After the shame of every home nation failing to make the European championships this summer at least we can be proud that the UK is currently home to the winners of one footballing world cup.

Scotland are current holders of the Homeless World Cup, which kicks off in Melbourne on December 1st. It is a unique international street soccer tournament that uses football as a catalyst to encourage homeless people to change their lives.

Now in its sixth year, the week-long tournament will feature teams from 56 nations in the biggest Homeless World Cup to date. It's also the first to feature a Women's Cup.

The event has been responsible for inspiring its players make real changes to their lives, as well as transforming the attitudes of governments, media and the public across the world on homelessness.

With the new involvement and support of The Vodafone Foundation the programme currently reaches 30,000 players through grass-roots programmes and has a global ambition to engage one million players in over 75 nations by 2010.

Log on to our live webchat to hear from social entrepreneur,Mel Young who founded The Homeless World Cup. 

For more information visit www.homelessworldcup.org

H: Host, Charlie Brougham
M: Mel Young, Founder Homeless World Cup Foundation
C: Catherine Danby, Vodafone Foundation

H: Hello and welcome to the Good Causes Show brought to you by the Vodafone Foundation, I'm Charlie Brougham. Despite the fact that none of the home nations made it to this summer's European football Championships, the UK can still be proud that it is currently home to the holders of one international football trophy, and that's because Scotland are the current holders of the Homeless Football World Cup, which kicks off in Melbourne, Australia in just over a month's time on December 1st. The Homeless World Cup is a unique international street soccer tournament that uses football as a catalyst to encourage homeless people to change their lives. Well to tell us more about it I'm delighted to say that I've been joined today by the man behind this life-changing event, Mel Young, and Catherine Danby from the Vodafone Foundation which is recently become a supporter of the event. Welcome to the show

M: Hello

C: Hi

H: Right well before we get round to talking to them, let's have a quick look at last year's event which took place in Copenhagen

Video footage

“I want my life to change. I don't want to remain homeless.”

“My father says that education is the best thing that we have, after education, football.”

“Sport has lots of power because sport is the ambassador or peace.”

“The Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup, from the 1st to the 7th December, sport changes lives. Go to homelessworldcup.org.”

H: Amazing stuff Mel, I mean maybe you can tell us a little bit of how this all came about?

M: Yes it came about simply from an idea with me and a colleague called Harold Shmidt, I was working with street papers at the time, and we'd had an international conference in Cape Town and we were talking about how we could involve homeless people, and we were just mucking around over a beer and I was saying there were some homeless people in Scotland who had a football team, and Harold said the same in Austria, and we kind of agreed that Austria and Scotland would play each other and we shook on that, and then by the end of the evening we'd invented the Homeless World Cup where everybody could come and we put the first event on in Gratz in 2003 with 18 countries coming, and simply what happened is all the year round, different projects in the world that work with homeless people, get them involved in playing football, during which time they start to address the issues that are in front of them, and then a team is selected and they come to the event once a year

H: Catherine, how did the Vodafone Foundation get involved and how's that aligned with what you're trying to do?

C: Well as a Foundation Vodafone is really, really committed to working with people, I mean sport and music projects, and so we've allocated 12 million over the next two or three years towards projects, one of which is Mel's and really we were really inspired by not only the entrepreneurial nature of what Mel's trying to do with homeless people and his grassroots football campaign but also in terms of actually what he was building in terms of the impact that it has on homeless people

H: Well remember listen we are live today so if you've got a question for either Mel or Catherine then just write in your little box underneath, press send, it'll pop up here and we'll try and get through as many as we can. Now a bit of a silly question I guess, but why – I mean we were talking before we came on air and some of the figures you were throwing at me were astounding, why do we need an event such as this?

M: Well I mean first of all I think there shouldn't be any homeless people in the world, and depending on whose statistics you want to believe, you know there's a billion homeless people in the world or 100 million, so – let's take the lower figure,  I mean it's unimaginable, 100 million people homeless in the world.  And I think we have enough resources and enough wherewithal in the world to not let that happen. If we can send people to the moon and we can create internet and do shows like this, then we're smart people and why can't we end homelessness? And so – you know, I kind of believe everybody can do something, and if we all do a little something you end it. And I think we're on to something here with football. It doesn't suit everybody but we've got absolutely clear evidence, and nearly 80% of the players – year on year who get involved in the tournament aren't homeless afterwards. So that's what drives us, I mean we have the great event once a year, but really what we're about is the impact. Impact is key to us, and with these figures that's what makes them, that's why we do it, and I think it's because football's simple, it's easy to get people involved, we have some great players, we have some terrible players – it doesn't matter. We create an event which people want to come and watch and then change takes place as a result

H: Yes we've got a question in from Bryce who says how's it funded, is it funded by the state or political organisations of say – Vodafone have got involved with you?

