In the summer of 2006, while the football world’s attention was focused on Germany, thousands of players around the globe were training hard and competing to be part of the World Cup…The Homeless World Cup. It began in 2001 as a wild idea by a Scot and an Austrian—to give homeless people a chance to change their lives through an international street soccer competition. Five years later, the annual Homeless World Cup had become an internationally recognized sports competition. 500 homeless players from 48 nations would ultimately be selected to represent their country in Cape Town, South Africa—coming from such disparate parts of the world as war torn Afghanistan, the slums of Kenya, the drug rehab clinics of Dublin, Ireland, the streets of Charlotte, North Carolina, the overflowing public shelters of Madrid, Spain, and the unforgiving city of St. Petersburg, Russia, where the homeless have no rights or identity. Despite the fact that they may not have a home, the players wear the colors of their country with pride. From shattering misconceptions about the homeless to seeing people living at the edge of society discover that they also can be winners, the film shows in a real and powerful way that sports can and does change lives. As the Russian coach observes, “To me, football is the best model for real life. There is no last game in football and there is no last game in real life. You always have another chance to win.”

Produced with ESPN, Kicking It looks like an incredible movie. It’s rated NR and out now, whereever small films are shown in your area. I can’t wait to get around to see this.