Streetball Film » Personal Stories

Welcome Home

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:08:30 +0000

Patricia de Lille and Lance Greyling with team

The players returned home to South Africa this week. While there were some bumps along the way, they are now all home, safe and sound. Soon after they landed, they were invited to Parliament and were recognized by Patricia de Lille, the leader of the Independent Democrats political party. Also, they were welcomed by Kgalema Motlanthe who served as President of South Africa between September 25, 2008 and May 9, 2009, completing the second term of Thabo Mbeki. He currently serves as Deputy President of South Africa and of the African National Congress.

These leaders spoke of how proud they were of the team for representing South Africa in Milan and for bringing home the Milan Cup, which Martin Afrika presented to Deputy President Motlanthe while at Parliament.

Kgalema Motlanthe with the team

Interviews for local news media

Taryn Aveley, FUWL regional coordinator with 2009 team captain, "Mabuthi"

Blog and photos by Christina Ghubril

SA Won!!!

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:30:56 +0000

Winners of the Milan Cup!

South Africa is officially the winner of the 2009 Milan Cup! This is the third division trophy and is a great victory for SA. They played a fantastic final game against Malawi. The crowds were chanting for South Africa, waving their flag–some of their friends from other teams even wore SA’s warm up suits in support of South Africa. They played a focused and solid game and won 9-1. It was a day to celebrate in Milan, completed by the first place Homeless World Cup victory, won by the Ukraine team.

As the players head back to South Africa, the weight of unknown futures is heavy in the air. Some go home to organizations or family members yet others head back unsure of what will come next. The return from this amazing event is often challenging. In a world and economy that is difficult for all, these men are no exception. With trophy in hand and a deeper sense of self, they return to their home country to seek new opportunities for their futures.

I am daily overwhelmed and inspired by their resilient and hopeful spirits. As we head back to the States, their presence will surely be missed.

Blog and photos by Christina Ghubril

Winning Streak

admin — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 08:47:24 +0000

South Africa has come back with a force! Winning today against the USA and Romania, South Africa is going on to compete for the third division cup, playing against Malawi! Tomorrow’s a big day….

Blog and photos by Christina Ghubril

Day 4: Milan

admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:07:42 +0000

Rushaad

Today was a challenging day on the field. Both the games against Kazakhstan and Hungary were lost. Kazakhstan doesn’t qualify to compete in the tournament so that game counts automatically as a win. However, the game against Hungary was a tough one. The teams were neck and neck up until the end. Both played a very strong game and the final score was 9-8 in favor of Hungary.

The team was a bit bummed and bruised (Martin got knocked pretty hard in the face…) but even despite their losses, they quickly worked to support and encourage each other. We went out for gelato and their smiles and laughs had returned. Similar to last year, I believe this moment of loss was the moment where the significance of the Homeless World Cup was realized. Experiencing new things, realizing their value in the world and gaining inspiration and hope for their futures have become more significant than taking home the cup to South Africa.

The team also visited the South African Consulate in Milan and met Dr. Nomvuyo Nokwi, the Console Generale. She shared her story of migration from South Africa and encouraged the players to pursue opportunities for their futures.

Dr. Nokwe and Team

We then spoke to Thapelo, last year’s team captain who helped coach this year’s team. He remembers experiencing these feelings of loss and encourages the team to keep their heads up and fully enjoy the rest of their time in Milan.

And….they’re still in high ranking for the second division tournament. Tomorrow they play Ghana and continue on to the second round semi-finals. Wish ‘em luck!

Gavin, SA's manager, enjoying gelato

Blog and photos by Christina Ghubril

Day 3: Life Worth Living

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:25:23 +0000

The South African team showed up this morning ready to play hard. After losing their first match yesterday, they need to win 3 matches in order to remain in the running for the cup. They were neck and neck with Wales during their first game but ultimately won 6-4. They went on to win their next game with Japan by a whopping 17 to 1. They’re ready tomorrow to play Kazakhstan and Hungary, hopefully to move on to the semi-finals.

Afterwards, Martin shared that their success on the pitch is important in revealing the team’s worth to their homeland. While they are forgotten on the streets, if South Africa would recognize all they have to offer, their country would be a better place. Drugs, he explained, are enticing on the streets because they offer a boost of confidence and a rush of adrenaline but playing and winning a game offers a buzz that’s even greater than drugs. If people on the streets were given opportunities like this more often, he thinks no one would turn to drugs and then confidently stated that he will never turn to drugs again. For one of the first times, Martin said he believed his life was worth something.

These are the stories we are honored to witness and look forward to sharing fully with the release of Streetball in 2010. Martin is a daily example of the power of hope. It has been amazing watching his and his teammates’ stories unfold.

Martin

Cheslin and Colin

Ephraim

Colin

Blog and photos by Christina Ghubril