Emirates GBR makes history as first team to win SailGP's Impact League twice
by Emirates GBR SailGP Team 26 Nov 13:56 GMT
4-5 October 2025
The Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team with the Impact League trophy in Abu Dhabi ahead of the 2025 Season Grand Final © Trevor Brown, Jr. for SailGP
The Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team has made history as the first team to win SailGP's Impact League twice. The Impact League, known as the podium for the planet, is a championship that tracks and rewards all 12 SailGP teams for their social and environmental projects.
Across the 2025 Season, all teams had to submit projects for each of the four Focus Areas: waste reduction, accelerating inclusion, climate action and breaking boundaries (gender equality). Each Focus Area was scored by an independent panel of expert judges from the world of sport and sustainability, and Emirates GBR secured top three results for all of its projects. Judges praised the team for its "impressive" projects that "set the gold standard" and were "anything but a flash in the pan".
Emirates GBR CEO and co-owner, Sir Ben Ainslie, said: "I'm so proud of the team for winning the Impact League for the second year running. As a team, we want to make a positive impact both on and off the water and this year we've had some big results. We've expanded our partnership with the Greig City Academy in north London to get more young people into the marine industry, put on foiling academies in Weymouth and partnered with Goodwall and the 1851 Trust to provide STEM and climate education."
Emirates GBR's Focus Area projects
Waste Reduction (2nd place): Implemented sustainable team kit solutions by rebranding rather than replacing clothing when a new partner came on-board, saving 628 items from waste. Also worked with Spinlock to create velcro branding and athlete name patches for its life jackets to prevent re-manufacturing the entire garment when changes were needed.
Accelerating Inclusion (1st place): Expanded its partnership with the Greig City Academy in Haringey, London, to create a pathway for underserved youth into the marine industry following the success of former student Kai Hockley, who joined Emirates GBR on a paid internship in January 2024 and is now a full-time Development Sailor with the team. Other students are being provided opportunities both on and off the water, such as foiling academies and work experience placements at the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth.
Climate Action (3rd place): Partnered with the STEM and climate education charity, the 1851 Trust, and Goodwall, the skills social network for youth, to launch the #PowerUpChallenge, which tasked youth to create a video explaining how renewable energy was used by sports teams and events. The project, which engaged 250,000 young people from 169 countries, stemmed from Emirates GBR's portable renewable energy installation, created with Low Carbon, to take its base off-grid at events.
Breaking Boundaries (2nd place): Hosted foiling camps in Weymouth with the Athena Pathway Programme to provide foiling experience to people of all abilities, of which 81 out of 110 participants were female. Appointed Athena Pathway alumni and Olympic champion Ellie Aldridge as its Female Development Sailor, on a formal plan to become the team's strategist, and supporting current Strategist, Hannah Mills OBE, with her ambitions to have her own SailGP team. After reviewing each team's projects, Impact League Judge Angela Ruggiero, a four-time Olympic medallist in ice hockey, said Emirates GBR was "the gold standard for grassroots female development".
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Jo Grindley, CEO of the 1851 Trust and CMO/CCO of Emirates GBR, said: "This is a massive all-team achievement, every member of Emirates GBR has been involved in the Impact League Focus Areas and shows the team's passion to create impact both on and off the water."
Fiona Morgan, SailGP Chief Purpose Officer spoke highly of Emirates GBR's second year of success: "What an achievement for the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team winning the Impact League for the second year running — a standout example of their long-term commitment and passion across the team to drive meaningful change. Their consistency and leadership set a powerful example of what's possible when purpose and performance go hand in hand."
Having been declared winner of the 2025 Season Impact League, Emirates GBR will receive the Impact League trophy and $25,000 for its purpose partner, the 1851 Trust. With the team already securing one trophy heading into this weekend's Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix 2025 Season Grand Final presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the race is now on for the Brits to do the double, and clinch the Championship trophy too. With Emirates GBR currently top of the 2025 Season leaderboard heading into the Grand Final, the team is well-placed to also become the first team to ever win both trophies.
The Abu Dhabi event consists of two days of 12-boat fleet races, after which an event winner will be crowned and season points tallied, in order to determine the top three teams who will advance to the Grand Final - a single, winner-takes-all showdown for the sport's top prize, US $2 million. UK viewers can follow all the action live on TNT Sports from 10:00 GMT on Saturday and Sunday.