Bridging the gap between homelessness and Scottish football

A Scottish Premier League star providing a Christmas lunch is just one of the ways Scottish football is giving back to the community. I spoke to three campaigners to see how the beautiful game is helping to turn round the lives of others in Scotland

As the cold and long winter months set in, thoughts turn to those less fortunate and Rangers footballer Steven Naismith has decided to help one of the most vulnerable groups in society by sponsoring a Christmas lunch for a Glasgow based homeless charity called “Loaves and Fishes”. Originally a soup kitchen feeding homeless people from the back of a van, the charity is now based in the warmth of the indoors at Renfield St Stephen’s Church Centre.

There is a buzz of excitement surrounding the place. A sense of hopefulness replaces the typical feeling of hopelessness among these people. The coldness and isolation endured from life on the streets of Glasgow is forgotten about – at least for a few hours this afternoon – instead a feeling of warmth and comfort fills up the room courtesy of Naismith and it is where I caught up with him that day.

The Rangers midfielder has been out of action this year 

 “A few friends had brought it [the charity] to my attention, a good number of months ago,” Naismith starts to explain.

“I was in the middle of the season. I had a lot on and I didn’t have a lot of time to do the research on Loaves and fishes and see the work they had done. But once I did, I was very keen to be involved and make a small contribution.”

Naismith injured his knee in a recent match against Aberdeen and will miss the rest of the season. Wearing a casual dark blue hoodie, blue jeans, and walking with a slight limp, the former Kilmarnock man was showing signs of being in a little discomfort, but the injury he suffered was put into perspective after he received a letter from a serviceman out in Afghanistan.

“When I got injured, the week after, I got a letter from somebody out in Afghanistan asking if I was ok and when I would be back playing. This was a lovely touch, seeing as I am just a footballer with an injury rather than fighting for my country.”

The striker admitted that it had opened his eyes to some of the incredible work people do and revealed that it gave him the motivation to help others.

“It’s guys like that; if we can find a small bit of time to help them I’m definitely willing to do it. Football can help raise the issue of homelessness,” he enthused.

“I hope to get the awareness out there that these kinds of charities need help and they need – if not volunteers then donations. There are people struggling and if others such as myself have got a small amount of time or can make a donation then, it will go a long way to help the charity.

“Hopefully in the next five or six months I will have time to be involved with not just one charity but a few.”

But the positivity football brings is not confined to generous handouts from football players. While it is important to help charities through donations, there are football programmes and projects up-and-running which allow the homeless, to help themselves. Inspired by Naismith’s words, I searched for other ways football can help improve peoples’ position and spoke to two other people who had witnessed the power, the ball has in reshaping peoples’ lives.

Football can be used a tool “to energise people and turn peoples’ lives around,” according to Zakia Moulaoui, the Schools and Fundraising manager for the Homeless World Cup.  Her voice is filled with an infectious enthusiasm as she tells me about what football can bring to the homeless.

“Seventy-four per cent of the people involved in the programmes change their lives dramatically. Whether it is getting a job, a house, coming off drugs, going into education or mending broken relationships, football has helped to solve all of these problems,” she says.

“It works because, football gives you a routine. It gives you something to look forward to and you have a commitment. It gets people off the streets, can give them a better future, more confidence and a healthier lifestyle.

“When you live on the streets and you don’t have anything to do, you lose track of what is important. You don’t get to socialise and you don’t meet anyone, but during the football session you have to play in a team, to play fair and you have to evolve with others, so those are the first steps.”

David Duke took those first steps many years ago, and is living proof that the football projects and programmes work. Growing up in Govan, a socially deprived area in Glasgow, David became homeless in 2003, after his father has passed away. At 23-years-old, he admits he didn’t cope with it the best.

“I ignored emotion rather than seeking help from family or friends. I cut myself off from everyone as if nothing had happened. I was starting to drink more, and it put a strain on my relationship so me and my girlfriend split up, I also got kicked out of my flat and in turn lost my job.

“I didn’t know what homelessness was or the stigma attached but being in that situation you soon become very damaging to yourself, your confidence goes and you become very isolated.”

One day, David noticed an advert in a shelter for football trials run by the Big Issue. After getting through the preliminary stages of the trials, he was selected for an 8-man squad to go to the Homeless World Cup in August 2004, in Gothenburg.

“I didn’t know where my life was going; I had no desire, just living-day-to-day,” he continued.

“But I went to the World Cup and met guys from Africa, Brazil and all these places and it was a real eye-opener. In Scotland, I was feeling sorry for myself, but really, the stuff that was going on in my life was nothing compared to the trauma and experiences of people in other countries.”

Scotland finished 4th in the tournament but perhaps the real success was that David had realised he could do something with his life. After registering with Active Glasgow to do volunteering and coaching, David soon got the opportunity to coach youngsters and since then has never looked back.

“The lifestyle change for me was when I suddenly became a role model to kids. I had 20 kids every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, who all looked up to me and wanted to be me. I had a whole new outlook; I wanted to look after myself, so that I could do the best for the kids.”

After being involved with various other coaching activities and leading Scotland to the Homeless World Cup in 2007, David now runs the Street Soccer Scotland charity which he set-up in 2009. The charity – through football – helps socially disadvantaged adults and young people across Scotland.

“It is used in a way to beat isolation, boost their confidence and self-esteem, provide a healthy option of socialising which is hard to get on the homeless scene,” David adds.

David for all his hard work and endeavour in helping disadvantaged youths and adults through football has received an Honorary Doctorate from Queen Margaret University last year.

