The ones who keep coming back
|The ones who keep coming back: (L-R Tucker, David, Clifford, Andy, Pupo, Sergio, Maciej, George and Paraic). Image: Anita Milas
By Danielle Batist
An informal reunion on the pitch after the final whistle on the fifth day of the tournament. Nine team managers and coaches gathered for an impromptu reunion, trying to work out how many events they attended between them. Unlike players, managers and team coaches can attend the Homeless World Cup more than once, and many keep coming back.
A quick count revealed that they have attended 121 tournaments between them.
Clifford (South Africa) has been to 10.
Tucker (Ireland) attended 12.
Paraic (Cambodia) attended 12.
George (Australia) attended 12
Andy (Scotland) has 13 to his name.
Maciej (Poland) has been to 15.
Sergio (Argentina) attended 15.
David (Scotland) attended 16.
Pupo (Brazil) tops the scoreboard with 18 tournaments to his name.
|Image: Anita Milas
We ask Paraic of team Cambodia the obvious question:
Why do you keep coming back?
“The impact on the players is so significant that it outweighs all the stress and hard work that that it takes behind the scenes to be here. For our players, it is a fantastic opportunity to meet and test themselves against other teams and take that experience back with them.”
What has changed for the better over the years?
“Countries have embraced the opportunity to bring more former players back as coaches and stay involved.”
What is it like to meet your colleagues from other countries every year?
“It is fantastic to see the others here again each year and share stories. It takes blood, sweat and tears and I have a huge amount of respect for what they do year-round. When you do so many of these events, some of the people involved start to feel like family.”
Donate to the Homeless World Cup to keep the ball rolling
Words: Danielle Batist
Image: Anita Milas