The Desert Vipers Sustainability Match on Saturday the 3rdof February was held with the aim of raising awareness on issues of climate change and plastic waste through a series of initiatives in the stadium and at the fan carnival.From recycling bins to educational workshops to collection of old sports garments and so much more, the Desert Vipers went all out to showcase their commitment to sustainability.Cricket fans at the stadium and in the fan carnival engaged with all of these activations, confirming the franchise’s belief that raising awareness can lead to positive changes in behaviour.Desert Vipers CEO Phil Oliver said he believed the Sustainability Match was all that the team hoped for and more: “It certainly was a success, and we are delighted with how the sustainability match went both on and off the field. Winning the match obviously helped but regardless of that we achieved, many of the aims we set out to do happened and worked.“Raising awareness was a key part of what we wanted to do. So, having so many fans in the ground participating in our sustainability initiative was very exciting to see.“Having so many people in the fan carnival taking part in the education piece was a major breakthrough for us, because this was the first chance for local fans in Dubai who are taking part in these initiatives to actually come in to the stadium and see these things up close, and all the things that Ben Hardy-Jones (the Desert Vipers Sustainability Manager) and the off-field team pulled together. This was brilliant to see.“So, it was a success, and the exciting thing is what happens next because we have raised awareness and done some education around this and helped to change some behaviours, so let us see what we can do moving forward to keep up the momentum.”Ben Hardy-Jones, the team’s Sustainability Manager, has been at the heart of the Desert Vipers’ various initiatives and he said he was encouraged with the way the fans participated in the various activations on the day.“For us as a team we have been doing a lot of things around sustainability so this match was an opportunity to really engage our fans properly on an official level,” he said.“So, it was really good to see fans engaging with all that we were trying to do. The fans came to the ground wearing green which helped with our communication and education piece.“The fans’ response to having the recycling bins at the stadium for the first time was quite a positive one. I had a look at the bins myself and the fans were sticking to the correct items for the bins. It was really good to see them quickly taking that up and I think that is a real positive going forward to know that our fans are responsive and interested in what we are doing and can ultimately help us to achieve our goals of a more circular and better future for the planet.”The Desert Vipers sustainability programme has been in place since July last year and, as part of that, the Desert Vipers have also been running a schools and community outreach programme to spread the word about sustainability while offering children at schools a chance to learn about and play cricket.The Sustainability Match was a chance to engage with the community, and especially children, said CEO Phil Oliver.“Having so many children in the stadium taking part in these initiatives has set the agenda for what comes next,” he said. “We have been in schools over the past few months, with sustainability themed cricket training, and having those kids come and see what we are doing up close gives us the opportunity to grow that programme.The franchise has now been joined by the Dubai Sports Council as its Lead Sustainability Partner, and the Sustainability Match was the first step in cementing this very significant relationship.“This match was the start point of that partnership, with the Dubai Sports Council coming on board as our lead sustainability partner,” said Phil Oliver.“We now have the opportunity to build from the platform that the Sustainability Match has laid, I think we have got some fans of cricket, but also some fans of sustainability, which is an exciting position to be in, and it is down to us to capitalise on the momentum that we have created.”Desert Vipers Owner Avram Glazer made it a point to attend the Sustainability Match and show his support for the sustainability programme. Vipers CEO Phil Oliver said the franchise would never have been able to embark upon this journey without the owners’ support.“It was very exciting for our owners to see up close what we have been working so hard to achieve. There were a vast number of fans in the stadium. I think it was the highest attendance of the tournament so far, and that was no coincidence because we marketed this match and event very strongly.“It has been quite a journey for us, and we have always said that none of this would be possible without the buy-in from everyone involved, be it owners or players, and the support from our owners has been key to that.”The Desert Vipers are back in action on Friday, February 9, when they take on the Dubai Capitals at the Dubai International Stadium.Tickets for all Desert Vipers matches are now on sale and can be purchased via the official DP World ILT20 website or at any Virgin Megastore across the UAE.
