Sonntag, April 27, 2008

Homeless Soccer


Soccer and I don't really do anything for each other. I think I am missing some receptors in my brain, because I don't seem to get the same emotions as most other people do when watching sports. What looks like a green background with some red and white dots on the TV screen to me, results in ecstastic, excited, and loud responses in others. Lucky soccer fans!

But when Elisabeth brought the homeless soccer cup to my attention, that even sparked some interest in me. 500 homeless people from 40+ different countries have come together to play soccer for the past 5 years. The first event happened in Graz, Austria in 2003 and this year's world cup is in Melbourne, Australia. And it's more than a world cup - it changes people's lives and often is the event that helps the players to deal with the issues that got them on to the street in the first place.



Like Peter, a vendor of the street paper "Donaustrudl" in Regensburg, Germany, who got inspired to start a library business and go back to school.

Or Cheong from Hongkong, a professional soccer player, who ended up on the street because of a gambling problem, who's theme is now: "Look forward, never give up."



Or Stephanie from the US, who says:
“For the first time in a long time, I felt important. Having been a part of that gave me the confidence to face people again, to face the world.”

Pretty cool.

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