DS Smith offers quick, sustainable solution to football clubs looking to fill empty stadiums

You’ve heard of plastic fans – now meet the cardboard ones. Hundreds of thousands of them coming to a football ground near you. And whilst Premier League and Championship players all over the country are re-starting the season, a leading provider of sustainable packaging DS Smith, has been busy building a fanbase – quite literally.

The global packaging giant most commonly known for its boxes has turned its hand to produce a solution for any football clubs who need to fill stadiums quickly, reliably and sustainably, at the last minute. From the Bundesliga and Serie A to the Premier League, sports leagues across Europe are back in action post lockdown, but sans the fans.

Customisable and fully recyclable

With average weekly attendance in excess of 39,300 fans in England’s Premier League alone, social distancing has left fans relegated to the sofa leaving sports’ stadiums empty. To create some much-needed atmosphere, DS Smith has developed its ‘Return to Sport’ range, a series of customisable and fully recyclable options for clubs.

These can be easily purchased via its website – DS Smith’s specially trained team can help design and deliver them anywhere in the country. The impressive range includes bespoke crowds, able to withstand temperamental local climates, as well as social distancing solutions to help visitors observe local legislations.

Innovation in the face of social distancing

Each bespoke ‘fan’ is made from recycled materials and designed to easily slip over existing stadium seating. As a result of DS Smith’s digital print capabilities, the range can be custom printed to celebrate individual fans’ faces or messages of support and represent team colours, sponsors or charitable partnerships.

James Lomax, Football Fan and Sales, Marketing and Innovation Director at DS Smith commented: “DS Smith likes to see itself as a box to box midfielder and we’re ready to spring into action as the Premier League and Championship both get back underway.

100,000 fans within days

Sport is an integral part of many people’s lives and by using a versatile material like cardboard, we can support clubs across the country to create a unique atmosphere while fans stay home to support social distancing. Our ‘Back to Sport’ range is the ideal sustainable solution providing clubs with a blank canvas that can be fully customised, while also ensuring the material can be reused or recycled.”

DS Smith’s range is scalable from a lone fan to a full house of up to 100,000 fans and can be on the road within days. Due to the durability and recyclability of the cardboard materials, individual fans can be gifted or auctioned to fans eager to have a piece of the action or put into the local recycling system via DS Smith’s own curb-side collections.

https://www.dssmith.com/uk/packaging/offering/products/social-distancing-solutions/return-to-sports