Homeless World Cup to kick off at Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium
SACRAMENTO – The Sacramento State football stadium is being transformed for a different kind of football – street soccer.
On Saturday, the Homeless World Cup will kick off.
"The first thing you should notice is the walls around the field means the ball never goes out of bounds," said Lawrence Cann, the CEO of Street Soccer USA.
For the first time, the United States is hosting the Homeless World Cup, and Sacramento has been chosen as the site for the weeklong competition.
"This is a global gathering, 500 athletes, over 40 countries," said Cassandra Pye with Street Soccer Sacramento. "We're proud and we really hope people will come out and support these athletes, it's a really big deal."
Each player in the World Cup tournament must have recently been homeless or be seeking asylum.
"I'm excited, I'm confident in my skills," one player said. "But I think there's going to be some good teams that we're going to be facing."
So how is street soccer different?
"The matches only last two seven-minute halves, so you can stay here for an hour and watch six or eight different teams," Cann said.
And the playing field is only 22 feet long – with a goalkeeper and three other players per side.
The mission of the World Cup is to help transform the lives of the participants and help change people's perceptions of those who don't have homes.
"Soccer and sports is a way to recuperate their lives," Cann said.
Tournament organizers estimate there are 100 million homeless people worldwide – and the World Cup's ultimate goal is to help end the crisis.
"This gives an opportunity to have a conversation about how we continue to address the problems and the challenges," Pye said.
The Homeless World Cup runs every day through July 15 at Sac State. Parking and admission is free.
