Wales homeless football team faces race against time to survive: ‘We’re at breaking point’

Street Football Wales – the organisation behind Wales’ homeless football team – has warned it may be forced to close at the end of April if it cannot secure £15,000.

The group has launched a fundraiser after critical cashflow issues sparked a race against time to avoid closure.

Street Football Wales operates weekly football leagues and sessions for more than 400 people across Wales experiencing homelessness, substance misuse and mental health challenges. 

It also sends teams to compete in the Homeless World Cup, which is set to take place in Mexico City later this year.

Beth Thomas, interim director of Street Football Wales, said the organisation faces going under by the end of the month without an immediate injection of cash.

“We are at a breaking point,” said Thomas. “Street Football Wales isn’t just about a kickabout; it’s a lifeline. We aren’t just bibs and goals; we’re rebuilding lives. If we don’t reach our £15,000 target by the end of April, we risk losing the very community that keeps our players safe, healthy, and seen.

“We are calling on the Welsh public and our supporters to help us keep the lights on so we can continue putting players from the fringes of society at the heart of the world stage.”

Street Football Wales hosted the Homeless World Cup in Cardiff back in 2019 thanks to the help of celebrity supporter Michael Sheen. The actor put in £1 million of his own money to ensure the tournament went ahead.

But it’s the day-to-day activities that will be missed. Thomas said the preventative service reduces the strain on the public purse and frontline services by boosting the physical and mental wellbeing of its players.

Participants are significantly more likely to engage with housing support and find stable employment, Street Football Wales has found.

Read more:

• The Beautiful Game: Everything you need to know about Netflix’s new Homeless World Cup film
• ‘A life changing moment’: Inside England’s Homeless World Cup training session ahead of the tournament of a lifetime
• Homeless World Cup: 20 years of transforming lives through football

Former Wales Homeless World Cup player and coach Wayne Ellaway is living proof.

Ellaway was living in a homeless hostel in Cardiff and was a bit “lost in life” before he found Street Football Wales. He played in the 2015 Homeless World Cup tournament in Amsterdam – an experience he described as the “pinnacle of his life” before going on to coach the team in Mexico in 2018.

Now he works for Big Issue as a vendor development worker in Cardiff and a mobile sales and outreach worker in Newport.

“It would be sad for Wales if we didn’t have street football,” said Ellaway.

“It’s given me everything. This job, my life, my home. All thanks to this opportunity.”

He added: “I’d like to say to people to come down to training, take a look, make it personal, come and see the people we’re helping. If you’re fit enough, put your boots on, come and have a game with us, see what street football is all about.”

To donate to Street Football Wales’ fundraiser, head to their crowdfunder here.

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