Game, Set, Planet: Inside the GreenTennis Project

There is a quiet revolution taking place across European tennis, and it is happening right where the game is at its best: on local courts, in coaching clinics, and throughout community clubhouses.

Across six European countries, eight forward-thinking organisations have joined forces to build an inspiring, sustainable roadmap for the sport we love. Co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Sport programme (Grant Agreement 101184588), the GreenTennis Project is rolling out practical toolkits, evidence-based guides, and engaging digital resources designed to empower everyone in tennis - from grassroots volunteers and junior players to national federations and tournament directors.

Spanning partners including Tennis Europe, the Association of Centenary Tennis Clubs (CTC), the Hungarian Tennis Association (HTA), UCAM Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia, We Play Green, COLIN, AIforLives, and MOBAD, GreenTennis represents the most proactive, collaborative sustainability initiative in the history of the game.

The Aims: A Playbook for the Entire Ecosystem

Designed to turn environmental passion into practical court-level action, GreenTennis focuses on positive, on-the-ground empowerment. Its mission centres on four clear objectives:

1. Making facilities and tournaments measurably greener: Developing evidence-based operational standards to cut emissions, energy consumption, water usage, and single-use waste across National Tennis Centres, regional clubs, and tour events.
2. Igniting behavioural change: Creating accessible education for juniors, parents, coaches, and adult club members that turns environmental goodwill into automatic daily habits.
3. Equipping governing bodies and grassroots managers: Providing national federations and local committees with the practical competencies, audit checklists, and toolkits required to modernise their operations.
4. Aligning tennis with European climate goals: Translating the European Green Deal and UN Sustainable Development Goals into everyday racquet sport practices.

To achieve this, the consortium is producing five integrated tools: an operational Facilities Guide & Toolkit, a Sustainable Event Management Guide, educational resources for schools and academies, a gamified training programme for coaches and facility managers, and an interactive Carbon Footprint mobile app for players and fans.

The Impact Already Underway: From Evidence to Action

While the project runs through to late 2027, GreenTennis has already delivered tangible momentum across the European sporting landscape.

1. The Baseline is Established

During its opening research phase (Work Package 2), led by researchers at UCAM in Spain, the project conducted comprehensive field research, practitioner interviews, and environmental audits across National Tennis Centres. In April 2026, GreenTennis published two landmark open-access reports:

• D2.1 Literature Review Report: Mapping the state of academic knowledge and spotlighting critical evidence gaps in racquet sports.
• D2.2 Field Study & Data Analysis Report: Establishing the sport's first cross-border environmental baseline. The findings revealed that while 85% of players and club volunteers care deeply about sustainability, fewer than 10% have access to tools that measure energy, water, or travel footprints. Crucially, the research proved that player and spectator travel dominates tournament carbon emissions, and identified the short lifecycle of balls and strings as the lowest-hanging fruit for circular economy reform.

2. Grassroots Education Has Landed

Rather than waiting for the research to gather dust, the team immediately began rolling out engaging public resources (Work Package 3). In spring 2026, the project released:

• "Eat like the pros": A four-part series of short films teaching junior players that sustainable, real-food nutrition fuels better court stamina than heavily processed snacks in plastic packaging.
• "Greener tournaments": Three targeted short films giving local tournament organisers immediate, zero-fuss ways to cut paper draws, optimise ball usage, and run low-waste fixtures.
• Issue 1 of the Green Tennis Comic Book: A vibrant, free digital publication designed to introduce children to the players, choices, and kit that protect our climate.

3. Open Access and Pilot Testing

With its central digital platform at greentennisproject.com now live, GreenTennis is welcoming federations, tournament directors, and grassroots clubs to trial its facilities self-assessment checklists ahead of pilot rollouts across European centres in late 2026.

Why This Matters for Good News Tennis

At Good News Tennis, we believe the spirit of the game lives in its communities - from early morning park hitters to Saturday league captains sharing tea after a decisive doubles tiebreak.

Seeing the European tennis family join forces to safeguard our courts and our climate isn't just progressive policy; it's a breath of fresh air. By pairing hard data with practical grass-level tools, the GreenTennis Project ensures our beloved sport will stay vibrant, inclusive, and green for generations to come.