Eight men from Vancouver's notoriously troubled Downtown Eastside will represent Canada this month at the Homeless World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Sixty-four countries will compete in the annual soccer tournament this year, an initiative that began in 2003 aimed at beating homelessness.
This is their first time leaving the country for all the Team Canada soccer players - for some it's their first time leaving B.C.
Coach Alan Bates told ctvbc.ca that it will be an experience the players and volunteers will treasure for the rest of their lives.
"The guys are really looking forward to representing Canada," he told ctvbc.ca. "Experiencing another culture and meeting players from around the world will be phenomenal."
In the last year, many team members have gone from living on the streets or in shelters to finding stable single-room occupancy housing such as that found in the Woodward's building. Volunteers say that soccer has a lot to with that.
"The discipline, routine and camaraderie of playing on a team has a very positive impact on the men," said Kurt Heinrich, spokesperson for the team.
"They learn about commitment, responsibility and leadership. Some are now holding down steady jobs and some want to coach junior soccer in the future. They're learning about giving back to the community."
Kailin See, who works for the Portland Hotel Society in Gastown and is also team organizer, told ctvbc.ca that being on the team has also helped the men kick their drug habits.
"All of them were users when they started and now I think all are pretty much clean. But being on the straight and narrow is by no means a requirement to be on the team. It's a learning curve for the players."
She said the men now walk taller, are more confident and make an effort to check up on each other.
According to Street Soccer Canada, the impact of competing in the Homeless World Cup is tremendously positive. Seventy-three percent of past players have significantly changed their lives for the better by finding housing, employment and overcoming drug and alcohol addictions.
Kevin Scullion of Calgary, who has been volunteering with homeless soccer for six years and has travelled to three Homeless World Cups with Team Canada, has witnessed many success stories.
"We took four guys to Cape Town in 2006 and all four are now off the streets with full-time jobs," he told ctvbc.ca. "Our goalie from Copenhagen in 2007 is now employed, living in an apartment and working towards getting his realtor's license."
This year's team, with help from the Portland Hotel Society, has raised $10,000 to send the eight men and four volunteers to Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach for the tournament. Once in Brazil the host nation covers lodging and food.
Decked out in their new Team Canada gear, the players are practising hard, and looking forward to the experience. But the players aren't the only ones benefiting from the program.
"Being involved with the team has allowed us to engage in the community and help out. The program is great for people who want to volunteer but aren't sure how," said Heinrich.
After the Homeless World Cup the next step for homeless soccer in Vancouver is to start up a women's team and a youth team to reach out to more people in the Downtown Eastside.
Coach Bates encourages others to get involved.
"It's given me a completely different perspective. I've come to see these guys as teammates and friends. It's a real soccer community."
Team Canada has competed since 2004 and is currently ranked 33rd in the Homeless World Cup standings. That's higher than our national men's team which is currently ranked 101st in FIFA standings.
Seven years ago, 18 countries competed in the first Homeless World Cup. This year 63 teams will try to beat the reigning Ukrainian champions, with Palestine, Haiti and South Korea all making their tournament debuts.
