Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Ryan Baldi

Pledgeball @pledgeball.bsky.social · 15d

From Barcelona’s €1.4m water-recycling system to the hidden cost of artificial turf, the future of the
pitch is complex.

Read @ryanbaldi.bsky.social's full piece on @football365.bsky.social here: www.football365.com/news/pitch-p...

1

Reposted by Ryan Baldi

Pledgeball @pledgeball.bsky.social · 21d

Pushing their club to go greener, Brentford’s Sustaina-Bees are showing what fan power really looks like. 🐝

Full piece by @ryanbaldi.bsky.social for @football365.bsky.social 👇

www.football365.com/news/fan-cli...

2 1

Reposted by Ryan Baldi

Pledgeball @pledgeball.bsky.social · 23d

From sustainable matchday habits to pushing clubs on carbon, fans are proving football’s strength lies in collective action.

Read @ryanbaldi.bsky.social's piece for @football365.bsky.social here 👇

www.football365.com/news/fan-cli...

1 1

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · Sep 9

After Grimsby's EFL Cup giant killing of Man Utd, my latest piece for @pledgeball.bsky.social / @football365.bsky.social looks at how we need to protect coastal grounds like Blundell Park in light of alarming predictions about their risk from rising sea levels

www.football365.com/news/grimsby...

Grimsby triumph over Man Utd highlights flood risk to coastal football grounds

A significant share of English professional stadiums face material flood-risk by 2050, with Grimsby's ground among them.

www.football365.com

2 2

Reposted by Ryan Baldi

Football365 @football365.bsky.social · Sep 6

A significant share of English professional stadiums face material flood-risk by 2050, with Grimsby's ground among them.

@ryanbaldi.bsky.social
www.football365.com/news/grimsby...

Grimsby triumph over Man Utd highlights flood risk to coastal football grounds

A significant share of English professional stadiums face material flood-risk by 2050, with Grimsby's ground among them.

www.football365.com

1

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · Aug 25

From turf to table: The growing push for more sustainable food at football

My latest for @football365.bsky.social / @pledgeball.bsky.social

www.football365.com/news/turf-ta...

Spurs following revolutionary German clubs in 'plant-forward' strategy

As environmental urgency tilts the playing field, stadium food is becoming an unlikely frontline in the fight for sustainability.

www.football365.com

1 4

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · Aug 18

My latest piece for @pledgeball.bsky.social / @football365.bsky.social explains why the climate crisis is non-league football’s toughest opponent

www.football365.com/news/climate...

Climate crisis poses existential threat to non-league football

That's not hyperbole when climate-fuelled weather repeatedly brings floodwater, heatwaves and storms to their door.

www.football365.com

2 3

Reposted by Ryan Baldi

Pledgeball @pledgeball.bsky.social · Aug 14

The Premier League returns tomorrow, and fans will be queueing for their clubs' latest kit.

From recycled bottles to polyester threads, football is trying to go greener, but as @ryanbaldi.bsky.social shows, the game’s plastic problem runs deeper.

Read the full article on football365.com.

1

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · Aug 6

You can keep your The Wires, your The Sopranoses, your The Breaking Bads. The Premier League Years is genuinely the greatest TV series of all time

2

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · Aug 4

Fan climate activism on the rise from Dortmund to Brentford and beyond

My latest piece for @football365.bsky.social / @pledgeball.bsky.social

www.football365.com/news/fan-cli...

Fan climate activism on the rise from Dortmund to Brentford and beyond

This isn’t PR for show. It’s activism with measurable outcomes. Fans aren’t just spectators; they’re stakeholders.

www.football365.com

Reposted by Ryan Baldi

Football365 @football365.bsky.social · Jul 28

What can men learn from England's women? Absolutely sod all; it's not about them, says @ryanbaldi.bsky.social

www.football365.com/news/men-lea...

England women are not a blueprint for the men

The Lionesses' success is as uniquely female as it is inspirationally English.

www.football365.com

1

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · Jul 28

Can neither confirm nor deny whether I purchased identical replica full Chloe Kelly and Hannah Hampton kits for my two young boys who very much enjoyed the final last night. Cost £30 for both

Kelly Welles @kellywelles.bsky.social · Jul 28

Good luck to all the parents whose kids want to wear the shirt today. FFS Nike, do better.

5

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · Jul 25

Rate of decline in MLS appears to be much starker — from ~60% to ~44%, which is around the historical PL average

1 1

Reposted by Ryan Baldi

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · Jul 25

I crunched some numbers around the decline of homefield advantage in MLS, and argued it’s a good thing for the league

www.theguardian.com/football/202...

MLS teams are losing their home field advantage – and that’s no bad thing

A collection of factors has brought home field advantage down to a level seen in the Premier League, making MLS feel more competitive as a result.

www.theguardian.com

1 4 8

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · Jul 25

Youth academies stand to be football’s unsung eco-heroes

New, for @football365.bsky.social and @pledgeball.bsky.social

www.football365.com/news/academi...

Arsenal Academy among football’s unsung eco-heroes

If the next generation of stars can think beyond their own boots, they might just transform the sport from a polluter to a promoter.

www.football365.com

1 1

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · Jul 25

I crunched some numbers around the decline of homefield advantage in MLS, and argued it’s a good thing for the league

www.theguardian.com/football/202...

MLS teams are losing their home field advantage – and that’s no bad thing

A collection of factors has brought home field advantage down to a level seen in the Premier League, making MLS feel more competitive as a result.

www.theguardian.com

1 4 8

Reposted by Ryan Baldi

Pledgeball @pledgeball.bsky.social · Jul 23

Forest Green Rovers are building the world’s greenest football stadium...out of wood!

Proof that football can be sustainable.

Check out @ryanbaldi.bsky.social's full article here 👇

www.football365.com/news/forest-...

#ProtectWhereWePlay

Forest Green are building football's greenest stadium out of wood!

Forest Green Rovers aren’t trying to tweak the edges of environmental policy; they’re bulldozing them.

www.football365.com

2 2 8

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · Jun 30

Has to be the most depressingly named stadium in football

2 1

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · Jun 5

The NBA Finals begin tonight

I was part of a prediction panel for The Guardian, picking winners, key players and the MVP

www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/j...

NBA finals 2025 predictions: will the Pacers shock the Thunder? Our writers share their picks

Will it be Oklahoma City or Indiana? Our contributors pick the winner, key players and dark horses before the season’s grand finale tips off Thursday night

www.theguardian.com

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · Jun 2

😂

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · Jun 2

Buddy was born for the Firmino role

2 1

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · Jun 2

Pencil Joshua Zirkzee in for 9 goals and 17 assists next season

1 2

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · May 28

A piece on how Alejandro Garnacho’s likely sale represents a tricky needle to thread between funding a rebuild, resetting a culture and maintaining an identity for Ruben Amorim and Manchester United

www.sportinglife.com/football/new...

Alejandro Garnacho's transfer should mark the start of the Manchester United cultural reset

In the hours after Manchester United’s Europa League final defeat to Tottenham last week, Ruben Amorim’s position came under question.

www.sportinglife.com

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · May 24

Was thinking about this today. What’s the downside to them being a bit more explicit about their vision? Wouldn’t have to go into minute detail but just clue the fans in a bit on what you’re trying to do, what this is all supposed to be pointing towards

1 2

Ryan Baldi @ryanbaldi.bsky.social · May 24

Yep, spot on