“Football is a game of luck”
|Ryan Mitwally represented Austria at the Wrocław Cup in Poland in July 2022. Image: HWC/Rebecca Corbett
“To be a good goalkeeper, you need persistence”
Ryan Mitwally represented Austria as goalkeeper for the first time at the Wrocław Cup in Poland in July 2022.
“Football is a game of luck, it’s a game of situations when the ball bounces in a way you can’t expect.”
At 20-years-old Ryan Mitwally is experienced in goal and wise beyond his years. A lot of what he’s learnt from life has come from football and playing as a goalkeeper, a position Ryan explains can be less forgiving than others.
“If a striker misses a goal usually people don’t look at in in the same was as when a goalkeeper makes a mistake. Because if it’s a goal it’s usually a lot more important than if a striker misses.
“To be a good goalkeeper you need persistence, because if you give up after one goal, or even if you don’t jump after you’ve stopped it, another striker can come and kick a goal.
“You have to be tough mentally because there will always be players who complain, and you can’t let that get to you because you will always have a worse performance.”
He was inspired by his sister Isabell to join the Homeless World Cup Austria team. Ryan had been looking for ways to be more social as Covid-19 restrictions began to ease.
“I don’t need that much social contact, but without any, I don’t think that works for me”
“Without an environment that is pre-made in a way, I was mainly staying at home, I don’t think that’s the best psychologically. It’s helped me get back in a group, back with people, because since I moved [to near Graz], I don’t really know a lot of people.
“I’m naturally a bit more introverted. Normally it doesn’t bother me that much, I don’t need that much social contact, but without any at all, I don’t think that works for me. Earlier I had school and then that went away, but then in the last two years, especially due to the pandemic I didn’t really go out. I didn’t really see anyone apart from my father.
“I think it takes away a lot of motivation if you don’t know what to do and you don’t have many plans.”
He’s found some drive since joining the team and is feeling physically fitter too.
“Many people might not think it’s as physically challenging [being a goalkeeper] as playing in the field – that’s not true, because while you don’t need to run as much, you need a lot more explosive power for the jumping and changing directions all the time.
“You need to always pay attention because if you make your way from one side, the ball might be flying at you and then the ball is in the goal.”
Being part of the Austrian Homeless team is a new experience for Ryan and is a change to when he used to play club football.
“It’s not as rigorous as training in a club, but I don’t think that matters, people are playing for fun, it’s for a good cause. It doesn’t have to be that serious. It’s a lot of fun and you get to see a lot of places you’ve never been before.”
Find out more about Homeless World Cup Austria and how they use football to help people to reintegrate into society and improve their quality of life.
Words: Rebecca Corbett