Soccer tournament in GTA brings together players impacted by homelessness, mental health struggles

Rochelle Raveendran · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 15, 2025 8:57 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

A Canadian shot squad that brings unneurotic radical affected by homelessness, intelligence wellness struggles and substance maltreatment volition beryllium heading to the Homeless World Cup successful August — an acquisition immoderate players accidental they ne'er thought would beryllium wrong reach. 

The Canadian Street Soccer Association (CSSA), founded past year, is sending a squad of eight players to Oslo, Norway, wherever they volition compete alongside over 500 players from crossed the world. 

"We are not looking for the champion players successful soccer, we are not looking for the champion strategists successful soccer," said Hossam Khedr, the organization's CEO. 

"What we bash is we usage shot arsenic a elemental instrumentality to bring radical together." 

The Homeless World Cup is an yearly tourney that began successful 2003, according to its website. It presently has members from 68 countries. 

On Saturday, the CSSA held a nationalist tourney successful Mississauga, hosting players from its programs successful Toronto, Brampton, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver. 

"For immoderate of these players conscionable traveling from Montreal to travel to Mississauga, to beryllium a portion of this nationalist tournament, is going to beryllium similar their World Cup," said Ed Kiwanuka-Quinlan, CSSA's manager of operations, speaking to CBC Radio's Metro Morning connected Friday.

The CSSA, which is simply a non-profit tally by volunteers, recruits players done outreach connected the streets and by partnering with the Canadian Mental Health Association, which refers them prospective players, helium said. 

Kiwanuka-Quinlan called the tourney a solemnisation of betterment and inclusivity. 

"We promote [players] not to deliberation astir each the different trauma, each the different problems that are happening successful their lives, and conscionable to travel and footwear a ball, person amusive and get a sweat on," helium said. 

Finding 'another family' done soccer

Among the players astatine Saturday's tourney was Emma "Zero" Bellante, who volition beryllium heading to Oslo successful August. She said she has struggled with intelligence wellness issues, addiction and being unhoused. 

"This programme has truly helped maine a batch successful presumption of getting retired of the location and not isolating myself," she said. 

Bellante played shot passim her puerility but said the athletics gradually became little amusive and felt similar a chore.  

Playing done CSSA is "like a wholly antithetic game," she said. 

"There's tons of clapping, encouragement, radical cheering each different on," she said. 

Bellante said she never thought she'd person the accidental to play successful an planetary shot tournament. 

"It's an accidental I would ne'er person passed up, contempt the information that I americium precise nervous, but it's mixed with excitement," she said. 

Players chosen to spell to the Homeless World Cup were selected successful portion if they are going done a "transitional moment," Khedr said, specified arsenic if they are recovering from addiction oregon intelligence wellness struggles. 

The travel to the World Cup volition "take them to a antithetic place, and this is erstwhile we hole them for the adjacent measurement to reenter our nine erstwhile they travel back," helium said. 

May Nakintu besides joined Saturday's tournament. After she moved from Uganda successful January 2024, she saw a poster astir the CSSA astatine the structure wherever she was staying successful Toronto. 

She said she instantly felt welcomed by the group. 

"I conscionable felt astatine home. I felt similar I had different family," she told Metro Morning. 

Nakintu precocious became certified by Canada Soccer arsenic a referee, nether encouragement and guidance from Kiwanuka-Quinlan. 

Another player, Cesar Lobos, moved to Canada from Guatemala 41 years ago. After struggles with homelessness and substance abuse, helium was initially drawn to the CSSA to get successful shape. 

Participating successful shot games "provided maine immoderate energy, immoderate encouragement to get retired of the street," helium said. 

"Now I'm nary longer homeless, I person my ain apartment, and beingness is beautiful." 

Lobos, who is heading to Oslo successful August, called the travel a "Cinderella dream." It volition beryllium the archetypal clip he's traveled since helium moved to Canada, helium said. 

"It takes courageousness to get retired of that ellipse of life. But past erstwhile you are connected the close track, the close road… this is similar a imagination travel true," helium said.