Big Issue team leaves for Homeless World Cup

THE Big Issue Namibia street-soccer team is leaving for Cape Town tonight to participate in the fourth Homeless World Cup, which kicks off on Saturday.

Football teams from 48 countries and 500 players are gearing up to “kick off global poverty” in a street-soccer stadium built on the site of former South African President Nelson Mandela’s first public address after his release from prison in 1990. The tournament, taking place on the city’s Grand Parade, against the backdrop of Table Mountain, is expected to draw up to 100 000 spectators.”Cape Town promises to be the best Homeless World Cup yet, with double the number of countries represented than at previous tournaments, benefiting over 10 000 players throughout the world,” says Homeless World Cup president Mel Young.”It continues to demonstrate that sport has tremendous power to change lives, to change the world – and what better place to make this statement to the world than in front of the steps where Nelson Mandela spoke for freedom.”Previous Homeless World Cups were held in Austria in 2003, in Sweden in 2004 and Edinburgh in 2005.Namibia was represented in Sweden and came 19th.The following year in Scotland, the team came 14th and is thus ranked 14th in the world.To give the local team the best chance to win, David Duke flew in from Scotland to assist with the coaching.He was a star of the 2004 Homeless World Cup in Sweden and returned in 2006 as Scotland’s coach.Duke became homeless when he developed a drinking problem following the death of his father.”Playing for Scotland, my country, was the rope I needed to pull myself out of a dark hole,” he said.”It gave me all the tools I need for a confident life, and it is great that I can now help other young people to do the same.”Duke now has his own home, is a qualified football coach and a scout for Scottish Premier League side Falkirk.He has studied for a degree in community development and runs a boys’ football team in Glasgow.He is also a weekly columnist for The Big Issue Scotland.”I have been travelling all about the country, coaching in different areas.All of us are now in our own premises and in some form of employment or education, so it has been positive for the whole team.I have just been the luckiest and the best looking,” he said referring to his teammates in the earlier Homeless World Cup.According to the organisers, the annual tournament has helped over three-quarters of its participants to change their lives forever, motivating them to find regular employment, come off drugs and alcohol, pursue education, improve their housing, and even play for semi-professional and professional football clubs.It is also changing attitudes towards homeless people, who are acknowledged for their courage and determination and supported in changing their lives.The concept of the Homeless World Cup was created by Harald Schmied at the International Network of Street Papers Conference in Cape Town in 2001.Social entrepreneur Mel Young co-founded the event.The Big Issue Namibia team consists of Alpheus Erik Basson, Hans Kasibu, Elvis Ariseb, Johannes Swartbooi, Mario Boois, Vincent Maasdorp, Johannes Namubeb and Atak Jansen.The tournament, taking place on the city’s Grand Parade, against the backdrop of Table Mountain, is expected to draw up to 100 000 spectators.”Cape Town promises to be the best Homeless World Cup yet, with double the number of countries represented than at previous tournaments, benefiting over 10 000 players throughout the world,” says Homeless World Cup president Mel Young.”It continues to demonstrate that sport has tremendous power to change lives, to change the world – and what better place to make this statement to the world than in front of the steps where Nelson Mandela spoke for freedom.”Previous Homeless World Cups were held in Austria in 2003, in Sweden in 2004 and Edinburgh in 2005.Namibia was represented in Sweden and came 19th.The following year in Scotland, the team came 14th and is thus ranked 14th in the world.To give the local team the best chance to win, David Duke flew in from Scotland to assist with the coaching.He was a star of the 2004 Homeless World Cup in Sweden and returned in 2006 as Scotland’s coach.Duke became homeless when he developed a drinking problem following the death of his father.”Playing for Scotland, my country, was the rope I needed to pull myself out of a dark hole,” he said.”It gave me all the tools I need for a confident life, and it is great that I can now help other young people to do the same.”Duke now has his own home, is a qualified football coach and a scout for Scottish Premier League side Falkirk.He has studied for a degree in community development and runs a boys’ football team in Glasgow.He is also a weekly columnist for The Big Issue Scotland.”I have been travelling all about the country, coaching in different areas.All of us are now in our own premises and in some form of employment or education, so it has been positive for the whole team.I have just been the luckiest and the best looking,” he said referring to his teammates in the earlier Homeless World Cup.According to the organisers, the annual tournament has helped over three-quarters of its participants to change their lives forever, motivating them to find regular employment, come off drugs and alcohol, pursue education, improve their housing, and even play for semi-professional and professional football clubs.It is also changing attitudes towards homeless people, who are acknowledged for their courage and determination and supported in changing their lives.The concept of the Homeless World Cup was created by Harald Schmied at the International Network of Street Papers Conference in Cape Town in 2001.Social entrepreneur Mel Young co-founded the event.The Big Issue Namibia team consists of Alpheus Erik Basson, Hans Kasibu, Elvis Ariseb, Johannes Swartbooi, Mario Boois, Vincent Maasdorp, Johannes Namubeb and Atak Jansen.