A look back at the REPLAY project’s final conference

On 24 March 2026, the European REPLAY project drew to a close with an online conference bringing together community organisations, sports bodies and organisations working on migration issues. After eighteen months of piloting, the initiative led by PLAY International, in partnership with Sport and Citizenship and Liberi Nantes, delivered a clear conclusion: sport, and in particular football, can be a powerful lever for inclusion for displaced people, provided it is structured, supported and designed for the long term. 

Against a backdrop of growing migration – with the European Union currently hosting nearly 8.4 million people seeking international protection – the issue of integration remains central. In response to this challenge, the REPLAY project set out to facilitate young refugees’ access to supervised sporting activities, whilst strengthening the capacity of local clubs to welcome these groups.

A fruitful exchange on the project’s lessons

At the opening of the conference, Jeanne Delval, project manager at Sport and Citizenship, emphasised that sport is not merely a leisure activity, but a space for social learning. “It promotes fundamental values such as cooperation, equality and respect,” she noted, highlighting its educational role and its potential to ease tensions.

On the ground, these principles are translated into concrete initiatives. Through six-month incubation phases, participating clubs benefited from training, educational tools and exchanges with experts, particularly in sports psychology. Roberto Angelucci, who leads this incubation program at PLAY International, highlighted the impact of these measures: improved communication between coaches and players, greater consideration of cultural differences, and the introduction of debriefing sessions to give meaning to sporting practice.

At San Lorenzo club in Italy, these changes have taken on a very tangible form. As both a player and a coach, Giorgia Spoletini speaks of a long-standing commitment to inclusion. Since 2013, her club has been striving to open its doors to people who are excluded from sport, particularly for financial reasons. The REPLAY project has enabled the club to go further, by structuring an inclusive approach and offering adapted games that encourage everyone to take part. “Starting at a local level is essential,” she summarises, advocating for initiatives rooted in local communities.

Beyond individual experiences, the conference also highlighted the growing role of sports institutions. Established in 2015, the UEFA Foundation for Children has already supported over 600 projects in 150 countries, combining sport and education to promote social development. According to its administrative director, Cyril Pellevat, professional clubs are now encouraged, or even required, to incorporate social responsibility strategies in order to participate in major European competitions.

In some contexts, such as in Malta, these policies extend to reception and detention centers. The national federation organises a variety of sporting activities, from football to yoga, in partnership with local clubs. For Peter Busuttil, the federation’s head of social responsibility, “football is a means, not an end”: the aim remains to build social connections and integrate people.

Promoting greater inclusion of girls and women

Despite these advances, a persistent challenge remains: the inclusion of refugee women and girls. All stakeholders agree on this point: their participation remains limited and difficult to sustain over time. Social, economic and family constraints, as well as deeply ingrained gender stereotypes, hinder their involvement. Even when these women initially join the programmes, their retention remains uncertain, particularly when they leave the reception centers.

This observation highlights the limitations of current policies and the need to adapt existing schemes. For whilst sport offers a space for social interaction and empowerment, it also reproduces certain inequalities present in society.

Is this enough?

Ultimately, the REPLAY conference outlines a dual perspective. Firstly, it confirms the effectiveness of sport as a tool for inclusion, capable of building connections and strengthening the resilience of displaced young people. But it also reminds us that this tool alone is not enough: its impact depends on the conditions in which it is implemented, the commitment of local stakeholders and the ability to remove structural barriers, particularly those related to gender.

At a time when migration crises are intensifying, these lessons could well serve as a basis for future public policies, designed to make sport a genuine instrument of social cohesion.