Belgian Homeless Cup Finals 2018
On 27 and 28 June Club Brugge hosted two days of the Belgian Homeless Cup finals. In the city centre of Brugges, teams from all over Belgium competed against each other and celebrated the power of football.
For two days, the city square behind central station became a football stadium for more than 500 people who were or are homeless. With this event, the Belgian champion wanted to make the citizens of Brugge and visitors aware of the problems of homelessness. The teams came from all over the country. The starting field included K.V. Ostend, Sporting de Charleroi, Excelsior Mouscron and of course EFDN members KAA Gent and Club Brugge. Four teams consisted exclusively of female players.
In the build-up to the Homeless World Cup, the event had an international touch with the participation of an English and a Dutch team. The English EFDN member Saints Foundation played a friendly game against the Belgian Homeless Devils & Flames. The Devil & Flames are currently preparing themselves for another international homeless tournament in Portugal in July.
The team of the Saints Foundation before the flight to Brugge.
Football team as a home
The players find more than just teammates in their team. They also find a home there. For the host Club Brugge, the tournament was a perfect closing of the season and it was a great opportunity for their Homeless team to play on a major event. Every week around 15 players train next to the clubs’ stadium and share their ups and downs with their teammates. The weekly exercises and additional tournaments give the players structure in their life and offers them the opportunity to get in contact with social services.
Homeless team
