THE Homeless World Cup kicks off in Wales today (Saturday), and two players from Newport will be among more than 500 competitors representing more than 50 nations.
Lauren Blud, aged 23, lives in supported housing through Llamau in Newport.
She recently moved from a 24-hour supported hostel to semi-independent living.
Ms Blud faces challenges with her mental health and her ambition in life is to complete a coaching award.
Also from Newport is 34-year-old Jen Gattrell, who has experienced homelessness over the years, while also managing mental ill-health, which she is now doing effectively.
Ms Gattrell has also recently re-engaged in kickboxing and taekwondo. Her ambition in life is to be able to carry on how she’s now living, but making herself a better person.
On Monday, Ms Gattrell appeared on the BBC's The One Show, when guest presenter Michael Sheen joined regulars Alex Jones and Matt Baker at the Royal Welsh Show.
''It's not just football, this changes your whole life.'@michaelsheen catches up with the Welsh team ahead of the @homelesswrldcup to find out what the tournament means to them. pic.twitter.com/tCcerdM3Uu
— BBC The One Show (@BBCTheOneShow) July 23, 2019
Sheen interviewed Ms Gattrell and three other players from the Welsh squad about their stories and what the Homeless World Cup meant to them.
"I was just living with my nan, and then because she went into a home, I lost my home," Ms Gattrell told Sheen.
"Also, I didn't have a dad from the age of 16 because he passed away. So I was pretty much on my own."
Sheen asked her about the first time she put on the Welsh shirt.
"It took away everything," she said. "As soon as I walked through the metal gates, onto that pitch, you just forget all your problems.
"It's like the world's lifted off your shoulders."
The Homeless World Cup will be held in Bute Park, Cardiff, from July 27 until August 3.
Eligible players must be aged 16 or older and either have been homeless in the previous year, make their living as a street paper vendor, be a current or former asylum seeker, or be formerly homeless and in a rehabilitation programme.
The event is free to attend and has historically attracted thousands of spectators – in 2012, 168,000 people attended the tournament in Mexico City.
For more information about the Homeless World Cup, visit www.homelessworldcup.org
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