M: I mean we have- the way it works is quite simple each year we have an event in the country, and the country locally pays for the players from the moment they arrive until they take off again, and that's a bit like the way the Olympics are funded or the FIFA world cup's funded, so it's simply from – you get – this year we're going to Australia, Australian government, Victoria State, Melbourne City, Council and Australian businesses and Australian NGOs supporting it, and then internationally we have international partners and they would include UEFA, Nike and so on and so forth. And then very important for us is the work we do all the year round.  I mean the event is one thing, and you know so we have various supporters and Vodafone Foundation have come on and supported us crucially, at a crucial time when we're growing, and that's really to help us develop all the grassroots projects which are really growing in themselves, so on the scale that's going to – the Vodafone Foundation's support is crucial to us, and we look for more organisations and companies like Vodafone Foundation to come in and work with us because the demand is huge. We had an event recently in Kenya where you know, we had 3000 players playing in the event, we had over 5 weekends nearly half a million people watching.  So there's so much more that can be done and it's just really great that – the way the Vodafone Foundation's come in to support it

C: I know that Mel though, he's got an absolutely fantastic ambition haven't you –

M: Yes yes

C: To have a million players involved isn't it?

M: Yes I mean, we – that's what we aim, by 2012 we want to have a million players in the –

H: 25 – isn't it 25,000 – around that

M: It's probably more, we've probably got 30,000 now

H: Just trying to get involved, to try and become one of the lucky few that –

M: Yes. But in the process of course they're changing their lives so it's not just – it's not just about the players that go, it's about the other players who get involved as well, and we have national championships now you know, with cities playing against each other and they're almost like mini Homeless World Cups in themselves and they are having a really positive effect. And then you have kind of shelters and so on, playing against each other, so it's built on a kind of pyramid of little events growing to the international one. And so we are very ambitious, we're really ambitious because it works, it – that's it at the end of the day. It has impact, it changes people's lives, so I say let's just do more then

H: Yes

M: And so we try to do more and our whole strategy's about working with our partners on the ground, they're doing the most important work really, I have a fantastic team of people in our organisation working on this. You know we all – we all could work 24 hours / 7 days a week sometimes and we feel we do, but it's for a really good cause, it's a kind of movement that we're building and more and more people are coming to the table, and I just believe that if we all decide we want to do something and football and sport is really powerful, it can create the change, and I think it's understated, I think governments and other organisations don't recognise the power sport can have to create change. We all watched – love watching the elite sportsmen, I love it, I watched some of the football on television last night, it's fantastic to watch, and it doesn't replace it but there's a whole area where we could have – you know – other people involved and we're I think demonstrating absolutely intervening by using football, creates this change, and I'd just like to get a world where there's nobody living without a house

C: I think the thing is as well, the statistics that Mel has shows you know the change, the impact that sport and football really has for these guys, but actually it's when you hear about their specific stories, the people whose lives are literally changing through this that you actually feel really inspired and I think you know as a Foundation we're really proud to be involved and honoured to be involved with the work that Mel's doing

H: Yes I mean do you have any success stories –

M: Well 100s of them actually, I mean everyone is a success story. I mean I believe we live in a society that's obsessed with statistics so because of that we churn out our statistics and you know funders and governments want to see these and we have to demonstrate what we do is – has the impact, as I say. But really it's about the people, I mean it's much better to tell the anecdotal stories and I mean you know there's so many people now who I've met who have jobs, who have gone on, some of them have even signed professionally as footballers, the Scottish team coach who had this kind of magic moment when Scotland won the event in Copenhagen, he himself previously was homeless, started playing football, got selected for the team, went and got some education and coaching certificates and then has come back as a Scottish manager, as a job you know and – but every one of them is inspiring, it doesn't matter if they move on to kind of – you know those are the icings on the cake if you like. I think just people moving on and getting jobs, and I think there's something about being part – representing you country you get inspired, you get kind of adrenalin, you have confidence in yourself and your ability. I always say to these people well you can say you have represented your country in football and there's not many people who can say that, and it's always on their CV whatever

H: You may be able to help Anthony out here because he's obviously a Spurs fan, and he's desperate for some of the lads who are playing down in Australia to possibly go to Whitehart Lane in the January transfer window because obviously two points from their eight games – but joking aside, I mean there are, like you were saying, 17 people or so that have become professional footballers so –

