Dragons Rugby Football Club is a professional Welsh rugby union team based at Rodney Parade in Newport, South Wales, representing the Gwent region. In 2024 they were crowned Team Modeshift National Travel Award Winner in the Sustainable Spectator Travel Event of the Year category.
Here we delve into the Dragons RFC Modeshift STARS Story:
The Challenge
Dragons RFC faced a familiar challenge for mid-to-large venues, heavy matchday reliance on car use and minimal uptake of active travel options. Despite attracting thousands of fans to Rodney Parade, surveys revealed that public and sustainable transport was underused by supporters, contributing to congestion and avoidable emissions.
The Eco Dragons Campaign was born
For the 2023/24 season, Dragons RFC launched Eco Dragons, a region-wide initiative designed to transform how fans travel to games. With a focus on improving spectator and audience travel, the club worked with Modeshift STARS, Pledgeball, and bus operators to roll out a series of transport solutions that prioritised behaviour change, accessibility, and environmental impact.
Key initiatives included:
- Partnered with Pledgeball and Cardiff University to refine a data-led measurement tool capturing fan engagement and behaviour change at major sporting events. The first project of its kind in UK professional sport!
- Free travel for season ticket holders to all home matches, available across a wide regional network
Newport Bus: Valid on 35 routes, used by 1,000+ fans
Stagecoach South Wales: Valid on 122 routes, with 250+ fans taking part
- Electric vehicle (EV) charging installed at the stadium
- Promotion of electric bikes for shorter, local journeys
The Impact
The Eco Dragons campaign led to outstanding engagement and tangible carbon savings:
- Fans pledged to save an incredible 1,686,137 kg of CO₂e during the 2023/24 season – equivalent to taking over 365 cars off the road
- Over 1,250 fans used the club’s matchday free travel offers
- The fan engagement and measuring tool is being developed into a national framework for rugby union and beyond
David Watts, Dragons RFC told us:
‘With support from Modeshift and our partners, we’ve been able to create a model that puts fans at the centre of the journey to a more sustainable matchday. We’re proud to be the first professional sports club in the UK to combine behaviour change, transport incentives, and carbon tracking at this scale.’
What’s Next?
Dragons RFC has set two bold goals for future seasons:
- Maximise the use of the behaviour and travel impact measurement tool, helping track fan engagement and progress over time
- Offer free matchday travel to all fans, not just season ticket holders, in partnership with transport partners
Dragons RFC’s Eco Dragons campaign is a leading example of how a professional sports club can reimagine spectator and audience travel to create a more connected, sustainable future.
