UEFA Foundation for Children inaugurates Lay's RePlay pitch in Santa Marta, Colombia
Monday, February 26, 2024
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Together with partners Margarita RePlay®, Fundación Tiempo de Juego, Fundación PepsiCo Colombia and Common Goal, the UEFA Foundation provides local community with a safe space to play football.
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Perfect ten! The UEFA Foundation, Margarita RePlay®, Fundación Tiempo de Juego, Fundación PepsiCo Colombia and Common Goal are proud to unveil the tenth sustainable RePlay pitch in Santa Marta, Columbia.
Made of recycled bags of chips, RePlay pitches provide five-a-side and training facilities that are ideal for communities with limited access to spaces, where they can enjoy the game and develop their skills.
First launched in 2021 in South Africa, the programme has seen other pitches come to life in Brazil, Egypt, the USA, Italy, Mexico, the UK and Turkey, benefitting 1.200 participants per month.
The initiative results from strong partnerships with local associations, building spaces and programmes that bring people together and drive positive change for generations to come.
Urs Kluser from the UEFA Foundation for Children:
"UEFA is proud to be part of a new launch of Margarita RePlay®, which will benefit a new community. By bringing this initiative to Colombia, we hope to improve the opportunities of young people through the power of football by providing them with key life and social skills".
RePlay facilities are much more than just pitches. In addition to artificial turf for five-a-side football, the local communities can access tailored education programmes focusing on four key areas: creating a sense of belonging, boosting engagement, promoting safety, and ensuring access to sport.
The new football field in Santa Marta will benefit at least 500 members of the local community through targeted events and programmes, with Fundación Tiempo de Juego delivering 20 hours of football to 150 participants every week, focused on:
- Increasing skills connected to environmental care through sports and playful learning.
- Promoting social fabric and coexistence through play-based community events.
- Providing meaningful sports activities to youth to foster social-emotional skills.
- Increasing participation of females in the community in football activities to 50%.
Daniel Velásquez, Marketing Sr Director of PepsiCo for Andean Region:
“The initiative combines the fun and passion of football by creating a field that encourages the spirit of belonging and drives benefits for the surrounding communities”.