A 21st-century football pitch has been built in Ferencváros – even the Liverpool midfielder gave the pitch a go

In recent years, and particularly since the COVID pandemic, the role of community spaces in our lives has become increasingly important. The UEFA Foundation for Children and Lay’s RePlay programmes were launched five years ago, with one of their aims being to create the conditions for safe sport, primarily for people living in urban areas.

Both Neymar and Best started out on the streets

The role of local pitches and makeshift street pitches is invaluable to professional football. Countless greats of the sport have emerged from this environment, going on to become legends as players for the world’s biggest clubs. The two-time World Cup winner and Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo Nazario from Brazil, Neymar, and the Northern Irish Ballon d’Or winner George Best are just a few names from this list. The investment made at Ferencváros has opened up the possibility for new stars to emerge.

Szoboszlai also had a go on the track

 What makes this project special is that these play areas are created by recycling empty crisp packets. To date, playgrounds have been unveiled in 13 cities across 12 countries – including South Africa, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, the United States, Egypt, Turkey, Colombia, Spain and Portugal. With the development in Ferencváros, Hungary has also become part of the global programme.
At the opening ceremony for the Ferencváros pitch, Lay’s ambassador Dominik Szoboszlai, a midfielder for Liverpool, also tried out the modern pitch.

The 9th District has been enriched with a new community space

Experts from STRABAG were also involved in the construction of the 18×36-metre artificial turf pitch. Their tasks included laying the base layer, the artificial turf surface and the shock-absorbing layer, which also contains granules made from recycled crisp packets.
They also installed the ball-catcher net, which is integrated into the hoarding system.

A lighting system and an access control system were also installed

The installation of a lighting system was also part of the project. By ensuring an illuminance of 200 lux, the playing area will be usable even after dark in future. The installation of an access control system was also part of the project.

An international programme with a local impact

The project was implemented in partnership with PepsiCo, UEFA Foundation for Children, the Ferencváros Local Council and Második Esély Sportegyesület (MESE). The aim of MESE is to use football to create an environment that promotes inclusion, equal opportunities and personal development.
The 21st-century football ground built in Nyúldomb is much more than just a new artificial-turf pitch. It is also an opportunity: a place for play, for development and, perhaps, for the birth of the first big football dreams.