THE REAL CHALLENGE IS COLLECTING ENOUGH EMPTIES TO GET TO AUSTRALIA

While professional athletes continue to tarnish the thrill of competitive sports there’s still a chance to witness competition in its purest form at the Football World Cup for the Homeless taking place in Melborne, Australia next December. The tournament pits the homeless of 56 different nations to see who will reign supreme as the World Football champions. Last year the Kyrgyzstans took the glory but this year they’ll face a stiff-challenge from strong teams out of Brazil, France, Japan and the U.S. (won’t they be surprised to find that football is played with a soccer ball!). Organizer Berhard Wolf says that the tournament has been designed both to highlight the problem of homelessness and also to help the homeless overcome their problems,and he claims that the tournament has proven a huge success with 77% of players experiencing a “significant life change” after participating in the event. ”It is... pure therapy for those taking part,” says Wolf, “because football has a magic effect.” This year will also mark the first time that women compete in the Women’s Homeless World Cup which will see 80 women from eight nations compete for the glory. By the way, organizers are currently searching for a host for the the 2011 tournament so if you’re the boss of a small nation you can apply at HomelessWorldCup.org.