M: Yes a number of them have gone through to become semi-professional / professional footballers and there's great stories, and I mean you know – why not? If you look for some of the best players in the world that we've ever had – Pele, and some of the Brazilians, they came from the street originally, so it isn't too far off to say that maybe some of the players in Melbourne might end up at Spurs and you never know, it might galvanise them. And I think sometimes the professional footballers end up kind of being a bit spoilt to be honest, some of them the way they carry on – the way the homeless guys behave at the actual event is superb, they are fantastic ambassadors for their country, you know the way they sing the national anthem, the way they carry on, and the way they play the game in a way – fair play. Last year we had no red cards at all, and I sometimes think the professional sportsmen should come down and have a look at them

H: It's almost a throwback to the old days of pride and putting on that shirt –

M: Yes, real pride and they're so proud to have got to that position and represent their country

H: And they're doing it for the love of the sport as well

M: Absolutely. Now, up in Scotland the moment you've got – one of the players won't play, ‘cos he was on the substitute bench or something and it's just you know, you would never get anything like that in our event.  So it's about what I believe to be a true representation of what sport should be, or what sport should be about, you know?

H: What sort of celebrity endorsements, because we've got a question here from Johnny G, he's asked whether or not Beckham will be making an appearance at this year's event?

M: Well you never know, we'd very much like him to come along, I think they're – LA Galaxy are touring in New Zealand so you never know. But we have – I mean Eric Cantona is our international ambassador, and he was along in Copenhagen last year, fantastic, he did a whole coaching session with all the players and then did a question and answer session with them and so on. Yusavio was down in Cape Town opening of the event and so on. You know once you speak to these footballers, these big name celebrities you find that they're really into it actually and very, very supportive.  Because I think again they realise the kind of power that sport can have and – if David Beckham was to turn up it would be fabulous

C: It's such a fantastic game to watch as well because it's really quick fire, sort of enigmatic games that really sort of capture the imagination of the audience, because you have thousands and thousands of people coming to watch don't you?

M: Yes we have. A lot of people, it's very popular. We play this game four and four so we have 8 in a team with 4 on and 4 off at any one time, so it's a bit like ice hockey, if you can imagine that. And then it's 7 minutes each way, but what you get is kind of goals going in with kind of 2 seconds remaining on the clock and so on. You have to be very fit to play it, I think, properly and – or you have to be very fit. And it's a very, very exciting game. So what you get therefore in the event and why we get so many people turning up I think is you get a really great sporting event, it's a really fabulous football tournament in itself. But then of course you're supporting the homeless people, so it's like two sides of one coin and some of the media people and some of the audience have said to me before, as soon as the game starts you forget they're homeless, and I go ah, that's the point. That's what we're trying to do. It's true what's happening is in some ways, all we're doing, I mean I believe the best things in the world are simple. You know one day – the day before if you like they may be lying on the street and people being abusive and so on, and they're in difficult circumstance. The next day they're in a football strip and playing in a football game and everybody's cheering them. So I always say well they're the same person as they were before, all we did was just move the furniture around if you like. And that's all you have to do, that's how you create the change – you just have to move the furniture around

H: Well I've got a question here from Phoebe whose obviously picked up on the fact that there's a women's world cup this year and Catherine will you be in the crowd cheering on the ladies?

C: Well I'm actually off away myself on holiday, but I'm going to be watching it virtually, and also there's – other stations are going to be broadcasting some of the matches so I'll definitely be supporting that, and actually again, Mel, there's a fantastic story you've got a South American woman haven't you whose actually on the national women's team now, is that right?

M: Yes from – you know one of the players you were talking about from earlier, who have gone professional, you know one of our big successes actually was one of the Brazilian women where we had mixed teams play – although the majority are men, and she's been selected to play for Brazil and –

H: Fantastic

M: It's a fantastic story and actually also we had a Liberian woman, and you're coming out of a country that's you know coming out of a terrible war and she won a scholarship to an American university to play football – or soccer as they call it. So you know these are fantastic outcomes, I mean there's no doubt. And this year we're having the women's world cup which – we're having 8 teams, 8 countries are playing in it and it's a pilot project for us, I'm sure it will work and I'm sure it will be bigger in the future. Certainly the women who've participated and the women in the projects are really, really excited and keen on it, so you know – again my line is right well if it works and it creates impact, let's do it – why not

H: Because also you can't play the same – once you play in it once that's it isn't it?

