Small nation, big heart: Grenada’s enthusiasm pays off
|Grenada take on Ireland on the Monday in Amsterdam. Image: Romain Kedochim
“The foundation is more than just football — it is about life.”
The only Caribbean nation at the 2015 Homeless World Cup, and the second ever to attend (the other is Haiti), Grenada has impressed with both on-pitch prowess and off-pitch warmth and enthusiasm. Homeless World Cup media team member Jasper Truyens caught up with two Grenadan players, Asa and Ron, after the team’s first match, which they won 6–2.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR MATCH AGAINST SWITZERLAND?
Asa: It was awesome, real awesome. We won 6–2 with a hat trick from our striker Mario Richards, who had a very good game. For me, it was a good game, although I had to adjust [how I play on] the artifical surface as it was a little bit slippery.
Ron: We were hungry to go out there and show the rest of the world what we could do.
Asa, you were very active in supporting and coaching the other players.
Asa: Yes, every game starts at the back. As I’m speaking out as the keeper, they listen and understand the things they have to do. This helps us play well as a team. We play a game we call ‘forcing them.’ We force the opponent to make a mistake and then we capitalise on their mistakes. We allow them to make a mistake and then take the fast break.
HOW WAS YOUR FIRST DAY HERE IN AMSTERDAM AND THE HOMELESS WORLD CUP 2015?
Asa: The first day, it was really cold. This climate is not my kind of temperature. Luckily, we were provided with good equipment. But this place and this city is real beautiful, although this is nothing like home. It is a lot bigger, it’s faster, but I love it. We are very comfortable in the house we stay. We love it.
WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE TOURNAMENT?
Asa: We’re expecting wonderful things, but most of all confidence. Confidence in ourselves and in others. We all play in different clubs at home. If we have confidence in ourselves, then we have the opportunity to motivate the other players in our own team back home.
Just coming out here and playing against all the other national teams, it is a wonderful experience, as you learn a lot of things. Only some players have made it to Amsterdam, but we can motivate them when we are back home. We have a lot of supporters back home in Grenada. They can follow it online. Or, if they don’t see it, we send them a video on WhatsApp.
Ron: Our motto is ‘small nation, big heart’ because we are a really small country, approximately 100,000 people. That motto is about what has driven us to get here. We play with our hearts. Knowing that we are the smallest country to ever perform in the Homeless World Cup is great. We just had our first game. We went out there with heart and really believing in ourselves.
Asa confirms: We are not just friends. We see each other as family. We have fun and keep enthusiasm in the game. We like to have fun in everything that we do. We had a lot of ups and downs during training back home. It took us a while to understand the game. Just before we left Grenada we had some training sessions and we had a small training camp in London, playing against a local team.
HOW DO YOU SEE THE FUTURE AFTER THIS TOURNAMENT?
Ron: The Jason Roberts Foundation has been so supportive because they really want to see young people shine and aspire to excellence. For me, the Jason Roberts Foundation and the Homeless World Cup are the same—taking someone from one place and elevating them and giving them the motivation to change.
Asa agrees, saying Grenada is here thanks to the Jason Roberts Foundation: “When we are back home, the foundation will support us with our future career. Now we develop our football skills, as a life-changing experience and the opportunity to pick up life afterwards. The foundation is more than just football — it is about life.”
Find out more about the Jason Roberts Foundation and their work in Grenada.
Words: Jasper Truyens
Images: Romain Kedochim