EFL Award - 2nd National Award Recognition for Cobblers Tackle Food Waste

On Sunday 27th April 2025, Final Third Director Rich Holmes headed to the EFL Awards in London with Northampton Town FC Community Trust CEO Phill Smith and Schools Manager Lorna Stockwell. The club were nominated for EFL's Green Club of the Year Award for efforts in the Cobblers Tackle Food Waste initiative. It was the third consecutive year the club had been nominated for the same award, losing out to Bristol City in 2023 and Rotherham United in 2024.

2025, however was the year of the Cobblers, as the campaign secured the EFL Green Club of the Year trophy, with NTFC and Final Third accepting the award on stage and live on Sky Sports (pictured).

Pictured, left to right: Jules Warren and David Prutton (Sky Sports), Lorna Stockwell (NTFC), Rich Holmes (Final Third), Phill Smith (NTFC), Sponsors of the award (IMG), Richie Wellens (Leyton Orient FC 1st Team Manager)

This is the second national award for the initiative, following being award Fan Engagement Action of the Year at the BASIS Awards in 2024 (Pictured).

Left to Right: Rich Holmes (Director at Final Third), Phill Smith (CEO at NTFC Community Trust) and Alex Robinson (CEO at Hubbub) collecting the BASIS Award for Cobblers Tackle Food Waste in 2024 at Wimbledon AELTC

Cobblers Tackle Food Waste kicked off in 2024, a community-focused initiative using the power of football and the brand of Northampton Town FC to reduce food waste across Northamptonshire.

Partnering up with Northampton Town FC Community Trust, and utilising the Planet League platform, we set to work devising an initiative that would educate and engage Cobblers fans, local schools, businesses and community groups to reduce the food they are throwing away.

With around a third of food going to waste in the UK, and the implications food waste can have on emissions and climate change, it's a key issue. Funded by 'Eat It Up' from Hubbub, with support from the Starbucks 5p cup charge, the campaign was underway with a focus over 12 months.

Over the period, impact was seen with an estimated 4.5 tonnes of food waste saved in schools alone, 2,096 households engaged, 61 businesses and an impressive 11% increase in take-up for the the council's food waste collection service. The full impact report for Eat It Up can be found on Hubbub's website here.