Football for a good cause
September 19, 2011
Four Year 11 Nudgee College students combined their passion for football with their desire to make a difference recently when they played Street Soccer with some of Brisbane’s homeless.
In a first for Nudgee College, Tom Gilbert, Michael Lacey, Daniel Mastroianni and Tom Parker spent time playing a game of football at New Farm Park with homeless and marginalised members of the community.
“As a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice Tradition, community outreach is at the heart of what we do,” said Director of Campus Ministry Mr Matt Kearney.
“Christian Brother’s founder Blessed Edmund Rice showed great concern and commitment for the homeless and marginalised. Street Soccer is just one way we can follow his example. It also allows us to combine two of the College’s strengths – sport and working with the community,” he said.
The Street Soccer program is a community initiative of the Big Issue. The program uses sport as a mechanism to engage homeless and marginalised people and promote social inclusion which helps create healthier communities.
“Street Soccer provides an opportunity for those who are isolated to get out. For some it is the only fixed event they participate in each week,” said Mr Kearney.
Training sessions and games of Street Soccer are held every week. Unfortunately for Nudgee College games are held during school hours which means they can not participate each week but Mr Kearney is confident of developing an ongoing relationship with Street Soccer and is hopeful of having more students participate later in the year.
“The football games provide a chance for homeless and marginalised people to do something that is seen as normal,” he said.
“The social interaction of having fun together on the sports field as well as the fitness benefit is very important.”
The program is strongly supported by community groups, corporates and professional sports teams who regularly send teams or players. Members of the Nudgee College community who are interested in finding out more information should visit the Street Soccer website.
