My name is Florin Sari. Head of Social Responsibility and Public Policy for the Romanian Football Federation. I have been in post for 9 years which indicates the joy I have doing my work. During my time here I have worked in diverse positions, I had the opportunity to be the head of the Euro 2020 organising committee in Romania. Social responsibility is the job I have been doing the longest and I very much enjoy my work.
How important is it too the football community in Romania to have the First Ever Peace Pitch?
It is an honour to twin our designated area of play with Flanders Peace Field’s Peace Pitch. I don’t use empty words when I say this. In 2022 the Romanian Football Federation adopted a social responsibility sustainable strategy based on two pillars: Respect for Human Rights and Protection for the Environment. Inside the values of the Respect for Human Rights, sport promotes peace and the Peace Field Project is a perfect fit with out core values. It gives a beautiful dimension to the programmes that we are running now under the umbrella of a sustainability strategy.
Where is the first proposed peace pitch location and why is it there?
The first Peace Pitch in Romania will be in Bucharest. Currently we have a wonderful programme called My Football My City where we hope to build small-sided pitches. Also we want to create a community sports centre and it is inside this programme that we seek to place the Peace Pitch. The pitch will display the Peace Field Project Plaque which will accompany games and tournaments for children.
Will a peace pitch in Romania add value to grass roots football in the community? How and why?
Football has this component for community engagement. This is not new for us. We believe in fair play, respect for dignity and even solidarity is one of many core values for football. The values educate everyone our grass roots fraternity will benefit through education of play. This makes people engaged in football a better person for integrating in the community which leads to a better society.
Celebrating peace through play is a key part to the International Peace Fields Project. Are there any annual dates that you feel the peace pitch will lend itself to supporting?
There are many annual opportunities to engage our Peace Pitch: Europe Day is a date we celebrate cultural diversity, International Childrens Day is another day we would consider for bringing communities children together. United Nations’ International Day of Peace is another good example.
Who are the participants that will benefit from the Peace Pitch and why do you feel they will benefit?
We would target children to participate in the Peace Field Project Peace Pitch. School children in the vicinity of the pitch. This helps make the events easier to manage, organize and make sustainable. We look forward to making this project work and we look forward to supporting the International Peace Field Projects with the First Ever Peace Pitch in Romania.
