Catching up with last year's hosts
Posted by South Africa - 14/04/2007
After successfully hosting the Cape Town 2006 Homeless World Cup the South Africa team will certainly come well prepared for this year’s competition in Copenhagen. Since the Cup in September 2006 the ‘Western Cape Street Soccer League’ (WCSSL) has been set up as a legacy to provide consistent activities in the form of tournaments and football matches for socially marginalized people. Simon Mobey catches up with its chairman David Abrahams.
The Western Cape Street Soccer League was officially launched on 10 March 2007 and it currently has 580 players spread across 42 affiliated clubs and organisations. All of our players come from the ranks of the homeless. It has an elected and fully functioning executive committee.
The league, which will provide the county’s representative side at Copenhagen 2007 Homeless World Cup, saw no fewer than 130 players turn up for trials with a place in the squad for Copenhagen up for grabs. Now whittled down to just thirty, the lucky eight travelling to Denmark will be decided soon.
WCSSL chairman David Abrahams is confident that the team will be well drilled: “Once the final squad is selected they will undergo intensive preparation and we have pulled in the assistance of local professional clubs in this regard.”
Abrahams is encouraged by the progress made in South Africa with street soccer since Cape Town 2006: “A number of the players that participated in the Homeless World Cup 2006 are now studying fulltime. There has been an explosion of interest in the activities of the Western Cape Street Soccer League and we are growing by leaps and bounds. We hope to form a National Street Soccer League by the beginning of 2008” he said.
However he conceded that media exposure has been fleeting since the tournament but is confident that interest will blossom ahead of Copenhagen 2007: “The media attention is sporadic and inconsistent. However, the launch of the Western Cape Street Soccer League means we now have regular events and we always inform the media of this. Once we finalise the team to go to Denmark we will have extensive media activities”.
As South Africa gears up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, street football has an opportunity to continue its growth and extend its activities throughout the country. With it’s competitive and expansive new league and excellent preparation, look out for South Africa to improve on their 27th place in 2006 and find glory in Copenhagen.
Join the fan club and support South Africa at this year's tournament.
Comments
joseph ndungu 25/04/2007
Am kenyan player who participated in last year homeless world cup in cape town in south Africa.ma comment; homeless world cup to there for ever, it changes life of so many players life, GOD BLESS THE WHOLE ORGANISATION,i'll never forget,becouse it was a life time experience,
butoyi emmanuel 28/04/2007
moi ses le capitaine de l equipe du burundi hope team je participe a la tasse sans foyer du monde de l annee dernier au cap town ma vie a charge beacoup parce que je vie beacoup des joueurs differant les commentaire que je veux donne ce que je ais beacoup de experience de vie en cap town je aimerais participe ala prochen . merci que Dieu benissent la tasse sans foyer
Faizel Da Silva 25/07/2007
I've been with the 2007 SA Homeless team a few times and did some filming on them and as a South African i got hope for them because i am a soccer player myself i saw what these lads can do they are a very good team and i believe they will bring a throphy home to South Africa. Good luck to : Coach. Sadick Da Silva , Jantjie Booysen , Players (Captain) James Steenberg , Phumzile Fula , Thulani Magopeni , Nelson Lotering , Nashwaan Singh , Abdul Wittle , Lucas Vakale, Velile Sithole. hope you bring something home for me James will see you off at the airport and i will wait for you when you get back.