The stereotypical view.  Football can help change this

David’s and Zakia’s experiences of the Homeless World Cup cannot be underestimated. In the UK homeless people are stereotypically portrayed to be lazy, drunk and begging on some street corner. Some suggest they are causes of their own downfall, but the tournament provides a platform to change this depressing outlook and to redefine and strengthen the image of homelessness.

Champions: Scotland added to their 2007 success in Paris last year

Zakia adds: “During the tournament it is amazing, people realise that these guys are full of energy, they really want to make it. Most of the spectators ask ‘are they really homeless?’ and you say ‘yes!’ and they don’t want to believe it. So it changes the opinion, and they will talk about it with their friends and spread the word. Then the next time you see a homeless guy on the street you think about him differently, or you will do something a bit better.”

Scotland's Homeless football manager Ally Dawson receives PFA special merit award

Ally Dawson has been awarded the PFA Special Merit Award for his work with the Scottish Homeless World Cup team and a homeless football charity.

The 54-year-old steered the homeless national team to their second World Cup triumph in Paris last October, repeating the 2007 success.

The former Rangers defender got involved in the homeless national set-up when it began in 2003 and after managing the team for the next couple of years, he handed the post over to former homeless World Cup player David Duke.

Last year, Dawson re-joined Duke, who is now the chief executive of Street Soccer, to continue his help with the charity and Dawson conceded he was humbled to receive the accolade.

Ally Dawson (left) receives award for services to homeless football

“It was a great honour but it was a surprise, we were up for it,” he said.

“It reflects greatly on the eight players who went over to Paris and the work our organisation Street Soccer Scotland does.”

Scotland manager Craig Levein may have a selection headache picking the right players for the up and coming qualifiers but Dawson reflected on an altogether different range of problems he faced when choosing his squad to travel to tournaments.

“Some of the guys who went had never been abroad. Initially it was a concern how they would react being there,” he said.

“They were also away from home comforts, however players who had been abroad before helped the new boys to settle in.

“The rest was left to me to pick up the pieces, to put them on the park, to play the games and then leave them again, it worked very well and professionally with David Duke.”

Dawson also insisted alcohol, which is frequently related to the issue of homelessness, was not given to players even after the tournament success.

“From the start of the tournament to the celebrations at the end there were only soft drinks,” he added.

“We had no alcohol and they enjoyed it. I think they remember it better as well.”

Dawson believes football tournaments such as the Homeless World Cup give homeless people a purpose and he says this is evident in the way they are attempting to rebuild their lives now.

“The eight guys we had, were focused they wanted to play and win,” he added.

“You see the difference at the end of the tournament but you also see the opportunity they're getting now such as volunteering and coaching.

“Football makes them socialise. They start mixing with people, young groups and old groups.

“They go through problems together.  It's that camaraderie and it initiates some things for them. That is an important thing – they then see that there is educational programmes on which can help them begin to turn their life around.

“We're starting one in two to three weeks’ time so that's the next part of their development.

“It's all football themed so it's something they should enjoy, something they can hope to use in the future as well “

Dawson will take charge of the homeless national team this year where they travel to Mexico to retain their defence of the trophy in October.

Just who is Falkirk star striker Farid El Allagui?

Not many people in Scottish football would have heard about Falkirk striker Farid El Allagui before Wednesday night’s Scottish League Cup third round match against Rangers. But after the French-Moroccan helped himself to a brace to shock Ally McCoist’s men in a 3-2 victory for the Bairns they will know about him now.

Signed from SO Romorantin – a club plying their trade in the murky depths of fourth tier French Football- the 26-year-old has made an instant impact since his move in the summer to the Falkirk Stadium.

Pressley brought El Allagui in on trial after he was recommended by his former team mate at Hearts, Stefano Salvatore. The striker produced a series of fine displays whilst there to prompt the Bairns boss to snap him up on a permanent basis and the target man has repaid his manager’s faith.

With nine goals in nine appearances the forward has fired his side into third place in the league and secured a passage into the later rounds of both domestic cups.

His double against Rangers on Wednesday night highlighted his explosive jump and his very good positional sense , some call it instinctive but as Kieran Duffie whipped in a cross, the 26 year-old knew where to be, to rise above the visitors defence and bullet a header past Neil Alexander in goal.

His second bared a similar resemblance with 16-year- old Craig Sibbald starting the move by launching a counter-attack and then producing a splendid cross for El Allagui to power another header past Alexander.

But there is more than just finishing to his game. At 5ft 11, he may not be the tallest centre forward but his powerful leap gives him the ability to out jump most players at his level which has built the foundation for Falkirk’s attacks this season.

The Bairns under former managers John Hughes and Eddie May played with a slow tempo where keeping the ball was the main focus but while it proved successful for a spell and it is questionable at all under Eddie May, teams learned to thwart this type of strategy, and a fresh approach was needed.

El Allagui has enabled Pressley to bring in this new refreshing style to the side by offering an outlet up front. Falkirk now opt to play with a direct and quick tempo with goalkeeper Michael McGovern starting an attack by launching a long ball to the French Moroccan where he has a tendency to win most headers even despite the height advantage defenders have on him.

This alleviates the pressure from the young Falkirk side – they have at least six academy graduates starting most games – because they are further up the park and are playing in the oppositions half rather than their own which has happened under previous regimes.

The 26-year-old is also unselfish, his ability to hold up the ball bringing others around him into play such as Sibbald on the left, David Weatherston on the right and Kallum Higginbotham through the middle combine a potent three-pronged attack behind him which has been the focal point for Falkirk’s goals this season.

But after his impressive displays so far it remains to be seen whether Falkirk can hold onto their star striker before bigger clubs start sniffing around this talented prospect.