100 former Welsh Homeless World Cup players receive official caps for Wales
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On Wednesday (July 24) 100 former Welsh Homeless World Cup players received official caps for Wales at a ceremony that took place at Dragon Park in Newport, the home of Wales’ National Football Development Centre.
This was the first time in the international tournament’s 17-year history that Welsh Homeless World Cup players have been officially recognised for representing their country.
The ceremony, which took place just three days before the start of this year’s Homeless World Cup in Cardiff, was attended by Welsh actor and activist Michael Sheen, who led the bid to bring the event to Wales.
Keri Harris, director of Street Football Wales, has been lobbying for years for Homeless World Cup players to receive the same treatment as other Welsh international teams.
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The Welsh squads for the Homeless World Cup are selected through Street Football Wales, who have been behind programmes to aid social inclusion through sport since the inaugural tournament back in 2003.
Keri Harris has managed the team since its inception, running four leagues with 40+ teams around Wales for people experiencing homelessness and social exclusion.
Talking about the importance of the capping ceremony, Keri said: “Today was all about pride and respect. To watch these players receive official international caps for playing for their country was truly the realisation of a dream. It’s been a long time coming but these special men and women deserve their moment. I was beaming from ear to ear throughout.”
Echoing Keri’s sentiments Michael Sheen commented: “What a day! Keri has campaigned long and hard to make today happen and when we knew that the Homeless World Cup was coming to Wales in 2019 it was one of my top goals to ensure that everyone who had earned their spot in a Homeless World Cup squad would receive the official recognition that they richly deserve.
“These men and women may have experienced homelessness and social exclusion at some point in their lives, and many are still dealing with these issues, however, nothing can ever take away from the fact that, unlike most of us, they have represented their country on the international stage, and that is something that they should be very proud of.”
Jonathan Ford, Chief Executive of Football Association Wales, said: “The FAW would like to congratulate all the players on receiving their caps. It’s a fantastic honour to represent their country at this great tournament. Football is more than a game and this we are sure will be highlighted during this tournament hosted in Cardiff”
Speaking about what it meant to him, Lee Jones, who captained the Welsh squad at the tournament in 2003 and 2004, said: “I never expected to receive a cap myself, but I always dreamt that players after me would be given one. Seeing all of the players who have proudly represented Wales be recognised today was very emotional, and it’s amazing to see how the tournament has impacted their lives over the past 16 years.”