M: Yes I mean for us it's about – it's a whole project about move on. I mean what we don't want to create is a situation where it's such a great event you stay homeless so you can get on the team kind of thing, and really it's the pinnacle – I mean people have been working and you'll find that the players say for example in the western world had drug problems, really they're coming at the end of the program, they're coming off now and this is the end of that period and they're moving back into society, so we – this is the whole idea, you only play once

H: Question from Joe.  “Hi Mel. Which has been your most favourite tournament to date?”

M: It's really difficult to say this because it's interesting, they're so difficult to compare

H: Possibly might be the one Scotland won? Or the first one?

M: I have these moments – because they're all special in their own right, I don't' think – there's no one better than the other, but obviously the first one was just like – we never expected anything like that to happen, it was a magical atmosphere, it was just fabulous, and then you know, and then we had the event in my home city in Edinburgh and of course that was fabulous as well, and believe it or not every day the sun shone! Then we were down in South Africa which had a special spirit, you know the first time in Africa with lots more African teams and there's a kind of you know – it was a really magical time again, and then of course Scotland winning, but I mean I don't know, there's lots and lots of moments of – where I've watched some of the homeless players playing football and the chats I've had with them and so they're all special in themselves. Sort of like having – it's like asking whose your favourite child, it's not a fair question!

H: Right, penultimate question Thomas Charles Whitman – “how are England looking like and we can't have Scotland taking it again!” Well Scotland would do well to do it again wouldn't they, because they can't have the same team, so we've answered that but -

M: I mean that's one of the beauties of the tournament actually because although we have the seedings, so Scotland are seeded one, because it's a new team all the time you could be the bottom seed and win it still, you know. I don't know, England – I have to be totally neutral in this, so as a Scot I was very pleased with that, you know, I have to be backing everybody. But England have always been very good, I mean they've been coached by the Manchester United coaches and so on from the beginning and Manchester United's been great in terms of the way they've supported them. I think they'll be there or thereabouts, they're always kind of up there and there's no reason why they can't do it. I'm sure Scotland will not want to relinquish the crown however and always you'll see that the team that's won it before, they're – it's that little extra thing to keep it on, so I'm sure England will do well. I don't know if Scotland will do it again, I'd be surprised if Scotland would do it – I'd be very pleased I suppose but I'd be surprised. You can't – I think in terms of winning it maybe the Australians, the home nation always have an opportunity. Poland have been the perpetual runners-up so they've got to be in there, but I think probably this time I think the African teams have been getting kind of better and I think an African team or Brazil maybe. Let's see

H: One final question – from X so I don't know who X is but thank you for sending us your question – “what plans have you got for the Homeless World cup in the future?”  Catherine, Mel?

C: Well Mel will probably tell you better than anyone, he's got some fantastic plans and – in terms of both the grassroots and the final, the cup final itself, so Mel I'll leave it to you

M: Well I mean simply we want to, you know, improve the event all the time and make the event more effective and bigger, because more people want to get involved and we're going to, you know, next year's going to be in Milan and then over to South America and then back to Europe again in 2011 and then probably in Asia in 2012, so we want to be building the event and just making it much more effective. And then you know, with the support, you know of the advertisers again, the Vodafone Foundation, what we really want to be doing and our main focus is on the grassroots projects that we've got and the country projects, so to helping them develop them to get more people involved and getting an impact even greater than it already is, moving towards our million. That's where we want to be, a million – then of course if the figures, if the total figure's 100 million we'll have sorted out 1% then, so we're saying to everybody else right let's start another 99 projects then and then we're getting there

H: Yes.  One final question, very important – where can you watch it?

M: You can come to Melbourne and watch it

H: Now there's a good excuse if you want to go to Australia, get some winter sun, go to Melbourne and watch some –

M: You can, you know, just be connected on to our website, some television through the Australian networks, but information about where you can watch it will be on our website so if you go onto the website which is www.homelessworldcup.org you can find out

H: Right well that's all we have time for I'm afraid. My thanks to both Mel and Catherine for joining us, and my thanks also to you for all your questions – sorry we couldn't tackle them all. Remember if you want any more information on this amazing event, log onto the website www.homelessworldcup.org. Now before we go I'll leave you with a quick look at the teaser video for this year's event – thanks for watching, goodbye now

Video footage

“One of the major soccer events of 2008 – 56 nations, over 500 players, over 300 matches. Great goals, packed crowds. Media crew from around the world. The Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup. Because one billion homeless people live among us today – sport has the power to change lives.  77% of players moving to jobs, homes, jobs, college. Quick drugs and alcohol. Build relationships and self-esteem. The Melbourne 2008 Homeless World Cup from the 1st – 7th December. Sport changes lives. Go to homelessworldcup.org”