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Carrefour partners with Dubai’s Desert Vipers to promote healthier and more sustainable lifestyles in the UAE

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates,9thJanuary 2025: Carrefour, which Majid Al Futtaim owns the exclusive rights to operate in the UAE, has partnered with Dubai-based cricket team, the Desert Vipers. This strategic collaboration aims to empower families in making healthier and more sustainable choices while nurturing the next generation’s love for cricket.

Central to this mission is the Desert Vipers Schools Programme, which engages over 12,000 children annually across the UAE in cricket training through partnerships with GEMS Education and other leading schools. The programme introduces students to the fundamentals of cricket through practical sessions that enhance their physical fitness and teamwork skills while also integrating lessons on healthy living, sustainability, and the importance of making healthier, more responsible lifestyle choices.

Each participating student will receive a Desert Vipers shirt, sponsored by Carrefour, with a QR code that directs parents to Carrefour’s “Choose Better” programme, which showcases a selection of sustainable products. Launched in 2023, “Choose Better” aims to educate, empower, and reward customers by making healthier and more sustainable choices accessible, affordable, and appealing to everyone.

Jean-Luc Graziato, Chief Operating Officer — UAE at Majid Al Futtaim,commented: “This partnership is a testament to Carrefour’s commitment to a healthier, more sustainable future for the community. We recognise our responsibility as a retailer to positively impact health and well-being. Through initiatives like ‘Choose Better’, we are working in alignment with the UAE’s National Nutrition Strategy, educating the community, particularly the youth, on the importance of making healthy and sustainable choices. By linking this to the community’s love for cricket, we aim to empower families in making informed choices that benefit both themselves and the planet. Encouraging the next generation to embrace these values is key to building a greener tomorrow.”

Carrefour customers will enjoy opportunities to engage with the Desert Vipers through competitions to win prizes, including tickets to live matches and signed merchandise.

Further demonstrating their commitment to a greener future, the Desert Vipers will host their “Sustainability Match” on January 18th, 2025, as part of the ILT20 league. This match isn’t just about cricket, it’s an opportunity to celebrate and showcase the Vipers’ work in sustainability while engaging fans in a shared journey toward a more sustainable future.

“The link between nutrition and high-performance in elite sport is recognised across the board as marginal gains can make the difference between winning and losing on the field of play,” said Phil Oliver, CEO of the Desert Vipers. “In this way sport serves as a metaphor for how making better choices about the food we eat in everyday life is linked to personal health. Carrefour is the perfect partner for us to work with in our mission to promote health and wellness in our community. Our Sustainability Match offers a unique chance to inspire fans worldwide to take positive actions for the planet in partnership. The Desert Vipers aim to make this match a fun, engaging experience while driving meaningful change for people and the planet”.Click on the link below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DEnKZRoSDuR/

Nathan Sowter and Adam Hose after the Vipers impress in warm-up action against the Gulf Giants

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Nathan Sowter and Adam Hose after the Vipers impress in warm-up action against the Gulf Giants

This time we’ve got some cricket to reflect upon as the Vipers have played their one and only warm-up match ahead of the tournament, against the Gulf Giants at the ICC Academy.And as a build-up to the main event, it couldn’t have gone much better.The Vipers bowled out the Giants for 125 in only 16.1 overs, then cruised towards that target to such an extent that both head coaches, James Foster of the Vipers, and the Giants’ Andy Flower, agreed to a revised target of 186, 60 more runs than the original requirement.The Vipers fell short by just three runs of reaching that goal but it was still a match filled with positives and coming up we’ll reflect on those with two of the stars of the day from a Vipers perspective, leg-spinner Nathan Sowter and batter Adam Hose.Nathan took four for eight in a superb spell of bowling, while Adam found the middle of the bat in a stunning display of hitting, making 47 from only 23 balls before he retired out to give others a chance of time in the middle.Tickets for all Vipers matches in the DP World ILT20 are available via the link below this podcast description or at the official tournament website.

Tom Moody looks ahead to the season

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Tom Moody looks ahead to the season

In this edition we hear from Tom Moody, the Vipers’ Director of Cricket, two days out from the side’s opening match of season three, against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi on Sunday the 12th of January.We spoke with Tom to reflect upon the Vipers encouraging warm-up match against the Gulf Giants and Tom reflects on that performance and what it means for the days ahead.He also discusses the arrivals of several of the team’s big guns, including new captain Lockie Ferguson, batters Dan Lawrence, Sherfane Rutherford, and Alex Hales and all-rounders Kusal Malla and Wanindu Hasaranga and what that means for selection and for the team dynamic.And Tom speaks at length about the value he believes the league is providing for UAE players to develop their games alongside some of the world’s best talents.There’s a hint of three about the make-up of the side for that opening match in Abu Dhabi and his assessment of the opposition for that first match of the tournament for the Vipers.As ever with Tom, it’s thoroughly engaging stuff and well worth your time.And for Vipers tickets, please use the link below this podcast description.

