As South Africa geared up to commemorate Youth Day, Lay’s is brought the beautiful game home in a celebration of football, community, and future-forward sustainability in partnership with Safe-Hub. 

Set in the heart of Tembisa at the Safe-Hub – home to the Lay’s RePlay pitch, this community-focused event marked the culmination of Lay’s 2025 UEFA Champions League campaign and ended the season on an unforgettable high.

Since kicking off the campaign, Lay’s has delivered on its promise of football joy, fusing the spirit of the game with rich flavour and meaningful action. This Youth Day event exemplified exactly that, uniting local communities and sports fans through an exciting programme designed to inspire and uplift. 

From recycled chip packets to game-ready football pitches, the Lay’s RePlay initiative is a sustainability movement and a deeply human one. With global momentum and local roots, the RePlay pitch at the Tembisa Safe-Hub stands as a testament to Lay’s commitment to giving young people access not only to play, but to purpose.

“Youth Day is a time to reflect, but also to act. Football teaches teamwork, leadership and resilience and those are values we want to reinforce through our RePlay spaces,” says Tongase Dhlakama, Potato Chips Marketing Lead for PepsiCo South Africa. “This isn’t just about sport. It’s about opening doors, creating safer communities, and building joy from the ground up.”

Taking place at the Tembisa Safe-Hub – an established space for youth development and community engagement – the event brought the campaign’s message to life on the ground. Plans are also underway to expand the Safe-Hub site into a full youth centre funded by the South African National Treasury through  Ekurhuleni Local Municipality, further growing its impact in the community.

The event delivered edge-of-your-seat action with two star-studded 5-a-side matches. Football legends and icons thrilled the crowd: Radebe vs Josta Dladla in the men’s match, and a fierce face-off between Janine van Wyk and Amanda Dlamini in the women’s match, all underscored by Lay’s unshakeable campaign: #NoLaysNoGame.

As the official snack of the UEFA Champions League, Lay’s has long championed football culture and this year’s Youth Day event reaffirms their standing not just as a snack brand, but as a cultural touchstone. With exciting horizons ahead, Lay’s is set to extend its footprint even further into the global arena, continuing its journey with fans beyond the Champions league stage.
“This collaboration is a powerful example of what happens when purpose meets action. Together with Lay’s, we’ve created a space that brings people together and opens doors for young people to thrive. It shows what’s possible when we work collectively for change,” says Florian Zech, Founder and Managing Director of Safe-Hub.

From the global stage to the townships of South Africa, Lay’s is proving that joy, when shared, becomes something much more, a movement.

About Safe-Hub
Safe-Hub is creating a more equal world by improving young people’s access to opportunity and services in structurally-disadvantaged areas. At each hub, a collaborative ecosystem of local partners and experts provides users support in education, health, recreation, employability and entrepreneurship. A holistic platform for youth and community development, Safe-Hub is a microcosm of the world we envision — one where all young people can access equal opportunities, strive to realise their potential, and dare to dream. For more than a decade, the Safe-Hub model has proven its impact in South Africa with now 14 operating locations. The model is now expanding to sites in Berlin, Germany; Philadelphia, USA; Abidjan, Ivory Coast and Delhi, India.