Northampton Saints have benefitted from World Rugby’s new Environmental Sustainability Programme as a host venue for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.
Northampton will host six pool stage games of the tournament later this summer, including England’s crucial Pool A clash with Samoa, as well as Ireland v Japan, South Africa v Brazil, Ireland v Spain, Italy v Brazil and France v South Africa across three jam-packed weekends of action in late August and early September.
Tickets for several matches remain available to purchase directly from World Rugby HERE, with a ticket resale platform also available.
World Rugby has continued its efforts to drive positive change across the sport through its major competitions with a dedicated environmental sustainability programme for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 in England.
The programme is structured around three key pillars – nurturing strong governance, addressing direct impacts, and promoting knowledge-sharing across the sport – while World Rugby has also awarded venue-specific grants to fund long-term initiatives that aim to reduce environmental impact.
As a result, Saints have installed four new electric vehicle charging points at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens to encourage low-carbon transport amongst the Club’s players, coaches and staff.
“We’re delighted to be involved in this World Rugby initiative as we continue to look for ways to reduce our environmental impact,” said Sara Young, Chief Operating Officer at Northampton Saints.
“We have seen many of our players and staff transitioning to EVs in recent years, and this World Rugby grant will enable us to provide our people with safe and reliable on-site charging. We also hope the installation will encourage more of our staff to make the transition to sustainable commuting.
“Our ambition is to operate the most sustainable rugby stadium in the country, and to be a pioneer for sustainability in rugby and beyond.
“We’re proud to be pioneers in sustainability and intend to continue to use the power and reach of Northampton Saints to inspire our community to push for a more sustainable future for everyone.”
Sara Young, Chief Operating Officer at Northampton Saints
The new EV chargers were installed by Emerge Group – one of the UK’s leading providers of sustainable technologies including bespoke renewable energy, EV solutions, and power infrastructure – who are also based locally in Northampton.
The project was entirely funded by grants from World Rugby, Net Zero West Northants, and the UK Government, as part of their workplace EV charging scheme.
Northampton Saints signed up to the UN’s Sports for Climate Action Framework in April 2022. This initiative calls on sporting organisations to acknowledge the contribution of the sport sector to climate change and a collective responsibility to strive towards climate for a safer planet.
The Club is also a member of the British Association for Sustainable Sport (BASIS), the sustainability hub for sport in the UK, and a member of TANZ (Towards A Net Zero) West Northants. You can view Saints’ sustainability strategy in full HERE.
Sarah Massey, Managing Director of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, said: “We have been preparing Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 over the last three years with a key objective in mind: organising an event that is responsible and drives positive change.
“Through close collaboration with our host venues and stakeholders, a robust governance and targeted funding, we are supporting practical, locally driven initiatives that will have a lasting impact for local communities and will create a benchmark for future Rugby World Cups.”
Other venue-specific green initiatives funded by World Rugby ahead of the tournament include biodiversity projects in Brighton, LED upgrades in Exeter and Sunderland, installation of water refill stations in Salford and Brighton, and introduction of smart energy control systems in York.
A comprehensive carbon footprint report will be published post-tournament to assess the effectiveness of measures implemented to limit and reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to the tournament delivery. The report, accessible to all, will serve as a baseline for future tournaments including the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029 in Australia.
