Inspiring city, beautiful game for Oslo Mayor Lindboe
Anne Lindboe may not have been in her current post of Mayor the last time Homeless World Cup came to Oslo, but she was well-versed on the tournament before her city was confirmed as the 2025 location.
“I’d seen The Beautiful Game on Netflix, which was fantastic. So when I heard the event would be coming to Norway I was really thrilled,” she enthuses, “because it’s important - Oslo is an inclusive city, a city with a big heart, so this sort of tournament is perfect. It’s a good way of showing that Oslo is for everyone, and everyone is welcome.”
Mayor Lindboe’s pride in her city was palpable during last Saturday’s opening parade as she warmly greeted teams on Rådhusplassen and helped declare the event open on the main pitch, before the chanting, singing and flag-waving crowds.
“It was fantastic,” she says. “Everyone was cheering and, most importantly, all the players were dancing, singing and looked so happy, enjoying themselves. That was a really big moment for me, as Mayor, to take part in.”
As well as taking part in this week’s Cities Ending Homelessness Forum, Mayor Lindboe has also managed to watch a few games - especially those which featured the home teams.
“Yes, I’ve just been watching the Norwegian women’s team, winning 4-2,” she confirms, “but what also impresses me is that though it’s fun to win, it’s really about doing something meaningful together, making new friends, exploring new possibilities.
“Oslo is an inclusive city and what I’m really happy about is that the tournament is taking place in the heart of the city, right in front of the city hall, so everyone gets the chance to watch the game, drop by, say hello and cheer,” she adds.
“That’s the way we want it to be - we want to show the event to everyone visiting the city, not hold it somewhere outside the city. This is something we should celebrate, not hide away.”
What she’s found particularly inspiring is witnessing how players from varying backgrounds, who have been battling their particular troubles and carrying different baggage, are using their experiences to grow, help others and get to know new people. All this, she hopes, will feed into the legacy of Homeless World Cup Oslo 2025.
“I hope it will inspire us further on being an inclusive city; that we have shown that homelessness or people with different problems - it might be substance abuse or psychiatric illness or poverty - is not something to conceal, this is something we need to discuss and we need to find solutions together.
“Often, in big cities, we have a tendency to hide it away but here it’s the opposite and I think that’s because of the tournament,” she underlines. “By having it here you are helping us, as a city, to be more inclusive, to cherish and celebrate all sorts of people and make them feel more secure and welcome in our city.
“I know that’s already happening in other cities in the world because of the Homeless World Cup.”
Given her obvious enthusiasm for the tournament, has she ever taken to the pitch herself?
“I’m not much of a football player myself, I’m more a skier,” she laughs, “but I have a son who plays football, so like many of the other mothers and fathers I’ve been attending his games, making cakes for the teas - just like any other soccer mum!”
Words by Isobel Irvine | Photos by Anita Milas