The Irish Street League team returned to Dublin Airport after taking part in the Homeless World Cup which has been taking place in Poznan, Poland over the past week. The Irish team secured an impressive 11th place finish in the tournament which featured teams from 48 different countries and were warmly received by supporters on their arrival back into Dublin Airport last night (Monday 19th August).
There were also individual accomplishments for members of the Irish team. Joe Corcoran and Jayson Bergin were awarded referee’s “Fair Play Awards” for their team spirit and encouragement during games.
The Homeless World Cup uses the power of football to energise homeless people so they can change their own lives. It supports grass-roots football programmes and social enterprise development via a network of 70 national partners and celebrates its work by organising an annual football tournament that unites teams of homeless people from countries all around the globe.
Speaking about the Irish team’s success, Sean Kavanagh, Founder of the Irish Street Leagues said, “This was a fantastic performance and the lads really did the country proud. It was a very strongly contested tournament this year and the Irish team managed to put together some extremely impressive performances, playing some football that will live long in the memory.
“Beating teams of the calibre of France, Scotland, Argentina, South Africa, Norway, Austria and the Czech Republic takes a great team effort and all those associated with the Irish team can feel proud of their achievements in Poznan. They were completely dedicated to representing their country well in this tournament and every one of them put in fantastic displays both on and off the field in Poznan. It is no surprise that they have received such a warm reception on their return to Dublin as they have been excellent ambassadors for the country at this tournament.
“We hope this tournament will help provide a boost not only to the players who participated in the tournament but it will also encourage Irish people to take another look at homelessness. These are young men who have worked extremely hard to represent their country and it shows that there is more to any person than just the label usually associated with homelessness. Regardless of circumstances people can contribute a lot if given the opportunity and this tournament is just one example of what can be achieved,” Mr. Kavanagh concluded.
The full Irish squad who participated in the tournament was:
· Andrew Cunningham
· Anthony O’Connor
· Derek O’Rourke
· Jayson Bergin
· Joseph Farrell
· Kenneth Glennon
· Stephen O’Callaghan.
To help support the Irish Street Leagues please give whatever you can to http://www.mycharity.ie/donate_charityIndex.php?charityID=836 or [email protected] to find out how you can help make these dreams come true.
