Wembley Stadium connected by EE was recognised by a panel of industry experts at last night’s Stadium Business Awards, winning the Sustainability & Community category for its recyclable pitch initiative.

The award spotlights the stadium’s commitment to becoming a greener venue.

Modern-day sports pitches are a hybrid of grass and synthetic plastic. The plastic does not break down naturally, so the majority of old pitches are sent to waste landfill sites at the end of their life-cycle.

The grounds team at Wembley Stadium came up with a process which allows the plastic to be extracted from the pitch and repurposed. In the first of its kind, they created a bench, made entirely out of plastic from a pitch that saw the likes of Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Lauren James and Mary Earps all perform on.

Karl Standley, Grounds Manager at Wembley Stadium said: “We’re incredibly proud to have won The Stadium Business Award for Sustainability and Community and be recognised for the team’s incredible efforts.

“By ensuring old pitches don’t go to landfill we have created a cycle that will ultimately reduce our impact on the environment and give something back to local grassroots football along the way.”

For more information about the pitch process click here.