Global Program Expands and Soccer Stars Mia Hamm and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández join Lay’s to Dedicate New Field in Santa Ana, California.
SANTA ANA – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Lay’s division of PepsiCo is helping communities in the USA and around the world through its global program, Lay’s RePlay, which creates sustainable soccer fields from disposed Lay’s Potato Chip bags.
Lay’s unveiled its latest efforts with the Lay’s RePlay field in Santa Ana, California. The U.S. Lay’s RePlay field is made with recycled Lay’s chip bags and packaging materials that are washed, shredded and converted into an underlying layer that is designed to be recycled at the end of its 10-year lifespan The field, located at Cesar Chavez Campesino Park in Santa Ana was selected by Lay’s and its global partners UEFA Foundation for Children and Common Goal as part of its rich Hispanic heritage. The program’s goal is to provide affordable access to the sport of Futbol (soccer) via programming and education about the sport.
“As a UEFA ambassador, I am proud to be a voice for Lay’s RePlay,” said Mia Hamm, FIFA World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist. “Having access to community gathering spaces and safe playing fields must be a top priority for young people across the world. Soccer continues to see incredible growth, and with the Hispanic community being the fastest growing segment of our population – and arguably the most passionate about the game – beginning the Lay’s RePlay U.S. expansion in a key area like Santa Ana is a powerful moment.”
“The pipeline for healthy lives in the Hispanic community expands greatly when you have access to quality fields and equipment, and the Lay’s RePlay program is a game-changer,” said Major League Soccer player and LA Galaxy striker Javier Chicharito. “As someone who lives and plays in Southern California, I’m looking forward to seeing the joy this field brings to families across the area.”
The Santa Ana field opens in partnership with the City of Santa Ana and Pure Game, a local non-profit that teaches children life skills through mentorship and sports-based character education.
“Since 2021, Lay’s RePlay has had the privilege of creating beautiful soccer fields and programming to share with deserving communities across the globe. From South Africa, Brazil, and Mexico to the United Kingdom, we’ve been able to see the tremendous impact this program brings to aspiring athletes and families around the world – uniting people through a common love of soccer, providing a safe space to foster togetherness and minimizing our impact on the earth,” said Ciara Dilley, PepsiCo’s vice president of marketing for global food brands. “We are so honored to be able to play such a significant role in furthering the soccer journeys of young people here in the community of Santa Ana with the launch of our first Lay’s RePlay soccer field in the U.S.!”
The new Lay’s RePlay field marks the sixth to open around the world, with others in South Africa, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Mexico, which have been utilized over 25,000 times to provide underserved communities with access to the beloved sport and state-of-the-art soccer fields since the program’s launch. Lay’s RePlay builds on work done by Lay’s and the UEFA Foundation for Children that delivered three artificial soccer fields in the Za’atari and Azraq Refugee Camps in 2017 and 2018 and have since provided 35,000 people access to the sport.
“Lay’s has been such an incredible partner to work with over the years and we are thrilled to support bringing the Lay’s RePlay program into the U.S.,” said Urs Kluser, general secretary for UEFA Foundation for Children. “Through our partnership, we are able to put our best resources forward and work together to gather communities around the world through the joy of the sport.”