STOCKISTS
AFRICA
GHANA
GIMAT Volunteer Network (GVN) is a social enterprise project that operates developmental and sports programmes in deprived communities in Ghana.
They support street children, orphans, school drop-outs, and people with disabilities, by providing them opportunities to develop new skills and access education.
NIGERIA
S.G. – Youth for Development Centre is a non-governmental and non-partisan organisation founded in 2003. Using the power of sport, they provide programmes offering training, rehabilitation, employment, and sports and recreation opportunities to young Nigerians who are homeless, unemployed, or suffering from substance abuse.
Their main areas of work are youth development and leadership, gender equality, peace building, and health promotion.
SOUTH AFRICA
OASIS work to create development opportunities for young people across South Africa through participation in sport and education.
They focus on helping young men living on the streets, or those who live in very difficult circumstances within informal settlements.
Each year they participate in the Homeless World Cup with the goal of giving opportunities to those less fortunate. They also offer accommodation to participants before and after the Homeless World Cup, with an emphasis on working out an exit plan. Website
ASIA & OCEANIA
INDIA
Slum Soccer aim to reach underprivileged people using football as a tool for social empowerment. They operate all over India, and engage several hundred children and young adults every day.
Slum Soccer India promote development through the medium of football on a daily basis. Providing socially neglected people with a chance to play football not only enhances their fitness, but also encourages skills and values like team-building, self-esteem, friendship, self-confidence, and creativity.
Organised sessions with trained coaches are conducted on a regular basis, reaching as many as 700 children every day. Website
PAKISTAN
PDP Foundation uses football as a tool for development and social change.The Foundation runs 16 sports-based projects, specifically football development programmes, in different regions of Pakistan.
In 2015, they reached 2,000 underprivileged children. The Foundation targets those living in slums and below the poverty line, with a particular focus on boys living on the street and girls at risk of dropping out of school in urban and rural slums. With a focus on a child’s right to play, regular evening sessions provide participants with coaching and guidance.
SOUTH KOREA
The Korean Homeless Team is managed by the street paper Big Issue South Korea, a social enterprise that is part of international street paper network The Big Issue. One of the enterprise’s permanent activities is street football, titled The Homeless Healthy Football League.
Its impact is two-fold. It encourages homeless people to regularly exercise and therefore lead a healthy lifestyle. It also raises awareness about homelessness and shows people in Korea that homeless people can play football, and consequently work and live just like any ordinary person.
EUROPE
FRANCE
Collectif EN JEU is the Homeless World Cup Partner in France. As a collective of a number of associations and other organisations, they organise sports events as well as cultural programmes for disadvantaged people.
Originally organised by the Parisian collective “Remise en jeu,” Team France have been participating in the Homeless World Cup since 2004. Since 2011, Collectif EN JEU, based in and around Montpellier, have taken on the organisation of the annual national tournament “Tournoi national de la solidarité” (National Solidarity Tournament). They are also in charge of the selection, training, and preparation of the French Team prior to the Homeless World Cup. Website
IRELAND
Irish Homeless Street Leagues use the power of sport to transform the lives of individuals from underprivileged, poorly educated, socially excluded, and conflicted communities. The participants are men & Women between the ages of 16 and 40 years. IHSL operate more than 10 leagues countrywide, with two in Dublin alone.
Among Team Ireland’s Patrons are President of Ireland Michael D Higgins, Colin Farrell, and Former Ireland International footballer Kevin Kilbane. Website
NORTHERN IRELAND
Street Soccer NI is a charity that uses football to bring positive change to people’s lives. They work with disadvantaged groups including the homeless, long term unemployed, refugees, people with addictions, people with mental health issues, ex-prisoners and more.
Street Soccer NI has 10 sessions a week in Northern Ireland (7 projects for men, 2 for women and 1 for people with learning disabilities) with around 120 people a week coming regularly to the project. They support each regular player to develop a support plan and they help them to meet their needs and achieve their goals including housing, education, volunteering and employment.
Their main funding comes from Northern Ireland Housing Executive and Department for Communities. Website
SCOTLAND
Street Soccer Scotland is a charity and non-profit social enterprise that delivers a range of football-related services to socially disadvantaged adults and young people across Scotland.
It was founded in March 2009 by former Homeless World Cup Scotland player, David Duke.
Inspired by David’s personal experience of how sport, and in particular football, can be the catalyst for positive social change, Street Soccer Scotland aim to provide a unique response to the social disadvantage prevalent in Scottish society.
They provide a wide range of free football sessions and football themed education through their own nationally accredited qualifications and other activities in main cities across Scotland. They have begun increasing their reach through introducing a Network Manager to work with other organisations in smaller cities and towns. Website
Ambassadors for the organisation include Sir Alex Ferguson and Liverpool and Scotland player Andy Robertson.
SWITZERLAND
Since 2003, Surprise Strassenfussball have been reintegrating socially disadvantaged people into Swiss society.
Fourteen teams compete in four national tournaments of the Swiss street football league. Teams must be composed of socially disadvantaged adults with a coach and a manager. Players are often street paper vendors, affected by mental illness, unemployed people, seeking asylum, or suffer from substance abuse.
The league has two levels of competition for different abilities to make sure the games are fair, and the eight players chosen to play on the Swiss national team are from both levels. The team selection criteria are not only based on football skills, but on motivation and self-improvement also Website
NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN
MEXICO
Street Soccer Mexico A.C. is a private, non-profit organisation that uses sports as a social tool. They run the Mexico Homeless World Cup Teams in collaboration with Fundación Telmex.
The organisation is aided by national and civic institutions to organise tournaments and training sessions for the children and youth living in shelters, recovery homes, or marginalised communities. Website
USA
SSUSA is a registered non-profit organisation that promotes and develops a national network of Sport for Development programs based in social service agencies across the country. SSUSA creates positive community through sports around youth and adults who are homeless, dramatically transforming the context in which participants live from one of isolation and marginalization to one of support and encouragement.
SSUSA organises the Homeless World Cup Team USA, bringing players from 19 cities ranging from California to Washington, D.C. together via the Street Soccer USA Cup. Website
SOUTH AMERICA
ARGENTINA
Team Argentina is organised by Hecho Club Social (HCS), the street football subsidiary of Buenos Aires street paper Hecho.
HCS offers socially marginalised people the opportunity to practice sports and be part of a group three times a week, in an environment where diversity is encouraged and everyone is accepted. Their goals are for players to increase self-esteem, develop a sense of belonging, strengthen relationships, and recover a positive outlook in life. Website
BRAZIL
Futebol Social – Organização Civil de Ação Social (Social Footbal – Civil Organisation for Social Action) provide sports and social training for players at a regional level, and organise tournaments across Brazil. Participants are encouraged to find permanent employment to help them out of poverty.
In addition to football training, participants are expected to take part in other activities to aid their integration into society, such as workshops on education, relationships, and social awareness.
Team Brazil is backed by Romário, one of the greatest football legends in Brazil, who has expressed his support on many occasions. Website
CHILE
Futbol Calle (Street Football), an initiative started by football marketing agency Acción Total, is a network of street football projects that creates opportunities to deliver psycho-social development to men and women across Chile through sport. Based on a participatory and inclusive approach for vulnerable participants, it uses football as a platform for personal development.
Training sessions run twice a week in each location, led by a multidisciplinary team of teachers, social workers, and psychologists who not only coach, but also provide guidance and support for personal development. They aim for a positive impact on the quality of life of the participants.
Their programme is backed by former Chilean football star, Ivan Zamorano.