Street Soccer NI hosts Netflix movie premiere ahead of Homeless World Cup

Street Soccer NI was thrilled to have hosted the premiere screening of the Nefflix movie 'The Beautiful Game' at the Queen's Film Theatre (QFT).

This event on Wednesday 27 March was supported by Radius Housing as part of the Shared Housing Programme and Hosford Homeless Services and attended by over 100 participants including homeless service users from across Northern Ireland.

The screening provided everyone in attendance with a flavour of the actual Homeless World Cup that takes place in a different host country each year and celebrates the importance of raising awareness for the homeless community globally. The movie, starring Bill Nighy and Michael Ward, is inspired by the true-life stories of players from across the world taking part in The Homeless World Cup.

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Street Soccer NI has taken part in the Homeless World Cup in previous years, travelling to California last year with eight of its homeless players to compete and represent NI in the worldwide event. The experience is transformational, focusing on empowerment and inspiring those who take part to change their lives for the better. The team goes through a rigorous selection process as they are coached and mentored intensively in the months leading up to the event.

Street Soccer NI takes a person-centred approach to the service it delivers, placing the participant in control of the progress they make with the support of a wraparound support service. This offers additional support to reduce barriers to engagement for the players and addresses issues such as housing, employment, education, food poverty and provision of clothing.

Many men and women who have taken part in representing Northern Ireland have previously managed to turn their lives around as a result of the weekly Street Soccer Programmes and the Homeless World Cup. This tournament promotes messages of hope, self-determination and second chances. Street Soccer NI is extremely proud to be bringing its 2024 team to Seoul in South Korea in September this year taking on some top teams in the world, hoping to come home with a trophy or two.

''It's not every day you get to show a movie in the cinema about the Homeless World Cup to our clients and supporters," said Justin McMinn, Founder and CEO of Street Soccer NI. "What a fantastic opportunity to showcase this amazing project which has impacted so many people over the last 10 years.''

Louise McGonnell, one of the players for the Homeless World Cup, said she feels honoured to be selected for this year’s World Cup Tournament and “can’t wait to be part of the atmosphere that I know the Homeless World Cup will bring".

In attendance at the premiere Sharon Traynor, Communities Officer at Radius Housing who have supported good relations Street Soccer Programmes through the Together Building United Communities (T:buc) & ‘Housing for All’ Shared Housing Programme, said she is “thrilled to support Street Soccer in hosting the premier of ‘The Beautiful Game’ based on the Homeless World Cup - a fantastic opportunity to showcase the essential and important work that goes on behind the scenes in supporting those that have or are experiencing homelessness”.

Aidan Byrne, manager of Hosford Homeless Services, added: "The Homeless World Cup has been a life-changing experience for so many people experiencing homelessness in Northern Ireland and across the world. This screening of The Beautiful Game is a great opportunity to celebrate the tournament and its impact on our players and our supporters.”

Street Soccer NI are really interested in getting fresh supporters and businesses involved to help us tackle homelessness in Northern Ireland. If you are interested you can contact either Gráinne Connor [grainne@streetsoccerni.org] or Justin McMinn [justin@streetsoccerni.org].

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