Drinking water is a valuable and expensive resource and should be used as sparingly as possible. For watering football fields and golf courses, producing ice rinks and artificial snow, as well as enabling toilets and showers to function in sports facilities, large amounts of water are consumed. Water saving measures are therefore an important contribution to creating environmentally friendly and sustainable sports events.

Numerous ways of saving water exist: For many water requirements, drinking water can be substituted by rain, surface water or well water. Modern water management also includes infiltrating rain water, protecting bodies of water and ground water from pollution as well as promoting a water cycle which is as close to natural as possible.