FAKHAR ZAMAN SAYS HE HAS NOT TURNED THE PAGE ON HIS INTERNATIONAL CAREER AS HE PREPARES TO PLAY FOR THE DESERT VIPERS IN THE DP WORLD ILT20

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FAKHAR ZAMAN SAYS HE HAS NOT TURNED THE PAGE ON HIS INTERNATIONAL CAREER AS HE PREPARES TO PLAY FOR THE DESERT VIPERS IN THE DP WORLD ILT20

Travel advisory for fans to get to the stadiums for DP World ILT20 Season 3

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Travel advisory for fans to get to the stadiums for DP World ILT20 Season 3

Here’s a travel advisory for fans heading to the stadiums to watch the matches LIVE during DP World ILT20 Season 3. Matches will be played at the following venues:

* Dubai International Stadium, Dubai* Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah* Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Click the link below for all the details.

https://www.thedesertvipers.com/static-assets/docs/travel_advice_for_fans_all_venues_season_3.docx.pdf

James Foster – the Head Coach on the past, the present and what lies ahead!

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James Foster – the Head Coach on the past, the present and what lies ahead!

This time we catch up with the team’s Head Coach, James Foster.We chat with James about what he’s been up to since last season, his reflections on the previous campaign, his assessment of a host of players – some new and some returning from last term – and we get his assessment of where the squad stands ahead of the first match.James talks about the rationale behind the choice of New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson as captain, and he also speaks of all four UAE players engaged by the Vipers – all-rounder Ali Naseer and wicketkeeper-batter Tanish Suri, who were retained from last season, as well as fast bowler Khuzaima Bin Tanveer and off-spinning all-rounder Dhruv Parashar, who were picked up the UAE player draft that followed the ILT20 Development Tournament late last year.It’s James Foster looking back at last season, looking at the strength of the current squad and looking ahead to the challenges that lie ahead.And a reminder you can now buy tickets for all Desert Vipers matches via the link below this podcast description or at the DP World ILT20 website.

Sam Curran – Many happy returns to the Vipers!

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Sam Curran – Many happy returns to the Vipers!

With the tournament just days away, we hear from England all-rounder Sam Curran.Sam has been one of the first overseas players to arrive at the JA Resort as the squad starts to assemble in Dubai, and we caught up with him after the team’s first training session at the ICC Academy at Sports City.It’s a case of many happy returns to the Vipers for Sam as he joined the side for the latter stages of season two twelve months ago, and now he’s back – this time for the whole thing.He’s a player who’s been a star for England in all three formats and was player of the tournament when England won the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022, before going on to captain the Punjab Kings in the most recent edition of the Indian Premier League.Credentials like that mean he’s a highly respected and very much in-demand talent, so it really is a coup for the Vipers to secure his services for this tournament, especially with so many others taking place at the same time in different parts of the world.Coming up, Sam explains his thinking behind his decision to go all-in for the Vipers this season and how he hopes he can bring his winning mentality to the team after being part of trophy successes for both his county Surrey and the Oval Invincibles in England in 2024.He also speaks about where he would like to see himself batting and bowling in the side and about the prospect of facing his older brother Tom, the former Vipers all-rounder, who’s now all set to line up against him for the Gulf Giants.Sam provides us with his opinion on the impact substitute rule, which is being used for a second consecutive year in this season’s tournament and discusses where he sees himself in terms of his future with the England team.And on top of that, there’s also chat about his brother Ben, who has now made his international debut for Zimbabwe, the country of their father Kevin’s birth, in Tests and One-Day Internationals.It’s a fascinating chat covering a range of topics – and it’s a chat that’s well worth your time.And remember you can buy your tickets for all Vipers matches using the link below or by visiting the DP World ILT20’s official website.

DESERT VIPERS HEAD COACH JAMES FOSTER EXPLAINS THE CHOICE OF LOCKIE FERGUSON AS CAPTAIN: “HE IS A WONDERFUL PERSON, EVERYONE LOVES WORKING UNDER HIM AND HE HAS GOT FIRE IN THE BELLY.”

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DESERT VIPERS HEAD COACH JAMES FOSTER EXPLAINS THE CHOICE OF LOCKIE FERGUSON AS CAPTAIN: “HE IS A WONDERFUL PERSON, EVERYONE LOVES WORKING UNDER HIM AND HE HAS GOT FIRE IN THE BELLY.”

