The team behind the team
|Image: Anita Milas
Among the least visible but most trusted contributors to the Homeless World Cup tournament are eight Scandinavian physiotherapy students and their university lecturers.
Operating as the team behind the teams, the physios are on hand to deal with everything from heatstroke to acute injuries and some more chronic conditions exacerbated by the length and intensity of tournament play.
Most of the care takes place quietly and privately in a tent adjacent to the pitches and in many ways only visible through the occasional glimpse of strapping tape that is fundamental to players’ ability to navigate the tournament.
The team comprises four students from Norway and four from Denmark, overseen by university tuentors and experienced Homeless World Cup hands Nicolas Kjerulf and Kjell-Egil Bogfjellmo Haug. The work experience program came about through the universities seeking alternative placement opportunities for their students in non-government organisations. With its social enterprise status and its unique, globally applicable model for using sport to enact social change, the Homeless World Cup fits that alternative placement bill.
Some of the most spoken about moments of the day included the wondergoal scored by Northern Ireland against Denmark in one of the early fixtures of the day in the women’s tournament, an act of kindness which saw an India player assist an injured Poland player off the pitch and the truly carnival atmosphere that the Finland match against Lithuania in the men’s tournament was played in thanks to the fantastic support from the stands, conducted by the voices of the Finland women’s team. Bangladesh also made their debut at the tournament, playing a friendly against Argentina.
|Image: Anita Milas
Around the pitches in the women’s tournament today, the Mexicans beat Egypt 5-1, Kenya snuck past Romania 1-0 and France scored five to Ireland’s two.
In the men’s tournament, USA beat Czech Republic 5-3, Kyrgyzstan snuck by Poland 4-3 and Argentina edged past Northern Ireland on penalties after a 4-4 thriller.
The intensity and frequency of the matches can prove testing for the players taking part at the Homeless World Cup.
Norwegian student Hårvard Fluge Petterson explained what it’s like to work as a physio at the event.
He said: “It’s an intense, intimate experience, and one that requires players to feel safe in the students’ hands. To provide such an environment, the students start with trying to be as approachable as possible.
|Image: Anita Milas
“We try to make it easy for them to come here and ask for help, because it can be difficult for them to come here [to ask for that].
“Some of the players have been to physios at home. Some don’t even know what to ask about. It’s quite joyful to give them knowledge on what happened, why it happened, help them in every way we can.”
Words: Craig Williams
Photos: Anita Milas