Fabrice Mugabe passes the ball beyond the opposition defender to Jean-Philippe Dur茅, who strikes it into the gloves of the goalkeeper, an intervention worker at the Montreal homeless shelter where both men are staying.

For the men on the indoor field in MontrealB次元官网网址檚 Plateau neighbourhood, it was the first chance to show off their skills to recruiters, who are fielding a team to represent Canada at an annual international soccer tournament in Oslo, Norway, in August B次元官网网址� the Homeless World Cup.

After WednesdayB次元官网网址檚 practice session, Mugabe, 35, said he felt B次元官网网址渢ired, exhausted, winded but above all amazing because it has been a long time since IB次元官网网址檝e been out.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 tapping into something I havenB次元官网网址檛 tapped into in a long time,B次元官网网址� he said, relishing his shot to potentially suit up for Canada.

The Canadian Street Soccer Association, which organized WednesdayB次元官网网址檚 training session, is a non-profit that uses sports to help people experiencing homelessness and other forms of social exclusion to reintegrate into society. It reached out to the cityB次元官网网址檚 homeless shelters, inviting the vulnerable to take part in the beautiful game.

The associationB次元官网网址檚 goal is to recruit players from different provinces to participate in the Homeless World Cup, run by a charity called the Homeless World Cup Foundation.

After the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Mugabe lost not only his job at a warehouse, but also the roof over his head. B次元官网网址淚 kind of went through a rough patch like everybody else, and without work I didnB次元官网网址檛 really have anywhere to go,B次元官网网址� he said. But with the help of Maison du P猫re, a menB次元官网网址檚 homeless shelter in Montreal, Mugabe has a new job and is putting money aside so he can move into an apartment.

Bob Humphreys, Quebec program director at the Canadian Street Soccer Association, oversaw WednesdayB次元官网网址檚 practice. Originally from London, England, Humphreys said his group organizes soccer matches to give homeless people the opportunity to build community and recover from hardship.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 about putting smiles on faces B次元官网网址� putting an ounce of positivity back into the mindset,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not about the talent. ItB次元官网网址檚 not about the soccer. ItB次元官网网址檚 more about the social side and itB次元官网网址檚 about these guys building social skills, reintegrating back into society.B次元官网网址�

Humphreys said he had expected about seven players on Wednesday, but only two unhoused men turned up. The dayB次元官网网址檚 frigid temperatures made it difficult for participants to travel, he said, adding that a truck belonging to Old Brewery Mission, one of the other Montreal shelters involved in the program, had a flat tire and couldnB次元官网网址檛 transport players.

Dur茅, 49, unhoused since 2021, says he showed up on Wednesday to show off his skills on the pitch. B次元官网网址淔rankly, I feel very good,B次元官网网址� he said after practice. B次元官网网址淚 have soccer talent and want to prove myself.B次元官网网址�

Samuel Drolet-B茅gin, intervention worker at Maison du P猫re, said the soccer program allows caseworkers and the unhoused people they work with to connect outside the shelter environment.

Hossam Khedr, Canadian Street Soccer Association CEO, said a total of eight players will be recruited for a mixed men and womenB次元官网网址檚 team. For now, the association is recruiting in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, but it plans to expand the program to CanadaB次元官网网址檚 other provinces for future Homeless World Cup tournaments.

For the tournament in August, each team will field four players B次元官网网址� one goalkeeper and three outfielders B次元官网网址� on the pitch, which is smaller than the regular size FIFA soccer field. The tournament is hosted by a different city each year; previous editions were hosted by Paris and Rio de Janeiro.

Players must be recently unhoused or temporarily housed, Khedr explained. However, some people with fixed addresses, including refugees and those who struggle with mental health issues or addictions, may also make the cut. The selection committee will choose people it believes will most benefit from travelling to Norway and participating in the tournament.

Ed Kiwanuka-Quinlan, the street soccer associationB次元官网网址檚 director of operations in Ontario, said participating in soccer was a lifeline to him when he found himself homeless over a decade ago in Brampton, Ont. Unable to deal with his motherB次元官网网址檚 death and trauma from the Ugandan civil war, he became depressed and tried to take his own life.

Kiwanuka-Quinlan was in a shelter for two weeks when a member of another street soccer association asked him to kick a ball around. He initially turned the offer down, but ended up playing and feeling the B次元官网网址渆uphoria of belonging to something.B次元官网网址�

Each successful pass and goal was a cause for celebration that gave him the hope and energy to begin getting his life back on track. After being homeless for two years, he represented Canada at the 2012 Homeless World Cup in Mexico.

B次元官网网址淚t was the simplicity of being invited B次元官网网址� and that is the transformative power of sport B次元官网网址� being made to feel like you matter.B次元官网网址