Goalkeeper David Stone and Liam Forbes try to keep up with Martin Begley during Scotland's last training session before flying to Rio for the 2010 Homeless World Cup
Scotland’s Homeless World Cup team have completed their final training session and are preparing to fly out to Rio de Janiero in Brazil where the football tournament will kick off on September 19.
Scotland, seeded 6th, will arrive in Rio with a reputation as a heavyweight after recent displays. Champions in 2007, Scotland have also made three semi-final appearances since 2004. Hopes are high this year that Scotland can lift the trophy once again. Goalkeeper David Stone, making his World Cup debut aged 40, told LOCAL NEWS: ‘We’ve got a good team going to Brazil. Nobody wants to just make up the numbers. We want to win the trophy.’
For David, from the Gorbals, appearing in the Homeless World Cup will complete a remarkable year. His girlfriend is due to give birth to his first child in two weeks. ‘ No matter what, I’m going to Brazil’ said David, who had to apply for a first ever passport to get to Brazil. ‘ All things going well the baby will be born before I leave.’ His girlfriend was unavailable for comment!
David, who stays in sheltered accommodation, suffers from Romberg’s Syndrome, a degenerate disease that atrophies the facial skin tissue and causes severe disfigurement. Said David: ‘Things went wrong and I turned to the drugs and alcohol, but that’s in the past now. I wanted to play football as a youngster, now I have my chance.’
As the eight players went through the motions of the final session, on Thursday 9 September, it was announced that the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) would be the team’s sponsor this year. SAMH Chief Executive Billy Watson described the Scotland players as ‘role models’ for the 650 homeless people who are registered with SAMH services. Billy added: ‘These guys are inspirational to many and are examples of the road to recovery. At SAMH, we know the challenges they face. We are sponsoring them because it was a natural fit.’
In Rio, Scotland will face another 64 nations, all with dreams of lifting the trophy. Much rests on the shoulders of manager David Duke, who masterminded the 2007 triumph in Denmark. This is David’s 7th Homeless World Cup, having played in 2004 before going on to earn his coaching badges. Said David: ‘ I used football to change my life. In 2004, I was living in a hostel and my prospects were minimal. I came back from playing in the World Cup energised and determined to turn my life around.’ He did not disappoint.
After going to college, David, 29 years old, founded Street Soccer Scotland, a social enterprise that manages the Homeless squad and uses football at local levels to energise those socially excluded. This past July, David received an Honourary Doctorate from Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University for his work tackling homelessness and social exclusion.
The Homeless World Cup was co-founded by the social entrepreneur Mel Young. Played annually, figures show that, since the inaugural tournament in 2003, 73% of participants have gone on to better their lives following the tournament. To follow Scotland’s progress visit:
www.homelessworldcup.org or www.streetsoccerscotland.co.uk
