted for their input.
The team was only aboard the aircraft for approximately 250 miles of the nearly 1,200-mile entire journey, as their flight transported them from Hawarden Airport in Flintshire to Oxford.
On March 14th, the aircraft departed from Jersey for Hawarden to collect the team, then proceeded to Oxford prior to returning to Jersey.
The return trip was made the next day.
Wrexham secured a victory with a score of 1-0 and now lead their promotion competitors by three points, though they have played one additional game.
Wrexham took 16 domestic flight trips. in their promotion season from the National League two years ago.
Meanwhile, A study conducted in 2023 revealed thatPremier League teams made use of air travel for 81 matches out of every 100 played. in a two-month period, with the shortest being 27 minutes.
In his book titled "My Wrexham Story," striker Paul Mullin mentioned that flights turned into a common solution following a royal visit to the Racecourse Ground, which resulted in the team having to endure a nearly five-hour bus trip just before kickoff.
He said co-owner Rob McElhenney said the team could fly to all away matches more than two hours away by road.
Of Wrexham's 23 League One opponents, only eight are within a two-hour drive.
Criticism of the decision to fly to the match at Wycombe was posted on TikTok by activist group Fossil Free Football , stated that the team would have spent over an hour traveling to and from airports for club excursions.
Air travel generates greenhouse gases—primarily carbon dioxide (CO2)—from the combustion of fuel. When these emissions are released into the air, they exacerbate global warming.
In 2023, private flights were responsible for approximately 15.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions — this is comparable to the annual output from about 3.7 million gasoline-powered vehicles on the road. according to research .
Fossil Free Football stated: "Nobody wants this issue to escalate at any tier, starting from the amateur levels where Already, 120,000 games per season have been canceled. , into professional football where we observed phenomena such as The Wimbledon surface collapsed following a severe storm in the previous year. "
The video likewise criticized Reynolds as hypocritical for going to the UN in New York to participate. Football for the Goals , an initiative launched by the United Nations focused on enhancing sustainability within the sport.
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