Homeless World Cup: the next generation
The Homeless World Cup has a way of drawing people in – and making them come back. More than two decades after the Homeless World Cup was first held, it’s also starting to draw in the children of team coaches and managers.
Last year, we started to see many national and international volunteers bringing their (adult) children along to work at the event in Seoul. This year, we also spotted coaches proudly introducing their sons and daughters to the Homeless World Cup family.
Fragkiksos Papapanagis (19) and his dad Periklis Papapanagis, Greece manager
“The funny thing is that I don’t even like football”, 19-year old Fragkiksos Papapanagis says with a smile.
It’s not that it wasn’t part of his upbringing, though: Fragkiksos’ dad Periklis Papapanagis used to be a professional footballer and lives and breathes the beautiful game both as a player and coach. For many years, he has also been involved in the Homeless World Cup. Keen to show his son the beauty of the event, he asked him to come along.
“I already wanted to come last year to Seoul, but this year it finally happened”, Fragkiksos says.
“My dad had been telling me about the whole vibe here, but it still surprised me, in a good way.”
Ironically, it is the football that amazes him the most. “It is so good to watch. The games are much faster and more fun than regular football. It is really entertaining and the quality is great.”
The other thing that Fragkiksos really enjoys out here in Oslo is seeing his father interact with pretty much everyone he comes across. “My dad is very social, he talks to everyone. Just walking alongside him, I already met so many nice people from all over the world.”
Fragkiksos Junior is a journalism student back in Greece and is keen to put his skills to good use here in Oslo. He’s brought his camera and is taking photos of the team.
Periklis is delighted to finally show his son what magic he has experienced at the event for all these years.
“This is about more than football. I am very happy to have him here and meet everyone.”
Next year, the family support for team Greece might be even bigger, as Fragkiksos is keen to get his mum involved, too. “She is hearing all our stories but she could not make it this year. She’s doing psychology studies, so she could help with mental support for the next Greece team.”
Ask her when she first heard about the Homeless World Cup and Shauna bursts out laughing: “I’ve heard about it for as long as I can remember!” Not surprising, given that she was five when her father Sean took the inaugural Ireland team to the first ever Homeless World Cup in Graz in 2003. Now 27, she felt it was about time she saw it for herself.
Shauna Kavanagh (27) and her father Sean Kavanagh, team Ireland manager
Through her dad, she had already been involved in the local street soccer programme - the Irish Homeless Street Leagues - helping out with the many jobs that come with running a social enterprise.
“She helps out with fundraising too, so she knows what it takes to bring a team out here year after year” says Sean.
Shauna’s determination to be part of the team Ireland Homeless World Cup support team meant she was keen to go above and beyond. “I worked and saved up to pay my way, and I have no holidays left at all, but I just really wanted to come down.”
Having heard so much about the global event, she still feels like nothing could have quite prepared her for the experience. “I think people who talk about the event still kind of play it down. I heard all these stories, but it is even bigger than that. Everyone is so friendly and fun. It is just really special.”
Words by Danielle Batist | Photos by John Anderson & Donnie Nicholson