Graham Potter calls for Premier League clubs to stop flying to away games

Chelsea flew ahead of their game against Newcastle this weekend

Graham Potter has called on Premier League clubs to minimise travelling to away games by plane in order to protect the environment. Chelsea travelled by plane ahead of their fixture against Newcastle on Saturday evening in what is their longest away trip of the season. However with the Cop27 climate change conference currently taking place in Egypt, the Blues head coach believes that more can be done to tackle the situation. He said: "Generally, I think we can do better. "If you want to get warm-weather training, and I am talking about the Premier League, then I understand. But, also, if you think about the amount of emissions that come from long-haul flights, that is not great. "Flying long-haul is something to consider. But we are in the Premier League and we have to try to prepare as best we can. "How we fly to Premier League games is something to consider. We fly domestically – that’s also a challenge. We should be able to find a solution, definitely. It isn’t straightforward but if we are serious about it, which we should be, then we should think about it." After their game in the North East several of Chelsea's first-team players will be jetting off to link up with their international squads ahead of the World Cup while others will go around the globe for a brief break. Reece James and Ben Chilwell meanwhile will unfortunately miss out on the tournament through injury. "It’s a natural reaction to be disappointed," he said. "Reece thought he’d be close and he did everything he could to give himself a chance but in the end he fell a little bit short. Obviously, I can understand the decision and Reece’s frustration and disappointment. We just try to focus on the rehab and to get them back as soon as we can. "It’s a World Cup and they don’t come around very often, so to miss them is disappointing – but they’re both strong characters. They’ll be fine." Related links: