Rochdale are breathing new life into old football kits, reducing waste and making a difference in the lives of vulnerable members of the local community.
The Greater Manchester club may be in the National League on the pitch, but an upcycling initiative to upholster chairs with old shirts has contributed to them being catapulted to seventh spot nationally in this year’s Green Football Cup at the time of writing.
The Cup rewards actions by individuals and clubs which help the environment, as part of Green Football’s ‘Great Save’ campaign, which this year is all about donating, selling, reusing or upcycling sports kit to save it from landfill.
“We’re going into Europe!” joked Scott Webster, the education and employability programme manager at Rochdale’s community trust who came up with the idea to save kits and old furniture from landfill by repurposing them into functioning works of art.
According to Green Football, an estimated 100,000 tonnes of sports kit ends up in landfill each year.
Webster holds sessions every Monday teaching people how they can make the most of all sorts of everyday items that might otherwise be thrown away.
At the centre of the project has been the restoration of chairs by covering the seat and the back with old football kits. Some of the chair frames and legs are covered in ripped up old match programmes which have been stuck on with wallpaper paste.
These chairs are among the new furnishings in a converted corporate box at the Crown Oil Arena which is being transformed into a vibrant space for neurodiverse individuals.
Webster’s workshops often involve youngsters in the care and criminal system, plus people who are neurodiverse or disabled. He believes the project is already helping to change mindsets among those taking part.
⚽♻️ We’ve teamed up with Pure Innovations to upcycle old football kits! Their clients have even transformed kits into creative chair covers! 🪑✨
The project has grown into a recycling initiative, with amazing upcycling ideas and donations to local communities. 🏡💙 pic.twitter.com/XgGWDt2all
— Rochdale AFC Community Trust (@RAFCCommunity) February 24, 2025
“If you plant the seed with a young learner, they will then stamp their feet and say: ‘I don’t want that (thrown away). You’re not throwing that football shirt away, I’m saving that one’,” he said.
“They’re the ones that change the mindset of their parents. As much as the parent will want to chuck it away, (the child will say) ‘well, no, I want to save it. I want to upcycle it. I want to reuse it. I want to frame it’. So, yeah, I think that for some people we’re making a bit of a difference.
“There’s so many learners out there that struggle with everyday life. If you’re putting something like this on and it’s enjoyable and it’s fun and it’s vibrant, they’re going to come and do it.
“It needed a little bit of vision. It needed impact. And I think it’s really showing impact at the minute.”
The kit-covered chairs will be moved into the new space in time for Dale’s match against Aldershot on Saturday.
Earlier that day, the club are also holding an event to teach children how to turn old football shirts into pillow cases, and holding an ‘Aldershirt’ classic kits exhibition event.
