“Congratulations to the players. Your spirit of fair play, courage and determination is a true example to the human race. This is what the united nations can look like. People standing together creating real significant change in their lives. A ball can change the world.”-Mel Young, President of the HWC
There are one billion homeless people living in our world today. The Homeless World Cup exists to end this, so we all have a home, a basic human need. The Homeless World Cup is an annual, international football tournament, uniting teams of people who are homeless and excluded to take a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country and change their lives forever. It has triggered and supports grass roots football projects in over 60 nations working with over 25,000 homeless and excluded people throughout the year.
The first tournament took place in Graz, Austria 2003 uniting 18 national teams. 6 years on 56 nations were united for Melbourne 2008, which included the first Women’s Cup. We are on the road to Milan 2009 from 6-13 September. The impact is consistently significant year on year with 73% of players changing their lives for the better by coming off drugs and alcohol, moving into jobs, education, homes, training, reuniting with families and even going on to become players and coaches for pro or semi-pro football teams. The Homeless World Cup supporters include UEFA, Nike, UN, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Ambassador Eric Cantona and international footballers Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand.
Description Courtesy of Homeless World Cup
Do you want to help the homeless across the globe, or help fund the event? All you have to do is visit soccerpro.com. The people down at SoccerPro have teamed up with Calle to produce a special edition shirt for the event. All the proceeds go directly to the Homeless World Cup. Buy your shirt today!
