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Read about the Homeless World Cup

Home game

The true story of the Homeless World Cup, the inspiration for the Netflix film The Beautiful Game.

Mel Young (Homeless World Cup co-founder) and Peter Barr (Homeless World Cup board member who passed away in 2024) tell the story of the million homeless people in 70 countries who have taken part in the Homeless World Cup since it was founded in 2003 and the positive impact it has on the players and everyone else involved, including spectators.

From refugees to drug addicts, orphans and the poorest of the poor, to homeless people from the world's richest countries, we read about the moving human drama behind the event and find out how a ball can change the world.

'The most important, provocative book I have read this year.'

Hugh MacDonald, The Herald (2017)

“At the homeless world cup, a goal can change a person’s life forever”

Michael sheen

“I have seen how the homeless world cup really does inspire homeless people to change the direction of their lives”

colin farrell

  • Home Game: The official story of the Homeless World Cup.

    An estimated 100 million people worldwide are homeless.

    1.6 billion live in sub-standard housing.

    But how can such a simple game like football tackle such a complex problem? Mel Young and Peter Barr tell the story of the million homeless people in 70 countries who have taken part in the Homeless World Cup since it was founded in 2003 and the positive impact it has on the players and everyone else involved, including spectators.

    Home Game provides an insight into the birth of the Homeless World Cup and how it has become such a global phenomenon, by looking at more than just facts. It shows how the power of sport can help excluded people transform their own lives and how the event has transformed attitudes to homelessness.

    Find out how a ball can change the world

  • Home Fixtures is an anthology of writing in support of the Homeless World Cup. From that Maradona moment to Sunday leagues in the park, from crime to comedy, from Brazil to the rules of playground football, Home Fixtures is a stellar collection that has something for everyone.24 writers have donated short stories and poems to raise funds for the continuation of the Homeless World Cup, which has been cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19. Thousands of lives have been changed for the better since the tournament began in 2003, and this book celebrates the spirit of hope and home.

    Edited by Val McDermid.

    Contributors:

    Nick Hornby

    Ian Rankin

    Denise Mina

    Chris Brookmyre

    Alan Bissett

    Craig Robertson

    Joelle Taylor

    Doug Johnstone

    Daniel Gray

    Peter Mackay

    Louise Welsh

    Trevor Wood

    Antti Tuomainen

    Linda Cracknell

    Alan Spence

    Zoe Strachan

    Nick Barley

    Luca Veste

    Matthew Fitt

    Thomas Clark

    Steve Cavanagh

    Jackie Kay

    Alex Gray

    Matt Wesolowski

  • Football would be nothing without the fans – men and women, girls and boys (perhaps even a few dragooned animals!) whose commitment has often been likened to religious devotion. So Football’s Faithful Fans, which is raising vital money for African development projects through the Homeless World Cup, gives Scottish supporters (a number of whom are clergy, with others from rather different backgrounds) a platform to say what fitba’ means to them: hopes, dreams, rugged belief and, sometimes, sheer desperation! It’s funny, thoughtful and entertaining – a bit like the Beautiful Game itself. Whether you’re a fan or not, and whether you follow football in Scotland or elsewhere, here is an enjoyable insight into what might be gently called ‘supporter psychology’…