Spelling Hope using Soccer

Spelling Hope using Soccer

Everyone knows that Sports can be used as a vessel to take you places. Today a lot of people do this. All over the world you see players getting recruited to the best High Schools, Colleges and Universities because of their talent in their respective fields. Aside from the fact that many want to excel and want to gain fame and fortune, there are some who play sports and use sports not for personal gain, but to give and achieve one thing, one powerful word, Hope. All the time we hear stories of hope from people who have gone through so much, but actually hearing it from the people themselves is one of a kind.

For those who don’t know the Homeless World Cup is a yearly tournament which happens anywhere in the world in countries that have a Homeless Team. When they say homeless, it isn’t just referring to not having a home, but also not having the right surroundings, upbringing, family, and also living in very harsh and cruel environments. The countries bid to host it the tournament and the program is year round. In the Philippines Rudy Del Rosario is the head coach as well as the director. Every year he goes around the country listening to people’s stories and recruiting them and training them at the same time finding them a place to live and finding them jobs. Unfortunately they can only bring 8 players to the tournament because it is street soccer format. On the bright side, every year it is a new batch of players, so the message of hope is also carried on anew.

Listening to Coach Rudy talk about his struggles and how he overcame them through soccer is amazing. Some of us just really want to get rich and get to certain places but the fact that he just wanted to find and have hope is amazing. It makes one feel so selfish and self-centred because of how much one can just think of his own personal gain. Personally now I feel embarrassed when I am ungrateful, all these guys want to do is to know that there is something better out there and here I am whining about things these guys would be so grateful to have. It really changes your perspective. At one point he talked about one of their games where he said to his players: “You defeat yourself when you let fear overcome you.” He repeats this on and off the field.

When it was Lexter’s turn to speak, he was so grateful to have been blessed with the experience. It’s like every word about the experience made him happier. The way he described the adrenaline he felt as the national anthem played during the tournament, and how he said that at that moment it never occurred to him how a person like him would be represent the country really showed how humble and humbled he was. When he spoke there was one phrase that stuck with me the most, he said: “Poverty should not be a hindrance to success.” He said that having gone to the Homeless World Cup really gave him this hope. This guy really has a good head on his shoulders.

So far I think this has been one of the best stories I’ve heard of people striving for something. This world cup really is changing lives. Coach Rudy and Lexter are both living proof of how sports can really change ones life.