Women kick it first at Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup

Eight nations and 80 women from Cameroon, Colombia, Ivory Coast, Kyrgzstan, Uganda, Zambia, Liberia and Paraguay will compete to become the first time champions at the event to be held from December 1-7 at Federation Square and Birrarung Marr.

Founder and President of the Homeless World Cup, Mel Young, said: “The Homeless World Cup has demonstrated that sport has tremendous power to change lives, to change the world.

“Women participating in the previous tournaments have been tremendously successful and we want to build on this success. Introducing the Women’s Cup extends this life-changing opportunity and the benefits of sport to more and more women around the world.

“This is the first time the Women’s Cup has been included and we would like to see it grow, involve many more nations, and see the women participating become change-makers, ambassadors and inspirations within their communities.”

The Women’s Homeless World Cup aims to use football to energise women who are currently homeless to create the opportunity to change their own lives. It looks to counter the effects of homelessness, to encourage the development of community female leadership and increase the capacity for income generation through the creation of social projects.

In previous competitions women have made up approximately 10 per cent of the players and have created significant change in their lives. Michele da Silva represented Brazil at the Copenhagen 2007 Homeless World Cup, winning best female player before going on to be selected to represent Brazil in the national under 21’s women’s team. Cheri played for Liberia at the Copenhagen 2007 Homeless World Cup and has since won an athlete scholarship to attend a USA college for four years.

Katie Eyles played for Australia in the Edinburgh 2005 tournament and says the tournament helped to turn her life around.

“It’s really cool to see more women getting involved with football. There were only a few women competing in Edinburgh, so it’s great to know that more and more women are going to take part in this amazing experience,” she said.

In addition to the football tournament, the women will also enjoy a workshop program including football coaching, leadership development and an opportunity for teams to showcase their project idea to win a 5,000 Euro award from Women Win.

Founder and Executive Director of Women Win, Ms Astrid Aafjes said: “The Women’s Cup is a strong, positive, international event that puts homeless women on the agenda.

“Homeless World Cup and Women Win share mutual values and goals using sport as an empowerment strategy for homeless and disadvantage girls and women worldwide. By working together we can further raise awareness and have a greater impact. Through the 5,000 Euro award, one of the eight women’s teams and their organisations will be able to further develop their programs for homeless women through sport in their community, and benefit from sharing their experiences with other Women Win program partners.”

The Women’s Homeless World Cup introduces a new opportunity for sponsors to get involved with this positive, powerful message for Australia and the world and play a key role in making this happen. Interested parties should contact Mel Young, President, Homeless World Cup on +44 (0)131 561 1796.

To make a donation to the Women’s Homeless World Cup visit www.globalgiving.com/womenscup

For more information visit www.homelessworldcup.org or www.womenwin.org