Dylan Bettencourt
A football pitch in Tembisa made entirely of recycled chips packets gives future football stars a platform to showcase their talent.
The artificial field has been hosting educational sporting events for close to a year with turnout exceeding all expectations, Business Insider reported.
The Lay’s-branded field was officially opened last June and its programme named Amandla EduFootball began last October.
The project in Tembisa follows projects carried out by Lay’s RePlay Programme which has grounds in the United Kingdom, Brazil and Italy.
As is often the case with sport in Africa, there is a lot of talent but a lack of access to facilities robs the youth of a chance to become professionals.
The five-a-side pitch was put in Tembisa to have a positive impact on the community through sport.
The EduFootball-RePlay Safe-Hub programme has four main objectives. It wants to create a sense of belonging, increase engagement, foster safety, and grant people access to sport.
The programme expected around 500 children to take part each month but the demand has grown to over 1,000 excited players a month.
In response to the increased demand additional sessions were created to allow for more players to participate.
PepsiCo, owner of Lay’s, claims the field has benefitted over 4,000 children thus far.
The pitch itself is made from three million old chip packets which is 33% of the building material used for the grounds.
The used chips packets were converted into rubberised pellets, forming part of the shock-absorbing layer called Ecocept.
The venue is said to still be in pristine condition and can host matches beyond 2030 with the pitch then able to be recycled once more.
“Tembisa, which is one of the largest and most vibrant townships in the City of Ekurhuleni, is at the centre of our business operations,” said PepsiCo Corporate Affairs Director Nico Moloto in a statement.
“It is an honour to partner with the community to leverage our key brands to amplify positive outcomes for the planet and the people.”
Image source: @BusinessInsider
