More than a film: From Scotland Captain to England Manager - a journey of resilience
More than a Film: This series explores the real players and management teams at the heart of The Homeless World Cup, the tournament is the inspiration for the feature film, The Beautiful Game - being released on Netflix, Friday 29th March.
In 2015, Craig McManus lost his job, his car, and his home.
Having battled addiction for 20 years, the recent death of Craig’s father tipped the scales to rock bottom as he found himself living on the streets of Edinburgh at the beginning of the Scottish winter.
But at the bottom of the barrel people often find a miraculous desire for change, a catalyst against all odds: Craig did not want this to be the path his life took. Within several months of living on the streets, Craig had entered a drug treatment programme and began to face the ghosts that had been chasing him for decades.
As Craig graduated from the programme with his sobriety and a new found flicker of hope, he entered a hostel for recovering addicts where he was introduced to Street Soccer Scotland and the role models who would help to shape his future. Come 2016, Craig had a full circle moment: representing Scotland in the Glasgow Homeless World Cup; the city he was born in, the city he had been running from for 20 years.
Craig returned strong, resilient, and the best version of himself he could ever remember being.Throughout the tournament he had created a strong relationship with the England team managers, and during the final match against England made the decision to move to London and volunteer at the youth homelessness charity Centrepoint (Team England Homeless World Cup Member Country at the time).
The next few years saw Craig coaching team England and subsequently managing the men’s team at the Mexico 2018 and the Cardiff 2019 Homeless World Cup tournaments.
Craig said: “Today I have years of sobriety under my belt. I have been on a wonderful journey with Centrepoint, working with multiple premier league foundations across England on the Team England programme. In 2019, I was part of the new implementation team for Street Soccer London where I managed all programmes including Team England before I moved back to work for Street Soccer in Scotland for a brief spell in 2023.
And it’s only gone up from there for Craig. In August 2023, he started a new role as Deputy Head of Foundation with Middlesbrough FC Foundation where he manages all operations and programmes, delivered to over 120,000 people annually across Teesside in North England.
Discussing the impact the Homeless World Cup has had on his future, Craig said: “For many years I had lost connection with everything that was once precious to me, my family, my friends, having a home.
“I remember the last match in the 2016 Glasgow Homeless World Cup - we played England. My family and friends were watching in the stands and just before I entered the pitch, I had an overwhelming feeling that my life never had to be the way it had been over the last 20 years. The tournament made me feel connected, valued, even human. From that day my life has improved beyond recognition.
“The tournament is not about football, it is about hope, opportunity, family. Now when I reflect, this was the platform and foundation for my life today. I have friends from all over the world who I may only see once a year, but we share a unique kinship and experience. The Homeless World Cup is the most inspirational place on the planet when it's underway. I have been privileged to be part of it and my gratitude is eternal.”