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This world-class annual sporting event will
blaze the trail for the 2010 World Cup from
23-30 September 2006 uniting homeless people
from 48 nations across all continents including,
Afghanistan, Argentina, China, Brazil, England,
Ukraine, USA and Australia.
Mel Young, Co-founder and President, The
Homeless World Cup said: “Cape Town promises to
be the best Homeless World Cup yet, benefiting
over 10,000 players throughout the world. It
continues to demonstrate that sport has
tremendous power to change lives, to change the
world.”
Preferential rates have been secured for media
attending in a variety of hotels. To book please
contact:
Nicole Moody
Marketing and Communications Assistant
Cape Town Tourism
Tel: +27 21 487 6800
Email: nicole@tourismcapetown.co.za
Website: www.tourismcapetown.co.za
Media guidelines are available here:
http://www.streetsoccer.org/en/media/accreditation/421/
For more information please contact:
Kat Byles, Communications
Director, Homeless World Cup
Email: media@streetsoccer.org / Mobile: +44
(0)7901 701 334
+44 (0)131 561 2181 / skype: katbyles
About the Homeless World Cup
The Homeless World Cup is an annual street
soccer tournament, uniting teams of homeless
people from around the globe to kick off
poverty. Over 45 countries are expected to come
together for a fast-paced street soccer
tournament full of courage, inspiration,
grassroots grit and glory for the 4th Homeless
World Cup in Cape Town from 23-30 September
2006. Organisations are still invited to get
involved with sponsorship and ongoing
partnership opportunities. Full details are
available at http://sponsor.streetsoccer.org/
About The Big Issue South Africa
The Big Issue South Africa is a socially
responsible organisation, which enables willing,
unemployed and marginalised adults living in
South Africa to take responsibility for their
own lives through a developmental employment
programme. A member of the International Network
of Street Papers (INSP), The Big Issue has
helped put more than R10-million into the
pockets of homeless and unemployed South
Africans since its inception in 1995.
Homeless World Cup Teams participating in Cape
Town 2006:
48 countries will participate in the 4th
Homeless World Cup:
Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Austria,
Brazil, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China,
Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong
China, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Israel,
Kazakhstan, Kenya, Liberia, Lithuania, Mexico,
Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay,
Poland, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Serbia,
Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Ukraine, USA, Wales, Zambia. For
player and team stories visit
www.streetsoccer.org
2005 Homeless World Cup Success
Research carried out amongst the 217 players
involved in the 2005 Homeless World Cup produced
some staggering statistics:
94% (198 players) have a new motivation for
life
85% (179 players) have improved social
relations
77% (164 players) have changed their lives
significantly in one or more of the following
ways:
38% (80 players) have regular employment
40% (85 players) have improved their housing
situation
28% (60 players) have opted to develop their
education
Of the 43% (91 players) addressing a drug or
alcohol dependency, 68% (62 players) succeeded
12 players from 2005 make their living partly
from football as coaches or players with
professional and semi-professional teams
Homeless World Cup Supporters
SIR ALEX FERGUSON
Manager, Manchester United
“This is the fourth year that Manchester United
has worked with The Big Issue in the North on
the Homeless World Cup project and we are happy
to be involved again. The previous years’ events
have shown that football is a powerful tool in
changing people’s lives, and it’s great that we
can play a part in that.”
RIO FERDINAND
“You love football. But how do you train if
you’re homeless? How do you travel to compete if
you don’t have a passport? Football’s for
everyone. Get into the Homeless World Cup. I
do.”
LUIS FIGO
“Exactly when the chaos comes into our life, is
when we must never lose hope, we must never lose
faith in holy love and wisdom. If we have faith,
small that it is... one day... it goes to help
us to transform our life. My life is an example
of this! And one of the ways to show my
gratitude is to extend and to share, when I can,
my luck, with those who need it. Because I
believe that this way, we will be able to create
a happier, more just society. As my art is in my
feet and not in my hands, it is with much honor
that I associate the power of soccer to this
noble, social cause, in a year that marks
Portugal’s third participation in the Homeless
World Cup.”
Homeless World Cup International Partners
NIKE
“When we first met with the possibility of
supporting the Homeless World Cup, like most
good ideas it was riddled with opportunity and
challenges. We didn’t know it would become the
remarkable success story it has, and affect so
many people’s lives for the better (although we
had a good hunch). All we knew is that we
believed in Mel, saw that the program had huge
potential for positive social change among
millions of people from many countries, and that
it wanted to use sport - - football - - to get
there. Nike contends that "if you have a body
you’re an athlete"…and we love the fact that the
many reasons the beautiful game is so popular
for such diverse groups of athletes are the same
reasons why it has the power to inspire
discipline, tolerance, and greatness – not only
among the legends on the field but, for every
athlete.” Maria Bobenrieth, Corporate
Responsibility Director for Nike Europe, Middle
East and Africa.
UEFA
By adopting a flexible and clear social
responsibility policy, UEFA is supporting the
belief that football should be used as a force
for broader benefit within society, using its
potential to influence attitudes and behaviour
beyond the confines of the stadium. Since 1999,
UEFA re-invests fines imposed in UEFA
competitions for specific purposes such as
humanitarian aid, social and educational
projects. The Homeless World Cup receives UEFA
support because it has a strong link with
football, has a set of clearly defined goals and
successfully develops the use of football as a
tool for fostering inclusion.
INSP
The International Network of Street Papers (INSP),
which works closely with the Homeless World Cup,
today comprises of more than 55 street papers in
28 countries, from South Africa to Russia, from
Germany to the USA with a combined circulation
of over 27 million. The organisation, based in
Scotland, was set up in 1994 to promote the
concept of street papers as means to address
social exclusion and poverty in society. Street
papers create employment and help to develop
employable people through income derived from
the sale of their publication and from a range
of tailored social support programmes. |
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