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"In the world of football, being picked for your national team or playing in a European tournament is seen as the pinnacle, but in the end you play in your local team, the one you grew up with," said Platini, underlining the importance of the local level to the 'beautiful game'. "The European sporting model…relies heavily on the support of local communities at every level, and especially at the amateur level."

2010 is the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, and Platini stressed the role of football in particular in helping to tackle these issues. "Football is about integration, inclusion, giving support and offering a welcome," he said, giving the example of the children of immigrants often finding a common interest with their host country on the football field far more than in the school room. "In many cases, football is a far more effective driver of integration than school or social services, and it is football which gives young people their identities."

This view of sport as a force for change was shared by Ramon Luis Valcarcel Siso (ES/EPP), President of the Autonomous Community of Murcia First and Vice-President of the CoR, who chaired the Plenary. "Sport shares many of the values of Europe; it allows us to tackle a wide range of issues such as health, citizenship, integration and intercultural dialogue. The EU has understood that sport can also play a role in the creation of truly European identity."

Meanwhile, Dimitrios Kalogeropoulos, Mayor of Egaleo, Athens (EL/EPP), made the link between a healthy population and an economically productive one: "As the former President of Egaleo football team, I am convinced that a strong, healthy population constitutes the necessary basis and driving force for economic growth, competitiveness and greater prosperity in Europe."

Jeanette Arnold (UK/PES), a member of the London Assembly and representing the city which will take on the Olympic mantle in 2012, agreed that sport was a powerful tool for integration. "The success of schemes like Kickz, which offers young people across the UK the opportunity to train in football or engage in other sporting and cultural activities, lies in the great gift that sport has to inspire young people to exploit their talents, take up new challenges and build strong ties in the community."

Michel Platini also commented on the perception of football clubs as money-making machines above all – a perception that was all the more prevalent in times of crisis when many supporters are struggling to afford the price of their season ticket. "The weaknesses of football's economic model have been exposed by the crisis. Many privately owned clubs have been forced to ask for financial support from their local authorities to avoid bankruptcy. Is this the most effective use of taxpayers' money?"

Peter Moore (UK/ALDE), member of Sheffield City Council and CoR rapporteur on equality in sport in 2007, stressed the need for football clubs to give something back to the communities that support them through thick and thin. "In these current economic times, the huge sums of money in football seem hard to justify, and there is a risk that the sport could one day become totally divorced from the communities in which it operates. That is why I think many football clubs are keen to be seen to be doing something for their local communities."

Witold Krochmal (PL/EA), mayor of Wolow, went even further, calling for a "cohesion policy for sport", with funding to allow less privileged countries to support the development of sport in schools through the necessary investment in infrastructure. "Only with help like this will be able to find the next Messi," he said.