Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI) was founded in 1997 by community activists Frank Buckley and Ken McCue in 1997 (the European Year against Racism), as a direct response to the growth of racist attacks from a small but vocal section of people in Ireland. This was a result of a dramatic increase in the number of foreign nationals living in Ireland. SARI’s mission is to support cultural integration and social inclusion in Ireland by using sport, and particularly football, as a medium to combat racism, sectarianism, homophobia and other forms of discrimination.

SARI organises regular football programmes, annual sporting events, school sports and educational programmes and cultural activities to combat racism. SARI’s Executive Director, Frank Buckley, is also a driving force behind Football Without Frontiers, a UK and Ireland amalgamation of organisations who are fully committed to using football to tackle both sectarianism and racism throughout Ireland, the UK and Europe. In 2008, SARI participated in Foca 08, the first European Street Football Festival held in Bosnia and Herzegovina.