Chelsea men’s football stars Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell traded in their football boots for wellington boots on a local regeneration initiative.
The London football club has teamed up with MSC Cruises, its official global cruise partner, to launch the initiative designed to regenerate an area on the banks of the River Mole in Cobham, Surrey.
The project will see 100 trees planted, with the aim of providing valuable benefits for the local habitat.
The club has tapped its male and female players including Kadeisha Buchanan, Ben Chilwell, Alfie Gilchrist, Hannah Hampton, Melanie Leupolz and Raheem Sterling, who all kicked off the project, along with members of the MSC Cruises UK team.
The idea behind the initiative is to set up a “vital ecological corridor” and improve biodiversity in the local environment.
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It also aims to have a positive impact on a wide variety of areas, including water quality, habitat improvement and flood management, the club said.
Chelsea FC chief marketing officer Claire Cronin said: “Not only will the MSC Meadow create valuable benefits for the local environment, but we hope it will inspire our millions of fans around the world to play their part in making a positive impact in their own communities.”
Chris Goodwin, environmental social governance manager at Chelsea FC, commented: “The MSC Meadow is a long-term commitment to biodiversity improvement between Chelsea Football Club and MSC Cruises. The trees at our training ground will provide a positive environmental and social benefit for years.
“Biodiversity is seeing a significant decline with recorded species in the UK having been depleted on average by 19% since 1970. Every initiative matters, no matter what size, and in the MSC Meadow we have a definitive action that we hope will raise awareness about the importance Chelsea places on nature”.
Earlier this month, it was revealed the Football Association had donated bibs and drawstring bags recycled from the 2022 FA Cup final pitch cover to youth football clubs across the UK.