From packs to pitches: UEFA Foundation and Lay’s launch RePlay initiative in Mexico
Monday, December 5, 2022
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Lay’s RePlay, a global initiative created in partnership with the UEFA Foundation for Children has been launched in Iztapalapa, Mexico, through the local brand Sabritas with the opening of a new pitch and associated support programmes.
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Building on strong ties with the football community, RePlay aims to give a second life to Sabritas packs, by reusing them to create sustainable football fields that will bring joy to communities and promote positive results for people and the planet.
Sabritas has partnered with Fútbol Más Foundation, PepsiCo Foundation Mexico, and UEFA Foundation to build a brand-new pitch made of recycled bags of chips in Mexico City’s eastern municipality of Iztapalapa. The local community will benefit not only from the pitch, but also from new sports programmes and workshops, which focus on educational empowerment and personal growth, and are designed and measured against four key areas:
- Creating a sense of belonging
- Increasing engagement
- Promoting safety
- Ensuring access to sport
Urs Kluser, General Secretary at UEFA Foundation
“Few things are inspiring like putting sports at the service for communities. At the UEFA Foundation for children, we believe that this purpose is essential to offer an integral development of young people, especially those who grow up in unprivileged communities. With this in mind, RePlay has become one of the most consistent programs for us and bringing this field to Mexico allows us to continue spreading our message.”
Hernán Tantardini, Vice President of Sabritas.
“More than a football pitch, we built a space that brings joy to the community where they can come together and enjoy moments of fun, happiness, motivation, and empowerment while promoting inclusion and sports. We are immensely proud of this initiative; it is an opportunity for continuing to encourage positive changes for the people and their environment. With this pitch, we seek to bring to life our brand purpose of Bringing Joy to Communities, by combining the passion for football with a social cause and creating a space where everyone can play and grow.”
Ignacio Gomez, Executive Director for Fútbol Más in Mexico
“Futbol Mas aims to promote the wellbeing of children and youth, strengthening their resilience processes, meaningful bonds and community cohesion through games and sports. Our values are respect, joy, creativity, responsibility, and teamwork. We are so excited to give a new life to this pit, and now it’s our time to start executing our educational sporting programs to provide tailor-made support to the local community and drive positive change for generations to come.”
What is Lay's RePlay and how does it create new pitches?
RePlay is a global initiative led by Lay’s global brand that was launched in 2021 with the creation of a RePlay sustainable pitch in South Africa.
This first initiative received great feedback from the local communities, so much that five new RePlay football fields were created in different countries: Italy, Brazil, UK, and Mexico, providing support to more than 20,000 community members so far and will likely expand to other geographies in the upcoming years.
Built using the most sustainable technology, RePlay gives empty chip bags a second life, making up 32% of the pitch, as well as the turf and shockpad layer being 100% recyclable. From selecting the materials to the installation itself, RePlay pitches are designed to minimise the impact on the environment, biodiversity and community in each country.
