Needy Athletes Get A Second Chance In The “Homeless World Cup”

Needy Athletes Get A Second Chance In The “Homeless World Cup”




Late last month, the 12th annual Homeless World Cup games took place in Santiago, Chile, where hundreds of homeless athletes from over 70 different countries played soccer in a professional setting, to improve their skills, and help them build the confidence that they need to get back on their feet.

The Homeless World Cup was founded by Mel Young from Scotland and Harald Schmied from Austria in 2001, and became a reality just two years later, in 2003.

In a speech before the games began this year, Mel Young told the audience that, “The world today for many, many people is not a good place. We have created a cruel world where many people are excluded. This is not sustainable. Too many people live frightened lives trying to scratch a living in the dark. We have to move these people to the light. http://positivenews.org.uk/2014/culture/sport-culture/16643/ones-offside-homeless-world-cup/

The organizers of the games like to follow up with the players after the event, to see if it made any impact on their lives. According to surveys that the group gives to players six months after the event, over 90% of the players who participated in the games found a new motivation in their lives, even if that motivation had nothing to do with sports. In fact, most of the improvements that the players had made, didn’t have anything to do with sports at all.

 by John Vibes