President and co-founder of the Homeless World Cup, Mel Young, has launched a brand new Supporters Club for the organisation.
This year’s Homeless World Cup, the International Street Soccer Tournament, will kick off in Santiago, Chile on the October 18 and run through till October 26.
Forty-three nations are competing for the men’s Homeless World Cup with 13 women’s teams contesting the women’s Homeless World Cup – 57 teams in total will compete in approximately 350 fast paced matches over the week long tournament in Santiago.
Mel explains, “With a staggering 80+% returning to full time accommodation, education and employment after taking part in the Homeless World Cup, literally transformed by the experience of representing their nation. Previously completed year long programmes of training in each of their individual countries.”
Players can only take part once. 74 nations worldwide run street soccer programmes positively affecting the lives of over 100,000 each year. Offering alternative lifestyles, from gangs, addictions and the crippling isolation of homelessness.
Mel, original Co–Founder of The Big Issue in Scotland, a previous Founder and President of the International Network of Street Papers (INSP) (a network for street papers sold around the world) and a recognized authority on homelessness is delighted to be launching the brand new Homeless World Cup Supporters Club.
Mel proudly boasts, “We’re creating the biggest virtual stadium in the world with 1 million seats, the new home for supporters of the Homeless World Cup.“
The Homeless World Cup achieves tremendous results whereby football quite literally transforms lives, but we are only scratching the surface. The UN estimates that globally we have 1 billion people homeless. We want to do more.
The Homeless World Cup Supporters Club has been established to galvanise our fantastic global supporter base and provide additional revenue to deliver more street football projects around the world.
We have been signing up supporters club ambassadors who will help to promote and these include World Cup Winner Emmanuel Petit, Scotland and Celtic Captain Scott Brown and acclaimed author, Irvine Welsh plus many more.
On purchasing a £30 lifetime membership, supporters will be given a seat within the Virtual Stadium. Access to the new home of the Homeless World Cup Supporters Club is through our new website . Seats are available now at homelessworldcup.com
Once within the stadium our supporters will have access to excellent content ranging from ambassadors ‘chat’, football skills schools, music videos, chances to win amazing prizes, and partner offers.
We’re at the start of the next phase of engaging and activating our supporters to help to contribute to the eradication of global homelessness.
Participating Teams for Chile 2014
Men’s Teams: Argentina, Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kyrgyz Republic, Lithuania, Mexico, Namibia, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, `Scotland, South Korea, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Wales.
Women’s Teams: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, England, Hungary, India, Kyrgyz Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, USA, Wales
SHE KICKS – the online community for women’s football