Positively Impacting People: How Our Staff Have Made Sustainable Changes to Their Own Lives

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Positively Impacting People: How Our Staff Have Made Sustainable Changes to Their Own Lives

The role of societal influence is one of the greatest opportunities that sports organisations can play in tackling sustainability issues. This is because sports organisations have an immense following and huge numbers of supporters, so they have a large potential to positively influence this vast number of people.

While the influence on fans reaches the largest number of people, the influence of sports organisations is not limited to fans: internal management staff and players are also affected. In this blog, we see how that comes about and why that’s important, before hearing from five of our team members about changes they’ve made in their own lives.

Societal Influence

When thinking about different actions to take to address sustainability issues, the same answers come up: buy an electric car, switch to renewable energy, eat less red meat, avoid single-use plastic, rewild your land, etc. These are all physical actions (or avoided actions) that take place, and are of immense importance. However, what if you already do all of these things? Or what if you are unable to do these things (e.g., you cannot afford an electric car)?

A recentpaperanswered this question, showing the multiple roles that actors can take to address climate action, including the physical things mentioned above, but crucially also including social categories of ‘citizenship’ and ‘influence’. Concerning influence, it was suggested that taking climate action can be done through talking to others, involving yourself in the community, or making the right career choices.

The Importance of Influence

Social influence is one of the primary drivers of low carbon behaviours, and, according to the latest IPCC report, behavioural changes can account for 10-85% of the carbon footprint reductions we need across different sectors. One of the main ways to socially influence others is through communicating through speaking.

Regarding sustainability, talking about climate change can lead to a greater acceptance of climate science, strengthen pro-climate beliefs, and reduce pluralistic ignorance (this is where you think others don’t believe the same things as you, and so you become scared to act, when in actual fact, they do believe the same things, and they are just experiencing the same feelings). Compared to listening or reading, conversations can deliver sustained engagement and result in changes in behaviours after the event. Therefore, by talking about sustainability and the importance of doing the right thing for people and the planet, Desert Vipers can use its platform to reduce pluralistic ignorance and foster positive behavioural changes amongst its stakeholders, including staff.

Changes Desert Vipers Staff Have Made

When planning this blog, I (Ben Hardy-Jones – Sustainability Lead), contacted five members of staff to ask if they had made any changes to their own lives since learning about sustainability through the Vipers. Fantastically, all five people had made changes, and they were very proud of them! Here are the responses:

Buying an EV is one of the most important changes that individuals can make to become more sustainable, where they need to use a car in their lives. It was great to hear that Yogesh had been inspired by using the EV with Desert Vipers, and that this had played a part in him purchasing one in his own life.

Where people have to fly, we advocate for flying better and compensating for those emissions if possible. It is great that Danielle is thinking about that when booking the flights for her family.

Red meat has a tremendously-high carbon footprint compared to white meat and vegetarian food. This was communicated through the carbon footprint savings in theSustainability Match Reportlast season, and this year we are placing carbon footprint labels in one of the restaurants in the team hotel, hoping to educate more people about this.

Reusable bags and bottles when on the go can save you from having to buy lots of items packaged in single-use plastic. By thinking ahead and taking a few seconds to make sure she has everything before going out, Pritha is showing how sustainable practices can be simple and easy.

Single-use plastic was a key focus in Season 2, with the team saving 14,400 single-use plastic water bottles during the season. However, with more sustainable practices like those from Amey, the true number of water bottles saved will be considerably higher, as our Bluewater reusable water bottles were used elsewhere.

Sustainability Spotlight –ElphaTap

One of the ways in which we influence each other is through our interactions when meeting people for the first time. In business, it is common to exchange a business card; however, these cards are usually made from paper/card and are single-use.

ElphaTap have decided to address this issue, and have made a digital platform to share information with the single tap of a wooden card on someone else’s phone. This system saves paper, and means that if your job title or contact details change, you don’t need a new card – you simply update the app! Beyond this, ElphaTap plants a tree for every person that uses a card, with their goal to plant one million trees.

Desert Vipers are proud to share that ElphaTap have joined the team as aSustainability Supplier, and all Desert Vipers staff are now using their wooden business cards, reducing the amount of paper we use as an organisation and having a positive influence on everyone that we exchange details with.

DESERT VIPERS AND SPORTZ JOURNEY JOIN FORCES FOR SEASON THREE OF THE DP WORLD ILT20

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DESERT VIPERS AND SPORTZ JOURNEY JOIN FORCES FOR SEASON THREE OF THE DP WORLD ILT20
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