Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI)

What Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI) does

Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI) is a Dublin-based, volunteer-led registered charity (Charities Regulatory Authority No: 20040888) established in 1997-1998 that uses sport, particularly football, to combat racism, promote cultural integration, and drive social inclusion across Ireland. The organisation operates a portfolio of community-facing programmes including the Football versus Discrimination school workshop (delivered to 67 schools across 11 counties in 2025, engaging over 5,000 young people), Soccerfest, Sportsfest, Football for Unity (500+ players from 45+ nationalities in 2024), Soccernites, Hijabs & Hat-tricks (women and girls), the Employability Through Football programme, the World Refugee Day Fair Play Cup, the cross-border Living Together Through Football initiative, and the Erasmus+ funded Sport and Social Cohesion Lab (SSCL).

Its core intellectual property is the Football3 methodology, a 'three halves' pedagogical framework consisting of a pre-match discussion, a referee-less football game, and a post-match reflection, in which players collectively decide rules and resolve conflicts through dialogue. The methodology originated in street football and was developed in response to the 1994 death of footballer Andrés Escobar. Football3 functions as both a delivery framework and a curriculum export, distributed through the streetfootballworld network and Common Goal.

SARI's revenue model is donation-based and non-commercial: 100% of donations go directly to programme implementation, with no fees charged to end beneficiaries. Funding is diversified across multilateral bodies (UNHCR Ireland), Irish government departments and agencies (DCEDIY, Sport Ireland, Irish Aid, Dublin City Council, NEIC, Ireland Against Racism Fund), European institutions (Erasmus+, SKILLS4CHANGE), international sport governing bodies and foundations (UEFA Foundation, FIFA Foundation, FAI, adidas Foundation), corporate partners (Under Armour, Beyond Sport), and individual donors. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with distribution through school partnerships, community centre collaborations, Direct Provision and accommodation centre outreach, and large public tournaments.

Name

Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI)

Legal name

Sport Against Racism Ireland

Website

https://sari.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI) is a Dublin-based volunteer-led registered charity founded in 1997 that uses football, anchored by its Football3 methodology, to deliver anti-discrimination workshops and intercultural sporting programmes for schools, refugee communities, and youth across Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Inclusion Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (813990)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAKAFAF

Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Sports Rights Holders & Governing Bodies (Federations, Associations, Sanctioning Bodies)

Keywords

• Anti-racism education
• Sport for development
• Social inclusion programs
• Intercultural football
• Youth empowerment

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin 7

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: SARI is a volunteer-led registered charity that relies on donations. 100% of donations go directly to programme implementation. Funding comes from various sources including government grants, foundations, corporate sponsors, and individual donors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI) is a volunteer-led registered charity that delivers anti-discrimination workshops, intercultural football tournaments, regular training sessions, and youth employability programmes across Ireland. Its work uses sport, and specifically the proprietary Football3 methodology, to promote social inclusion, integration, and diversity among young people, refugees, asylum seekers, and migrant communities. The organisation partners with schools, Direct Provision Centres, community organisations, and government bodies, and its programmes are offered free of charge to participants.

