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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

From Atlanta to Los Angeles, America’s Homeless Compete in National Soccer Cup
Street Soccer Changing Lives; Building a Sense of Pride and Discipline

Washington, DC- June 27-29th 2008 Street Soccer USA of the Urban Ministry Center is hosting the second and largest ever Homeless USA Cup in Washington, DC.  The three-day tournament will name a national champion and determine who travels to represent the US at the 48 nation, Homeless World Cup in Melbourne, Australia.

Over the course of a weekend 100 homeless individuals will compete on behalf of their city for the US Cup. Teams will come from Ann Arbor, Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Richmond, Phoenix, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Washington DC.
“Being homeless means being isolated. Soccer is great because it connects players not only to their teammates and coaches, but to a billion people who play around the world,” says Lawrence Cann Founder and President of Street Soccer USA (SSUSA) and director of Community Works 945 at the Urban Ministry Center where the first US street soccer program originated.
Each of the participants have faced the reality of being homeless at least within the past year and organizers point out that over 70 percent of participants from previous tournaments have improved their lives by quitting drugs, moving into jobs, getting an education and even reuniting with their families.

The exciting 4 on 4 street soccer competition has proven domestically and abroad to change public perception of the homeless as well as to catalyze positive change in the lives of the participants. Worldwide there are one billion, in the USA there are 3.5 million homeless people, street soccer can be used to instill a sense of pride and discipline through being part of a team and to help give players the confidence they need overcome problems in their lives.

Michael Stoops, Executive Director of The National Coalition for the Homeless believes that homeless soccer “undoes a lot of the stereotypes. It dispels the myths that homeless individuals aren’t able-bodied; all they do is lay around rattling the cup and asking for change.”
The tournament, which will take place in downtown Washington DC at the Washington Kastles’ Stadium, is made possible by principle sponsors, Nike, The Leonsis Family Foundation, the US Soccer Foundation, and Wachovia Bank.
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About the Street Soccer USA - Street Soccer USA is the official partner of the Homeless World Cup, responsible for organizing the US’s participation in the Homeless World Cup. Street Soccer USA (SSUSA) offers an innovative solution to homelessness with a track record of tremendous success.  Founded in 2004, by Lawrence Cann, SSUSA’s pilot program at the Urban Ministry Center in Charlotte, North Carolina reached more than 20% of chronically homeless people living in the Greater Charlotte area, and realized a 75% success rate in effecting a positive life change (defined as addressing a substance abuse problem or mental health issue, securing full time employment, moving off the street, etc.).  Today SSUSA comprises a growing national network of homeless services agencies in 12 cities using soccer to transform the lives of their clients. Additionally, SSUSA made national and international news headlines, when it brought a team of homeless soccer players to Scotland, South Africa, and Denmark to participate in the Homeless World Cups (2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively).

The SSUSA approach utilizes the unifying and empowering sport of soccer as a tool for personal transformation and social change.  SSUSA builds relationships of trust between coaches, volunteers and clients through the shared experience of playing on a soccer team. The Staff meets with clients and establish 3, 6, and 12 month goals for life on and off the field.  Players (both men and women) play in local soccer leagues, improve discipline, learn pro-social skills, and gain self-esteem through SSUSA soccer programs. The sense of belonging, the mentorship, and structure that SSUSA soccer programs provide is often the difference for between people languishing on the street for year and successfully integrating them back into mainstream society. SSUSA is also part of a worldwide network and a worldwide solution to end homelessness. The Homeless World Cup is a widely known international brand founded by Mel Young in 2001. The Homeless World Cup holds an annual tournament involving teams of homeless players from 48 nations, catalyzing sports for social programs around the world.

About the Homeless World Cup - The Homeless World Cup is an annual street soccer tournament, uniting teams of homeless people from around the globe to fight poverty. Nearly 50 countries are expected to come together for a tournament full of courage, inspiration, grassroots grit and glory in Melbourne, Australia in December 2008. http://www.homelessworldcup.org
The Homeless World Cup was co-founded by the leading social entrepreneur Mel Young and Harald Schmied, who created the concept in 2001 at the Annual International Network of Street Papers Conference (INSP) in Cape Town.

About Nike’s Let Me Play -_Let Me Play is a global Nike initiative to drive positive social change and unleash the potential of youth through sport. It is directed at youth who are excluded from sport due to poverty, war, natural disaster, discrimination or cultural bias. Nike supports the Homeless World Cup as a global Let Me Play program because it’s a catalyst for lasting change through the development of street soccer programs that create maximum social impact for the players involved – the socially excluded, homeless people and those living in poverty

About National Coalition for the Homelessness - The National Coalition for the Homeless, founded in 1982, is a national network of people who are currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, activists and advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, and others committed to a single mission. That mission, our common bond, is to end homelessness. We are committed to creating the systemic and attitudinal changes necessary to prevent and end homelessness. At the same time, we work to meet the immediate needs of people who are currently experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of doing so. One of the guiding principles of NCH is to include people experiencing homelessness in all aspects of our work.  We work to empower communities and those experiencing homelessness to advocate for positive change, while acting as a national voice for these local advocates. Our focus is on advocacy work in four policy areas: affordable housing, comprehensive health care, livable incomes, and the preservation of civil rights.  To achieve these goals, NCH utilizes six major strategies: policy advocacy, litigation, public education, community organization, research, and technical assistance.

About Kevin Carroll - Inspirational author (Rules of the Red Rubber Ball/ESPN Books and What’s Your Red Rubber Ball?!/ ESPN Books + Disney Press), global speaker and agent for social change, Kevin Carroll has contributed financially to the tourney and sponsored the Katalyst Coaches Award recognizing the outstanding coach at the Homeless USA Cup who clearly sparks positive change in the lives of his or her players. This coach will also travel with the US Homeless World Cup team that will represent the United States at the Homeless World Cup in Melbourne, Australia. Kevin’s own story is a testament to the transformational power of sport and play. Sport was the catalyst that helped him transcend his challenging childhood and, as a result, he has dedicated his life to advancing sports and play as a vehicle for social change.