While the Homeless World Cup may be dwarfed by the Fifa World Cup (Apparently that just took place. Anyone know who won?), it should definitely be on your radar, especially since Hong Kong is now going to be in it.
The Hong Kong team consists of ex-convicts, gambling addicts and asylum seekers – all of whom have been homeless at some point since 2009. They won their place in the Homeless World Cup in Chile (set to take place this October) at the annual four-a-side fundraising tournament last Sunday, attended by local celebrities, LegCo members and corporate sponsors.
The fundraising tournament has been running for 10 years, but this was the first time that the homeless team actually won.
The competition was first conceived by Scot Mel Young and Aussie Harald Schmied at a conference on homelessness in 2001. They chose football as a means of enhancing the lives of homeless people because of its reliance on communication and teamwork, which they believe are essential skills for self-improvement. They must be getting something right, as the Homeless World Cup’s official website states that over 70 percent of their players go on to change their lives.
Despite the high stakes, most players didn’t seem to even know the result after Sunday’s fundraiser. Eddie Wan Yuen Hung, coach for the Hong Kong homeless team and former coach for beloved local team Kitchee SC, told the Wall Street Journal that it didn’t matter.
So far, the Hong Kong team’s best achievement in the Homeless World Cup was finishing 24th out of 48 teams in 2008, but they are hoping to improve on that this year. Good luck, boys!
Photo: Homeless World Cup Hong Kong Team via Facebook
