Fabrice Mugabe passes the ball beyond the opposition defender to Jean-Philippe Dur茅, who strikes it into the gloves of the goalkeeper, an intervention worker at the Montreal homeless shelter where both men are staying.
For the men on the indoor field in Montreal91裸聊视频檚 Plateau neighbourhood, it was the first chance to show off their skills to recruiters, who are fielding a team to represent Canada at an annual international soccer tournament in Oslo, Norway, in August 91裸聊视频� the Homeless World Cup.
After Wednesday91裸聊视频檚 practice session, Mugabe, 35, said he felt 91裸聊视频渢ired, exhausted, winded but above all amazing because it has been a long time since I91裸聊视频檝e been out.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 tapping into something I haven91裸聊视频檛 tapped into in a long time,91裸聊视频� he said, relishing his shot to potentially suit up for Canada.
The Canadian Street Soccer Association, which organized Wednesday91裸聊视频檚 training session, is a non-profit that uses sports to help people experiencing homelessness and other forms of social exclusion to reintegrate into society. It reached out to the city91裸聊视频檚 homeless shelters, inviting the vulnerable to take part in the beautiful game.
The association91裸聊视频檚 goal is to recruit players from different provinces to participate in the Homeless World Cup, run by a charity called the Homeless World Cup Foundation.
After the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Mugabe lost not only his job at a warehouse, but also the roof over his head. 91裸聊视频淚 kind of went through a rough patch like everybody else, and without work I didn91裸聊视频檛 really have anywhere to go,91裸聊视频� he said. But with the help of Maison du P猫re, a men91裸聊视频檚 homeless shelter in Montreal, Mugabe has a new job and is putting money aside so he can move into an apartment.
Bob Humphreys, Quebec program director at the Canadian Street Soccer Association, oversaw Wednesday91裸聊视频檚 practice. Originally from London, England, Humphreys said his group organizes soccer matches to give homeless people the opportunity to build community and recover from hardship.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 about putting smiles on faces 91裸聊视频� putting an ounce of positivity back into the mindset,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 not about the talent. It91裸聊视频檚 not about the soccer. It91裸聊视频檚 more about the social side and it91裸聊视频檚 about these guys building social skills, reintegrating back into society.91裸聊视频�
Humphreys said he had expected about seven players on Wednesday, but only two unhoused men turned up. The day91裸聊视频檚 frigid temperatures made it difficult for participants to travel, he said, adding that a truck belonging to Old Brewery Mission, one of the other Montreal shelters involved in the program, had a flat tire and couldn91裸聊视频檛 transport players.
Dur茅, 49, unhoused since 2021, says he showed up on Wednesday to show off his skills on the pitch. 91裸聊视频淔rankly, I feel very good,91裸聊视频� he said after practice. 91裸聊视频淚 have soccer talent and want to prove myself.91裸聊视频�
Samuel Drolet-B茅gin, intervention worker at Maison du P猫re, said the soccer program allows caseworkers and the unhoused people they work with to connect outside the shelter environment.
Hossam Khedr, Canadian Street Soccer Association CEO, said a total of eight players will be recruited for a mixed men and women91裸聊视频檚 team. For now, the association is recruiting in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, but it plans to expand the program to Canada91裸聊视频檚 other provinces for future Homeless World Cup tournaments.
For the tournament in August, each team will field four players 91裸聊视频� one goalkeeper and three outfielders 91裸聊视频� on the pitch, which is smaller than the regular size FIFA soccer field. The tournament is hosted by a different city each year; previous editions were hosted by Paris and Rio de Janeiro.
Players must be recently unhoused or temporarily housed, Khedr explained. However, some people with fixed addresses, including refugees and those who struggle with mental health issues or addictions, may also make the cut. The selection committee will choose people it believes will most benefit from travelling to Norway and participating in the tournament.
Ed Kiwanuka-Quinlan, the street soccer association91裸聊视频檚 director of operations in Ontario, said participating in soccer was a lifeline to him when he found himself homeless over a decade ago in Brampton, Ont. Unable to deal with his mother91裸聊视频檚 death and trauma from the Ugandan civil war, he became depressed and tried to take his own life.
Kiwanuka-Quinlan was in a shelter for two weeks when a member of another street soccer association asked him to kick a ball around. He initially turned the offer down, but ended up playing and feeling the 91裸聊视频渆uphoria of belonging to something.91裸聊视频�
Each successful pass and goal was a cause for celebration that gave him the hope and energy to begin getting his life back on track. After being homeless for two years, he represented Canada at the 2012 Homeless World Cup in Mexico.
91裸聊视频淚t was the simplicity of being invited 91裸聊视频� and that is the transformative power of sport 91裸聊视频� being made to feel like you matter.91裸聊视频�
