作者：辛西娅·休伯特

2023年7月18日

Athletes from around the world played their hearts out and gained friends and support during the 18th Homeless World Cup, which wrapped up Saturday, July 15, at 萨克拉门托 State’s Hornet Stadium.

从澳大利亚到乌克兰，大约500名曾经无家可归的运动员在校园呆了一个多星期，代表他们的国家，对无家可归和住房不安全的全球问题提出了看法。

他们住在萨克州立大学的学生宿舍； 学习英语、拉丁舞和艺术； and played fast-paced “street soccer” matches while bonding with volunteers, teammates, and rivals from other nations.

这次比赛不仅让博彩平台成为了一个足球中心，还让人们看到了运动员的韧性，并为萨克拉门托乃至全球的一个关键问题寻找解决方案。

• 在我们的图库中查看更多2023年无家可归者世界杯照片

“Too often, we give up on people who are having a hard time,” said 萨克拉门托 Mayor Darrell Steinberg, speaking at the event’s opening ceremonies on July 8. “But when you are part of a team, you are not alone. Homelessness does not have to be hopelessness.”

无家可归者世界杯为参赛运动员提供了一个机会，让他们成为一个朝着共同目标努力的团体的一部分，形成终身纽带，并联系到可以帮助他们摆脱毒瘾和住房不稳定的资源。

This year’s tournament, which resumed after three years of pandemic disruptions, was the first in the United States and the first on a college campus. 过去的主办城市包括墨尔本、巴黎和奥斯陆。

Lisa Wrightsman and Tiffany Fraser, 前博彩平台足球运动员和萨克拉门托街头足球队的领导人, played a key role in bringing the event to campus.

“Street soccer totally changed my life,” said Wrightsman, who struggled with alcohol and drug addiction as well as homelessness before attending her first Homeless World Cup in 2010.

At this year’s tournament, volunteers, spectators, and livestream viewers saw athletes display skills, joy, determination, and resilience. The week also included a 这次研讨会探讨了无家可归的复杂性，包括原因和可能的解决方案.

700多人自愿参加了这次活动，其中包括许多萨克州立大学的员工。

“This is about changing the conversation around homelessness,” said outgoing 萨克拉门托 State President Robert S. Nelsen, who officially retired following the conclusion of the Homeless World Cup.

The event’s sponsors honored Nelsen and Team 美国 with a special citation at the tournament’s end.

故事在图片下面继续。

To kick off the tournament, athletes paraded across campus from the 住房 Quad to Hornet Stadium, sporting their country’s colors on their jerseys, carrying national flags, and erupting spontaneously into chants and songs. 澳大利亚人带着充气袋鼠。 挪威人戴着维京人的头盔，墨西哥人戴着自由的面具。

比赛一开始，观众们就能在篮球场大小的场地上观看一场激动人心的足球比赛，每队四名球员在15分钟的比赛中进行比赛。

“I find it really cool that I get to connect with people of different walks of life from around the world,” said Team 美国 goalie Sienna Jackson of 萨克拉门托. “I hope it helps people see that homeless people are not just folks who are drunk or on drugs,” Jackson said.

她指出，有些人是在寄养系统中长大的年轻人，他们无处可去。 其他人有未经治疗的精神疾病和成瘾。 一些人在失去工作或住房之前生活在边缘，迫使他们流落街头。

杰克逊十几岁时因为家庭冲突离开家，有一段时间无家可归。 现在，部分由于她发现了街头足球并获得了社会服务，她有了一份工作，一套公寓，并有了成为牙医助理的目标。

In the opening match of the 2023 Homeless World Cup, she scored Team 美国’s first goal and the first goal of the tournament.

Nearly 400 more matches followed, with men’s and women’s teams from Chile and Mexico emerging as finalists for the Cup on Saturday, July 15. On the women’s side, Mexico won the Cup. Chile captured the men’s trophy. 所有的参赛队都在庆祝。

在一个酷热的日子里，在黄蜂球场，每个人似乎都是赢家。