Being back in his happy place
Martin Farrelly pictured at the Seoul 2024 Homeless World Cup, he returned in 2025 as an International Volunteer
Gift a Seat This Christmas
This festive season, we’re celebrating the heart of the Homeless World Cup: the 500 players from the Oslo 2025 Homeless World Cup whose courage, resilience and joy in August of this year, continue to inspire us every single day.
From the 13th December until the 24th December, we’re sharing The 12 Stories of Oslo 2025, a journey through uplifting, powerful accounts from the 20th edition of the Homeless World Cup which was held in Norway’s capital city this August.
meet martin
Martin Farrelly’s Homeless World Cup trajectory has been remarkable, playing at the Seoul 2024 Homeless World Cup in goal for England, being back at the tournament in Oslo, for him, it was a case of wrapping up some unfinished business.
Martin was injured halfway through the 2024 tournament in Seoul. He returned this year off his own steam, having focused on saving up to travel, and experienced the tournament from another angle.
“I was five months into recovery last year. I’m now 18 months. I moved out of treatment in January, started working, got my daughter back in my life, me and my daughter’s mum are actually talking now, we’re friends. We’ve been traveling together as a family.”
He explains: “I went into recovery on the 28th of February last year. I was homeless. I lost my house, ended up on the streets.” During that tumultuous time, he got involved in street soccer. “Four weeks later, I’m flying to South Korea as a player.”
The tournament marked a turning point, and he’s been building on it ever since.
“On the 2nd of August, I was 18 months clean and sober. For me, it’s the best 18 months I’ve ever had in my life … So, yeah, my life has just changed dramatically,” he says.
“Ever since playing in it, I always said that I’ll come back. I started working. I started saving up to come over to here.”
Within a short time, Martin was recruited to help with International Volunteer squad in Oslo as a pitch manager. Other volunteers recognised him from the previous year and learnt he’d paid his way to come over. They discovered that, in addition to being a former player who has empathy and insight into players’ experiences on the pitch, Martin is an avid football fan who organises his own club set-up at home. “That’s perfect job for you,” they agreed of pitch managing and started showing him the ropes. Martin hopes to return to help with pitch managing in subsequent years.
“For me, it was a big part of my life last year, and it’s going to be a bigger part of my life going forward, volunteering, because I know how much it’s helped me, so it can help other people,” he explains. “I sponsor other people, and by helping others, yeah, I get more benefit myself. So that’s by doing this as well. I’m getting the benefits of it as well.”
Words by Fiona Crawford