Several companies fielded teams at McMahon Stadium on Wednesday to raise money for a unique World Cup tournament.
The Calgary Street Soccer Corporate Tournament is raising money for the Calgary Street Soccer initiative which aims to enrich and empower marginalized shelter users through the positive power of sport.
Twelve Calgary companies took to the field on Wednesday to compete in the inaugural event.
The event took six months to organize and real estate companies, law firms and energy companies kicked in $500 per team to take part.
All the money raised will go to sponsor players for the Homeless World Cup of Soccer’s international tournament.
“The goal for Calgary Street Soccer, we have a tournament in Comox in June and the Homeless World Cup is in August, so we're going to try and fund as much of that as possible, send a couple of homeless people to B.C. and then to Poland,” said Peter Zorbas, organizer.
“We're getting schooled at the moment, so hopefully the next game. This is just a warm up game so hopefully we get better as the tournament goes on,” said Fraser Dyer.
Perry Senko has been involved with Calgary's Homeless World Cup team for five years and has seen players in action at the Australian tournament in 2010.
He says being part of a team sport can change the life of a homeless person.
“When we went to Toronto for nationals a couple years ago, one of the homeless people that we helped, ya know, we got him a job, he had his own stone cutting business. We went there and he picked us up in his wife's SUV Mercedes that he bought for her the next year,” said Senko.
For more information, visit the Calgary Street Soccer or Face it Calgary websites.
(With files from Kevin Fleming)
