Sport – it has the ability to break down barriers and change lives. Just ask the participants and beneficiaries of the Homeless World Cup charity. Established in 2003, this charity uses the power of the beautiful game to inspire homeless people to change their lives, building their confidence and camaraderie.

As the charity’s name suggests, its flagship event is a global football competition, with previous events being held in Oslo, Mexico City, Santiago, Milan, Paris, Rio, Melbourne and Glasgow. As Homeless World Cup CEO Ryan Mackie explains, it has the power to empower homeless men and women.

Ryan says: “Our work reaches approximately 100,000 people in 74 countries every year, providing a sense of community and source of morale that helps people who are homeless to improve their situation off the pitch.

“The support we received from White & Case is crucial in allowing us to fulfill our mission, which extends far beyond the tournament itself. You are helping us give people who are homeless not just access to football programs but helping to improve communication, encouraging team building, as well as employability skills training.”

Transforming lives

Jamie MacLean is living proof of the charity’s life-changing impact. Participation in the 2015 Homeless World Cup in Amsterdam has played an important part in his ongoing recovery from homelessness, alcoholism and drug addiction.

Jamie, who is now raising a family along with his girlfriend, says: “I’ve been trying to turn my life around and the Homeless World Cup played an important part in that. After representing Scotland in Amsterdam, I went back to everyday life with pride and a sense of achievement.”

Reena Panchal from India is another Homeless World Cup role model. When she first started playing football with the charity’s partner, Slum Soccer, she was forced to hide the pastime from her family because female involvement in the sport is frowned upon in her village.

That all changed when Reena returned from captaining India in the 2015 tournament, where she was named the best female player of the tournament.

She says: “Girls from my village have since broken down social barriers by starting to play football. Not only do they play, but they are competing well. They look up to me as their inspiration and motivation.”

Eman Sulaeman of Indonesia was one of the stars of the 2016 Homeless World Cup in Glasgow.

Eman captured the hearts and imagination of the supporters when he shone in goal for Indonesia, showing inspiring agility and skill, despite the fact he was born with no feet.

He says: “I love football so much. It has allowed me to overcome barriers such as discrimination, which I have faced since I was a child.

“I come from a poor family, living in poverty, so it has been difficult for me. But I’ve always tried to do my best and learn how I can develop myself to overcome these problems.

“Finally I can handle everything, because football has given me confidence in my life.”

How we’re helping

The Homeless World Cup certainly captured the imagination of White & Case, so we teamed up with them to offer pro bono advice on their structuring and sponsorship plans.

But our involvement didn’t end there. This year we chose the charity as the beneficiary of our own global sporting tournament – the annual White & Case Football and Volleyball World Cup tournament in Vienna.

Since it was established in 2002, this fun event has been held in cities including Brussels, Budapest, Hamburg and Prague, raising valuable funds for numerous global pro bono partners such as Right to Play, SOS Children’s Village and Red Deporte y Cooperación.

The 2017 tournament saw 22 six-a-side football teams from offices including Astana, Dubai, Helsinki, London, New York and Melbourne, and 24 volleyball teams, including one made up of Global Business Services Leaders, battle it out on pitch and court.

Two highly competitive knockout competitions were eventually won by the Berlin office (football) and Bratislava (volleyball).