Sport
PepsiCo Brands Lay's® and Gatorade® Strengthen Commitment to Supporting Women in Sport in Celebration of UEFA Women's Champions League Final
Despite the rise in popularity of women's sports – particularly women's football – there is still a way to go until female players receive the same level of support as their male equivalents. PepsiCo, a proud partner of UEFA Women's Football, continues to invest in initiatives across its brand portfolio to drive engagement and conversation within the women's game, while inspiring women's opportunities and participation in the sport from grassroots to professional levels.
Lay's RePlay, a global initiative created in partnership with the UEFA Foundation for Children and Common Goal, aims to bring joy and access to play to deserving communities by creating environmentally friendly football pitches partially made of reused chip bags. Gatorade reaffirmed its commitment to supporting amateur footballers across the world by leveraging the newly opened Lay's RePlay pitch for its 5v5 program, a grassroots tournament designed to promote and showcase equal opportunities for young talent.
On May 23 , Lay's RePlay unveiled its 11 pitch with a variety of local activations for the Bilbao community, including a female artist-designed mural to represent and inspire the community and an unveiling of the centre circle, as an homage to UWCL opening ceremonies, to unveil the brand-new pitch. Manchester City player Laia Aleixandri and former Spanish professional footballer Fernando Llorente connected with young athletes on-site, speaking to their personal experiences in football, emphasizing the benefits associated with playing and encouraging the girls to join the program to learn and grow on the pitch and beyond.
In selecting Bilbao as the program's next impact epicenter, Lay's RePlay and partners, Common Goal, 'Bilbao Kirolak' (Municipality) and Fundazioa (Athletic Club Foundation), will offer inclusive sports programming for young migrant women footballers in the communities of Errekalde and Ibaiondo. This initiative provides access to sports training, educational resources, and a safe place to play, aiming to support socio-emotional growth and community building while fostering belonging, teamwork, and collaboration. In celebration of the initiative's Bilbao debut, participants, their families and the entire community came together at the new facility for a day filled with football fun and inspiring words from football icons Laia Aleixandri and Fernando Llorente .
Lay's RePlay leverages the power of play and innovative sustainability to deliver positive outcomes for both the planet and people. To create a Lay's RePlay pitch, empty packs of chips are collected and made into pellets that form the underlying layer beneath the AstroTurf.
With pitches spanning the globe throughout communities in South Africa , Italy , Brazil , the United Kingdom , Colombia , Mexico and more – the program is already making a lasting impact, with 1.5K participants (per month) directly impacted through 8K hours of Lay's RePlay educational programming, and a further 2.3K (per month) wider community members indirectly impacted through general use of the pitch, special community events or families of the participants. Lay's RePlay builds on the work done by Lay's and the UEFA Foundation for Children that delivered three artificial football fields in the Za'atari and Azraq Refugee Camps in 2017 and 2018 and have since provided 35,000 people access to the sport.
On May 24 , the latest iteration of Gatorade's 5v5 tournament took place on the new Lay's RePlay pitch in Bilbao , in tandem with the brand's global initiative, "Confidence Coaches," which connects football legends with youth players. Understanding the common barriers women in sport face, chosen "Confidence Coaches" share stories and advice that fuels these up-and-coming players with the confidence they need to keep kicking. This year in Bilbao , Gatorade Confidence Coaches featured world class talent, including former English footballer Rachel Yankey , alongside Laia Aleixandri and Fernando Llorente . At the UWCL final on May 24 , the trio met with the final girls' teams of the 5v5 tournament to talk confidence and self-esteem in competitive sports.
In alignment with Gatorade's People and Planet priorities, the Bilbao 5v5 tournament was executed with sustainability in mind, including all clothing and medals for the tournament produced as sustainably as possible (both materials and production).
Now in its seventh year, 5v5 continues to deliver positive formative sporting experiences to thousands of young amateur athletes, ages 14 to 16, from diverse backgrounds, giving over 151,000 boys and girls (and counting!) the chance to excel in the sport they love.
Gatorade's "Confidence Coach" initiative, launched in 2023, aims to inspire future generations by partnering with iconic football players to serve as Confidence Coaches, who share their own experiences to help motivate aspiring players. Gatorade is thrilled to give young adults better opportunities to play sport and realize their potential and is committed to helping 2.5 million teens worldwide access the life changing power of sport by 2030.
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Paul Bromley, paul.bromley@pepsico.com
PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP) products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than
$91 billion in net revenue in 2023, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than
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