Kicking It (1 Viewer)

[pete]

http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/kickingit/trailer/

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. Win or lose, for these players it would be the journey of a lifetime. The film follows seven players in their own tough worlds as they confront the daily challenges of life on the streets, battle drug and alcohol addiction, and fight for the right to be recognized as human beings. We witness their struggles, hopes, and determination. The teams are greeted by the South African President, as they make their spirited entrance in to two newly built street soccer "pitches", located at the precise spot where Nelson Mandela was released from prison—with the glorious Table Mountain as the backdrop. Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu joins the players, declaring homelessness the new "apartheid." For 7 days of fiercely competitive matches, the teams vie for the championship cups. 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."

only the bloke from dublin gets subtitled ha

 

[avernus]

looks great. that's gas that they only subtitled the dublin bloke.

 

[Cormcolash]

Gorillas mot as scare now.

 

[Hector Grey]

where do they stay over there? is there a specially constructed overpass with some branded cardboard lying about?

 

[nofunchee]

homeless world cup 2008 is on in melbourne at the moment. ireland are only flyin'. they're not in the toughest group in the world but they have absolutely wiped the floor with every team so far. some great players around. irish keeper is a legend. the second stage starts tomorrow. deadly buzz.

 

[nofunchee]

ireland v england in one hour!

 

[Hector Grey]

trip to oz? man, this getting a job and working all day to pay for the roof over your famblys head better pay off with something soon. otherwise we're all mugs.

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

ireland v england in one hour!

Bit of a London derby that.

 

[old]

Battle of the British? Larrikin? Blue card?

Ireland (4) v (8) England

By Tiffany Pilcher

In a battle of the British, England has triumphed over Ireland in an all important match, with a win of 8-4.

The secondary round win was particularly important for the two teams, as they were both within the top three of their group.

The English were strong from the beginning with the clear star of the match Dominic Holvor netting an impressive 4 goals in the first two and a half minutes.

Both teams were notably aggressive early on, showing an exceptional standard of skills.

Paul Farrell was a standout player for the Irish team, making several excellent shots at goal, and managing to score two goals in the first half of the match.

The English attack was incredible, handling the ball with precision, and setting up Holver for several choice opportunities at goal.

Ireland responded early in the second half, not giving in easily to their geographic neighbours. Farrell, supported well by teammate Stephen Coleman, scored two fantastic goals within the first minute of the second half.

Holver was reprimanded by the referee for showing off his larrikin side and intentionally kicking the ball to the crowd. Both Holver and the audience seemed to find the lighter side of the situation.

The Irish tried everything they could in desperation in the dying minutes of the match, which saw Brian Coleman sent off with a blue card in the final second of the game.

Although England won convincingly, the Irish team must be commended for their high skill level and never-give-up attitude.

 

[nofunchee]

Battle of the British? Larrikin? Blue card?

Ireland (4) v (8) England

By Tiffany Pilcher

In a battle of the British, England has triumphed over Ireland in an all important match, with a win of 8-4.

The secondary round win was particularly important for the two teams, as they were both within the top three of their group.

The English were strong from the beginning with the clear star of the match Dominic Holvor netting an impressive 4 goals in the first two and a half minutes.

Both teams were notably aggressive early on, showing an exceptional standard of skills.

Paul Farrell was a standout player for the Irish team, making several excellent shots at goal, and managing to score two goals in the first half of the match.

The English attack was incredible, handling the ball with precision, and setting up Holver for several choice opportunities at goal.

Ireland responded early in the second half, not giving in easily to their geographic neighbours. Farrell, supported well by teammate Stephen Coleman, scored two fantastic goals within the first minute of the second half.

Holver was reprimanded by the referee for showing off his larrikin side and intentionally kicking the ball to the crowd. Both Holver and the audience seemed to find the lighter side of the situation.

The Irish tried everything they could in desperation in the dying minutes of the match, which saw Brian Coleman sent off with a blue card in the final second of the game.

Although England won convincingly, the Irish team must be commended for their high skill level and never-give-up attitude.

bit of a glossy perspective in some ways. ireland lost confidence. the pressure got to them. they weren't passing as much, weren't getting back as fast when they lost possession, and their shots weren't as precise as they have been all week.

still though cracking match against italy later in the afternoon. it was a five all draw and ireland won on penalties. two irish lads and one italian sent off.