In Budapest’s Ferencváros district, a new football pitch is getting plenty of use.

The Lay’s RePlay pitch at Nyúldomb opened alongside the 2026 UEFA Champions League Final in Budapest. It gives young people from the neighbourhood a dedicated place to play football and spend time together. The Lay’s RePlay pitch is PepsiCo’s football for good initiative, in partnership with Common Goal and the UEFA Foundation for Children. Budapest is the latest addition to a programme that now includes pitches in 13 cities across 12 countries. Together, these pitches have already recorded more than 1.1 million uses.

What matters in Ferencváros is what happens on the pitch every day. Young people can come here to play, while local organisation MESE uses the facility for programmes built around social impact challenges including teamwork, inclusion and personal development – all through the power of football.That combination of organised activities and everyday play makes the pitch part of the neighbourhood rather than simply another sports facility.

For young people, having a safe space nearby where they can meet and play matters. Especially in cities, where available space is shared by many people and opportunities to play are not always close to home.

RePlay was launched in 2021 with a clear idea: create sustainable football pitches for local communities while giving a second life to recyceled chips packs. In collaboration with Greenfields who supplied the turf for the Budapest pitch. 

Each pitch is developed with local partners, building a framework which addresses the needs of the local community, so the role of each pitch can differ from one city to another. In Budapest, the emphasis is on young people in Ferencváros and creating a place they can use regularly.

Places like this give young people room to move, play and spend time together. To meet others, grow in confidence and simply be active. In Ferencváros, the pitch is becoming part of everyday life in the neighbourhood.

In Ferencváros, that is already happening.