By the end of the project, 100 trees will have been planted on the banks of the River Mole at our training ground in Cobham, providing valuable benefits for the local habitat.

Our players Kadeisha Buchanan, Ben Chilwell, Alfie Gilchrist, Hannah Hampton, Melanie Leupolz and Raheem Sterling all took part in the kick-off to the project, along with members of the MSC Cruises UK team. Swapping football boots for wellington boots, they began planting the trees.

The initiative, which MSC Cruises and Chelsea have co-developed, will establish a vital ecological corridor and improve biodiversity in the local environment. Additionally, it will have a positive impact on a wide variety of areas, including water quality, habitat improvement and flood management.

Claire Cronin, Chelsea FC’s chief marketing officer, said, 'We are proud to be working with our partner, MSC Cruises, on such a meaningful initiative. To have a partner who recognises the importance of addressing biodiversity loss is incredibly powerful.

'Not only will the MSC Meadow create valuable benefits for the local environment, but we hope it will inspire our millions of fans around the world to play their part in making a positive impact in their own communities.'

Antonio Paradiso, vice president of international sales for MSC Group’s Cruise Division and managing director for the UK & Ireland, added: 'We have a long-standing partnership with Chelsea Football Club and saw an opportunity to launch this community initiative in partnership with them to benefit our local environment. We look forward to taking part in other future projects like this.'

Tree planting is vital to both the climate and biodiversity. It forms a key part of the UK’s net zero strategy for greenhouse gas emissions, with the target to significantly increase tree cover by creating 30,000 hectares of new woodland every year.

A woodland environment also sustains a wide variety of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms which are able to exist in unison to maintain balance and support life, a biodiversity that humans rely upon to provide clean water, fresh air and plants for food. At the moment, 16 per cent of UK species are at risk of being lost.

With only 15 per cent of rivers in England rated as being in good ecological condition, the banks of the River Mole in Cobham are a natural location for a project like this to take place. Pollinating species such as bees, which are crucial for food production but have been in decline, can benefit from a boost to the rural environment brought about by initiatives like the new MSC Meadow.

Chris Goodwin, environmental social governance manager for Chelsea FC, commented: 'The MSC Meadow is a long-term commitment to biodiversity improvement between Chelsea Football Club and MSC Cruises. The trees at our training ground will provide a positive environmental and social benefit for years.

'Biodiversity is seeing a significant decline with recorded species in the UK having been depleted on average by 19 per cent since 1970. Every initiative matters, no matter what size, and in the MSC Meadow we have a definitive action that we hope will raise awareness about the importance Chelsea places on nature.'