A lack of 'sustainability thinking' can be seen at the heart of many of the problems that football faces today; from the huge amounts of money that clubs seem compelled to spend on what are often short-term gains - and the speculation, debt and market-centred ideology that goes with it - to the not unrelated deep disenchantment experienced by many football fans for a game that they still, despite it all, remain determined to love.

Sustainability here is more broadly conceptualised than focusing on environmental issues. It encompasses social and economic sustainability,...