Street Soccer is Poetry
Posted by Australia - 13/03/2008
Street Socceroo, De Pettenon wrote the following moving poem as an account of being involved in Street Soccer and the Homeless World Cup.
This was presented to Mel Young, Homeless World Cup President and Co-Founder on a recent visit to Australia in preparation for the Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup.
"Street Soccer By De Pettenon
As the ball gets kicked Us players forget about our daily difficulties We forget about the hard times
Playing soccer gives us something to do To get us out of bed and out of the house
Once a week we wait to rejoin with our mates Giving each other company and hope Relating and mingling with one another
With cheers and support We are encouraging, focusing on the positives
Street Soccer is special to us It has a unique place in our hearts
Laughing and chatting is something we do Some players are both silly and serious We are happy and excited If we are feeling down, soccer brings our spirits up
Together we learn new skills And practice the skills we already have As a team we learn to play fair and to respect each other We are equals
Everyone is welcome regardless of the color of your skin Your age does not matter Your lack of soccer abilities is no restriction We welcome you all
Rain, hail or shine we are committed Dedicated We have fun And play ‘til our hearts content
We do our best We concentrate on the game Scoring goals and passing to one another Relying on our teammates to play a good game
Street soccer helps us survive It’s something to be loyal to To be faithful to
Street soccer is important We have a focus and a goal in our lives We have purpose and something to aim for
We want to achieve We want to represent Australia We want to represent ourselves
We all want to show what we are made of Show our talent Our abilities Our dedication And for some our passions
We appreciate all it offers We are grateful for Street Soccer And we are thankful to the people behind the scenes Without them we have no Street Soccer
May that round ball continue to bring people together To carry on bringing happiness, joy and purpose"
Thank you Mel Young for what you have started Cheers from De Pettenon
