From pilot to powerhouse: How Staveley Miners Welfare FC turned The Greener Game into a blueprint for grassroots renewal

Across England, grassroots football clubs sit quietly behind village halls, beside railway lines and on the outskirts of towns.  

They are run by volunteers, sustained by tea handed out in polystyrene cups and powered – more often than not – mainly by goodwill. 

Staveley Miners Welfare FC  was the first of England’s grassroots clubs to take part in E.ON Next and England Football’s The Greener Game programme.  

Now, well over a year after the club signed up, the results of the club’s involvement are visible not just on the roof of The Trojan’s clubhouse – but in the rhythm of the entire community. 

When former England goalkeeper Rob Green returned to Staveley to see the results of it becoming one of The Greener Game’s pilot clubs, chairman Terry Damms didn’t need long to sum up the benefits – as our video below of the pair chatting shows.

“Twelve months ago, we got the E.ON Next panels on the clubhouse,” Terry said. “Since then, we’ve had further works done – building classrooms. So it’s been a busy year.” 

Busy is an understatement.  

The club now supports the Under-6 team right through to the first teams – men’s and women’s – with around 30 teams calling the ground home.

“We're accommodating the Under-6’s right the way through to our first team – men’s and women’s,” Terry added. “We’ve probably got up to 30 teams. We’ve got to make sure that this facility is open to everybody. It’s not about one set – it’s about everybody.

“It just provides such a great feeling that you’ve got all people from this local community, that’s gone through its trials and tribulations, and to get them here – smiling, and grandparents and parents in the clubhouse having a cup of coffee… that’s how we measure success at this football club.” 

That sense of place matters. But so do the numbers. 

Energy can be of the biggest overheads facing grassroots clubs.  

Floodlights now blaze through winter evenings, changing rooms must stay warm,  clubhouses hum with kettles, washing machines and the low-level electricity of everyday life. 

Terry, pictured above with Rob Green, knows exactly how much energy his complex consumes. 

“The E.ON audit showed I think we’ve got something like 150 plug points on this complex,” he said. “We've got these fantastic floodlights that are on during the week. It’s a constant use. We've put new buildings on for BTEC and university work. 

“Every time we put something in it increases the energy. So what we're trying to do – and I think we can – is try to look at a 10% saving on our electric bill. 

“Not only that, we've got the ability, when the time's right, to be able to enhance what we've got with more panels, which hopefully will increase the saving.” 

That ambition reflects the wider story of The Greener Game.  

In 2025 alone, a total of 250 clubs signed up to the programme. 

More than 100 clubs have now benefited from free energy audits analysis, with some now saving up to 25 per cent on electricity costs and dozens installing solutions such as solar panels, battery storage, LED lighting and insulation as part of the initiative.

Hundreds more have signed up to the programme as clubs look for ways to secure their futures. 

Across the four pilot clubs – including Staveley Miners Welfare FC – combined savings have reached £9,700.

For Terry, the process was refreshingly straightforward. 

“We got notified via Derbyshire FA, then we did a review and we were lucky enough to get one of the pilot schemes that E.ON Next suggested to us,” he said. “So they came and did the audit. We had the install and it's gone from there, so it was a really good process, and I thank everybody who's contributed to that, for this football club.” 

Savings, crucially, are not an end in themselves.  

They are fuel for growth. 

Terry said when Rob asked whether the financial breathing space is helping sustain the club’s expansion: “Absolutely – it's about community, it's about usage on the pitch for everybody.  

“Off it, I'll continue to absolutely make this the best possible place I can, so that when people come here they’re safe, they're secure, they enjoy the facilities – and that, really, is the number one aim for the future.

Terry’s advice to other clubs considering joining The Greener Game was characteristically direct. 

“It's very extensive, and thorough, and at the end of it they'll come up with a plan – and it will save you money, there's no doubt about that,” he said. “The numbers won't lie. They're there to be had. So any club, I would really say to them, ‘Give it a good shot and see what they come up with.’ For me, it's a no brainer.”

Grassroots football develops far more than players. It develops referees, coaches, physios – and communities. 

Through The Greener Game, E.ON Next is proving the energy transition is not abstract.  

It is local – and it’s practical.  

It is also measurable in floodlights that stay on, classrooms – like the one at Staveley pictured above – which stay warm and clubhouses that remain open long after the final whistle.

At Staveley Miners Welfare FC, sustainability has not just cut bills. 

It has strengthened foundations. 

And its lights are still shining. 

For more information on The Greener Game, click here, and for more on the E.ON Next Small Business Tariff offering a credit to FA grassroots football teams,  visit eonnext.com/business.