Product overview

Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI) operates as a not-for-profit registered charity that offers a portfolio of sport-based social inclusion programmes rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include anti-discrimination workshops, intercultural football tournaments (Soccerfest, Sportsfest, Football for Unity), regular training sessions (Soccernites, Hijabs and Hat-tricks), and the Sport and Social Cohesion Lab initiative. SARI also delivers the Employability Programme using football for youth development and the Living Together Through Football cross-border programme. The football3 methodology is used as an educational framework. These programmes collectively use the power of sport to embrace difference, celebrate diversity, and promote social inclusion across Ireland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Football versus Discrimination
• Soccerfest Annual intercultural football tournament bringing together teams from diverse ethnic backgrounds to compete and celebrate unity through sport; the 2024 edition attracted almost 500 players. Now part of the broader Sportsfest format.
• Soccernites Regular football training sessions for young people, including Under-18 sessions, providing ongoing sporting activities and youth development opportunities.
• Football for Unity Festival showcasing football as an educational tool to bring communities together and promote social inclusion, particularly for third-country nationals and newcomers to Ireland. The 2022 edition attracted more than 500 participants from at least 33 different countries; the 2024 edition drew more than 500 players from 45+ nationalities.
• Sport and Social Cohesion Lab (SSCL) Erasmus+ funded programme implementing a Living Lab approach through NGO-University partnerships to promote social cohesion in sport settings across diverse urban neighbourhoods, including the Sport for Social Cohesion Living Lab at Sheriff Street schools.
• Sportsfest Annual multi-sport event celebrating SARI's anniversary, featuring various sports competitions and community engagement activities across Dublin.
• Hijabs and Hat-tricks Football training sessions specifically for women and girls, providing a welcoming environment for Muslim women and others to participate in sport.
• World Refugee Day / Fair Play Cup Ireland's largest World Refugee Day event featuring a 7-a-side football tournament with teams from refugee communities, Direct Provision Centres, NGOs, and local communities; co-organised with UNHCR Ireland since 2009.
• Football3 Unique football methodology with a 'three halves' structure incorporating pre-match discussion, a football game, and post-match reflection. Players collectively decide on rules and reflect on behaviour after the game, with no referees and conflicts resolved through dialogue. Inspired by street football and developed in response to the death of footballer Andrés Escobar in 1994.
• Employability Programme Employability Through Football programme supported by FIFA Foundation and Irish Youth Foundation, using football to develop self-confidence, job-seeking skills, and access to career training and job placements for young adults.
• Living Together Through Football Cross-border shared space programme addressing sectarian divide in Northern Ireland through inclusive education, life skills, employability, citizenship, and health programmes for youth from different backgrounds; delivered in partnership with PeacePlayers Northern Ireland.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5000+ young people engaged through workshops in 2025 alone
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Football Association of Ireland (FAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner for grassroots football initiatives, supporting Football for Unity, Soccerfest, and other football programmes. FAI provides operational support and credibility to SARI's football activities.
• UNHCR IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNHCR Ireland partners with SARI for World Refugee Day events and refugee integration through sport. Supports the Fair Play Cup and other refugee-focused programmes.
• Irish Refugee CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting refugee integration programmes and advocacy efforts. Collaborates on initiatives to support asylum seekers and refugees through sport.
• Dublin City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor institutional partner providing funding and support for SARI operations in Dublin. Supports Football for Unity, Dublin 8 initiatives, and other programmes through NEIC and Dublin City Sport and Wellbeing.
• NEIC Dublin (North East Inner City Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary local partner for north inner-city Dublin programmes. Co-organises Football for Unity festival and supports SSCL (Sport and Social Cohesion Lab) activities.
• Dublin North East Inner City (NEIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Dublin NEIC initiative to promote social inclusion and integration in Dublin's north-east inner city through football-based initiatives.
• Common GoalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSARI is a member of the Common Goal network which connects the cultural and financial influence of the football industry with local organisations dismantling inequality.
• streetfootballworldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner using football to bring people together for positive social change. SARI participates in the global football3 methodology network and uses streetfootballworld Team Up! Toolkit for employability programmes.
• Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration through Responding To Racism (R2R) campaign launched in March 2020. GAA and SARI work together to support members when racism or discrimination issues arise.
• Beyond SportstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerSARI participates in Beyond Sport retail donation campaign supporting community organisations that use sport to inspire young people with life skills.
• Under ArmourminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeyond Sport x Under Armour retail campaign at Kildare Village store inviting customers to donate to SARI.
• PeacePlayers Northern IrelandstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Interface Games - a 3-day multi-sports camp bringing together young people from across Northern Ireland for cross-community relations activities.
• UNITEstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerSARI partnered with UNITE to host football training sessions with refugees from Afghanistan at Dungarvan Football Club.
• Anna Lindh FoundationstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean intercultural exchange foundation; SARI participated in activities and discussions related to intercultural dialogue.
• SKILLS4CHANGEstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU funded project (Erasmus+ Sport Programme) aimed at meeting needs of Sport for Development sector with comprehensive set of free E-learning courses.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• streetfootballworld: Global network of more than 100 organisations using football for social development; SARI is a member and uses the Team Up! toolkit. Not a direct competitor but a closely aligned incumbent in the same ecosystem.
• Common Goal: Movement connecting the football industry with local organisations tackling inequality; SARI is a member of the Common Goal network. Operates as a funder/facilitator in the same space rather than as a service-delivery competitor.
• Beyond Sport: Global organization that supports and convenes sport-for-development initiatives, including the Beyond Sport x Under Armour retail campaign supporting SARI. A platform and funding intermediary rather than a direct programme competitor.

Direct peers

• PeacePlayers International: International NGO using sport (primarily basketball, with football programming) to bring divided communities together. Already a partner of SARI on the cross-border Interface Games and operates an overlapping mission.
• Football Unites, Racism Divides (FURD): Sheffield-based charity using football to unite communities and tackle racism and discrimination. Closely comparable grassroots sport-for-inclusion model to SARI, including educational and community programmes.
• Show Racism the Red Card: UK- and Ireland-based charity using the power of football to combat racism; runs anti-racism educational workshops and campaigns in schools and communities, mirroring SARI's Football versus Discrimination approach.
• Kick It Out: England's leading anti-racism charity in football, delivering education, reporting and campaigning to tackle discrimination across the sport. Direct functional peer to SARI's anti-discrimination mission within football.
• Spirit of Football: International charity using football to fight discrimination and promote fair play through education and tournaments. Comparable sport-for-social-change mission and Football3-style methodology adoption.

Others

• UEFA Foundation for Children: Major funder of SARI's Football for Unity and related programmes. An enabling/funder organisation rather than a direct service-delivery peer in the sport-for-inclusion field.
• GAA Community & Health: Community and inclusion arm of the Gaelic Athletic Association, a strategic partner of SARI on the Responding To Racism (R2R) campaign. Acts as an enabler/partner rather than a peer competitor in sport-based anti-racism delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sari.ie
• Facebookfacebook.com/sportagainstracismireland
• Xx.com/SARI_ie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sport-against-racism-ireland-sari-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI)