The Homeless World Cup is pretty much what it sounds like: homeless people all over the world organize soccer/football/futeball teams, then come together for a long championship, with thousands of people attending some of the best football you'll see all year. The act of organizing a football team and participating it appears to be tonic for many of the problems facing homeless people, with more than 70 percent of the participants getting off the streets in the process of forming and honing their teams. The Cup is now sponsoring street-soccer leagues for homeless people all over the world as a way of making the event work all year round.
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Finding a home is easier than organizing a football tournament.
"The act of organizing a football team and participating it appears to be tonic for many of the problems facing homeless people, with more than 70 percent of the participants getting off the streets in the process of forming and honing their teams."
Um, wouldn't getting off the streets get you kicked off the team, since you're no long homeless?
Der Spiegel had an interesting article earlier this year about 15 homeless team players who 'jumped ship'.
clip:
The runaway athletes -- seven Burundians, four Liberians, three Cameroonians and one Afghan -- could already be outside Denmark as their visas allow them to travel within the 15-country Schengen zone, where border checks have largely been removed. If found, they will be deported.
limk:
http://www.puppiesandflowers.com/archives/2007/08/15_soccer_players_vanish_durin.html
A documentary ("Downtown Dawgs" directed by Michael Scullion) about Calgary, Alberta's entry in a recent Homeless World Cup can be seen at the upcoming Calgary International Film Festival: http://www.calgaryfilm.com/schedule.php?fd=757
See the trailer here: http://www.downtowndawgs.ca/
sounds a little like Chow's film Shaolin Soccer
homeless doesn't necessarily mean that you are on the street. you could be in a car, motel, friends or family members floor etc. it could constitute just not knowing where you are sleeping that night.
k
Shout out for Scotland! Scotland brought home the trophy this year. W00t!
[I've read several articles about the Homeless World Cup in the Scottish Big Issue]
This year's Hong Kong International Film Festival screened a documentary 'Homeless FC' about a Hong Kong team going to the 2006 tournament in South Africa. Incredibly moving stuff - and some of the players and their coach came to the premiere.
http://www.homelessfc.com/