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Homeless World Cup Set for Santiago in 2014

Posted: 1st October 2014

hwc logoFounded by Mel Young from Scotland and Harald Schmied from Austria, The Homeless World Cup uses the power of football to energise homeless people, enabling them to change their own lives.

The Homeless World Cup is an Edinburgh based charity that supports grass-roots football programmes and social enterprise development via a network of 70 national partners. To celebrate this hard work, the charity organise an annual football tournament that unites teams of homeless people from countries all around the globe.

The 12th edition of the Homeless World Cup takes place from 19-26 October 2014 at Plaza de la Constitución, Santiago, Chile. Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Events Manager Sian Downes was luckily selected as one the volunteers. Working hard on her fundraising she says “I am delighted to have been chosen as a HWC volunteer, it is a very special honour and I look forward to heading out to Santiago to meet up with the rest of the volunteers. I want to thank all ECC members that have helped with my fundraising efforts and I look forward to reporting back.”

Craig Campbell, Homeless World Cup CEO also commented stating “Football is a great leveller; it connects people and is a universal sport for everyone.  The Homeless World Cup is able to change the scenery, challenge stereotyping and people who have been excluded and isolated from society are cheered by thousands and treated as soccer heroes during the tournament.  The feeling of belonging, challenge of working in a team, regaining a health- oriented attitude towards life, self esteem and last but not least the experience of fun is a powerful combination to change a person’s life.”

It is expected that over 100,000 spectators will watch the action unfold at the specially constructed stadia and pitches in front of La Moneda, with millions more following online

The tournament hosts homeless and socially disadvantaged men and women from 49 countries with 63 teams that will participate in the 350 matches that will be played at Chile 2014.

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