BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH PLAYER BOOSTS ENGLANDS HOPES FOR CUP
Posted by England - 17/11/2008
Just weeks before kick-off a Huyton man has stepped in to save the chances of England’s Homeless World Cup squad after losing one of their players.
Alan Inman, age 45, a “Fixer” for The Big Issue in the North based in Liverpool, will now fly to Melbourne with the rest of the England team after player Levinio Johnson was forced to pull out due to personal circumstances only weeks before the start of the tournament.
Just weeks before kick-off a Huyton man has stepped in to save the chances of England’s Homeless World Cup squad after losing one of their players.
Alan Inman, age 45, a “Fixer” for The Big Issue in the North based in Liverpool, will now fly to Melbourne with the rest of the England team after player Levinio Johnson was forced to pull out due to personal circumstances only weeks before the start of the tournament.
Alan tried out for the squad earlier this year and greatly impressed Manchester United Foundation coach Louis Garvey, who helps train the Homeless World Cup squad each year.
Alan said: “It’s a dream come true to be picked at the last minute to go to Australia to represent England. Being involved in the Homeless World Cup and The Big Issue in the North has brought about big changes to my life and I hope we’ll come back from the tournament having had success.”
As a “Fixer” for The Big Issue in the North, Alan supports and advises magazine vendors who may have issues with drugs or alcohol. It’s a paid placement sponsored by the Social Partnership and is part of Alan's training to become a Support Worker.
England Team Manager for The Big Issue in the North Richard Brown said: “We’re really pleased Alan has joined the team, he is a valued and respected member of staff here at The Big Issue in the North and I know he will be a real asset to the squad.”
Homeless World Cup is from Monday 1st December – Sunday 7th December. You can catch up with all the action from the pitch by visiting www.homelessworldcup.org.
Case Study – Alan Inman
Alan was raised in Huyton along with his older brother and two younger sisters. “I had a normal childhood and in my early teens played for Huyton Boys and Liverpool Youth football teams and boxed for England. At 18 I lost my way and made some really bad choices. I started dabbling in drugs and that was the beginning of the end. Pretty soon I was in and out of institutions. I came to the conclusion that enough was enough and went on a home detox course.”
On completing the detox, Alan went in a drug rehab, then in a dry house then in a couple of supported housing schemes. He then joined the Social Academy, a project which combines coaching skills with other basic skills such as literary and numeracy.
Alongside that, Alan started to do training to become a Support Worker through the Social Partnership. As part of this he joined The Big Issue in the North as a “Fixer” - someone who offers support to vendors of the magazine who may have drug or alcohol problems. Because of Alan's own experiences, he recognises that he can really understand the problems that drug and alcohol use can cause and the barriers that stop people moving on.
“I feel like I am making giant steps in my life now. My home life is stable and hopefully armed with my new qualifications, which have increased my confidence ten fold, I will go on to bigger and better things.”
For more information about the England team, case studies of 2008 England Homeless World Cup team players, please contact Christian Lisseman on 07920 824 758 or email christian.lisseman@thebiglifecompany.com.
Comments
anita 23/07/2010
every university essay needs some re-approvement accoridng to the topic, and also some re-checking as well
