GOAL Medals Ceremony Highlights Sustainability in Sports & Entertainment Venues

GOAL took part in Climate Week NYC by hosting two days of programming that included a behind-the-scenes tour of UBS Arena, a fireside chat featuring National Women’s Soccer League veteran Jasmyne Spencer and Liverpool Football Club’s Lucas Leiva, and the third annual GOAL Medals ceremony.

The ceremony was emceed by presenter David Garrido, sustainability lead at Sky Sports, and hosted by Deloitte Horizons in Midtown Manhattan Sept. 22.

The GOAL Medals recognize “verified action across the day-to-day operations of sports and entertainment venues,” with organizations “earning recognition for measurable progress across areas including energy, water, waste, food and beverage, transportation, engagement, and more.”

GOAL (Green Operations & Advanced Leadership) is a sustainability network for live event venues founded in 2021 in partnership between Oak View Group (Pollstar‘s parent company), the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena, Fenway Sports Group, and Jason F. McLennan, founder of McLennan Design.

The 2026 ceremony honored 23 different venues and organizations including Moody Center in Austin, Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle and Co-op Live in Manchester, England, being recognized in the “Legend” level for their commitment to sustainability, while UBS Arena in Elmont, New York and Anfield in Liverpool, England, were honored at the champion level.

Three additional, sponsored awards were given out to honor leadership in the industry including Gainbridge Fieldhouse and the WNBA receiving the Ocean Conservancy’s “Protect Where We Play” award for “Reuse in Action.”

The “Leadership in Energy” award, presented by MD Energy Advisers, was given to Grand Casino Arena,” home to the Minnesota Wild NHL team, and the “Water Conservation Leaders” award was given to Target Field, home to the MLB’s Minnesota Twins.

The fireside chat with Spencer and Leiva, which was moderated by Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, Chief Scientist of The Nature Conservancy, explored “the connections between sport, sustainability, and influence.” As part of the evening, Spencer was “recognized with the 2026 Legacy of Impact Award for using her platform to advance sustainability within sport and beyond it.”

In addition to being a soccer veteran who competed across 12 NWSL seasons, Spencer is the founder of Jas It Up, “a sustainable lifestyle brand created to inspire more eco-conscious and socially aware living, and uses the influence of sport, fashion, and education to empower young people and encourage environmental action.”

Visit https://goalstandard.com/ to learn more about GOAL.

_Originally reported by [Pollstar](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/09/23/goal-medals-ceremony-celebrates-sports-entertainment-venues-sustainability-impact/)._