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This project successfully funded on 31st December 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
Seventh in the World! Give our Heroes a Homecoming
Cardiff, United Kingdom
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Aim
The Summer was huge for Welsh women's football, at the highest level and at the Homeless World Cup, join us in giving them a Big Homecoming!
Street Football Wales is a social inclusion charity that uses the power of football to support people who have experienced homelessness, mental health challenges, substance misuse, or social isolation. Through free, weekly sessions across Wales, SFW provides a safe, welcoming space where anyone – regardless of ability – can play, make friends, and build confidence. The charity also offers pathways to training, volunteering, and international opportunities such as the Homeless World Cup, helping participants develop skills on and off the pitch to create lasting change in their lives.
This Summer, we took a team of women to represent Wales on the Global Stage, at the 20th edition of the Homeless World Cup in Oslo. This is the pinnacle in the street football calendar.
The Welsh Women's team achieved a historic seventh-place finish at the 2025 Homeless World Cup in marking their best-ever performance in the global tournament.
As well as being celebrated opponents on the field, Street Football Wales had even more success making friends and winning hearts off of it. Enough to be awarded the FIFPro Fair Play award. Wales came to the rescue when second group stage opponents Greece faced a kit emergency.
“Winning the FIFPRO Fair Play Award is like winning the Homeless World Cup. This is all about inspiring people to be a better version of themselves. It is about resilient women, about great team spirit and about being empowered.” Jo Price, Homeless World Cup Team Coach and Street Football Wales Project Officer
After appearing at her first Homeless World Cup following a difficult year facing different forms of loss Chloe, Street Football Wales player from Rhyl said:
“I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to represent my country at the Homeless World Cup. This truly was the best experience of a lifetime, thank you for making dreams come true. I felt like a different person, confident and just in the moment, and sharing this experience
I’m starting to believe in myself more. I’ve honestly loved being part of this team. Couldn’t have asked for a better group of girls, The last 8 months have honestly been the toughest of my life, and there were times I didn’t think I’d bounce back, But this whole experience has been lifechanging and has shown me that life really does get better. It doesn’t feel like the end it feels like the beginning of something bigger, and I’m excited to see what’s next.”
Declaring her immense pride for the team Interim Director of Street Football Wales, Bethan Thomas said: “I am so unbelievably proud of this Homeless World Cup team. To finish 7th in the world, breaking records for Street Football Wales, and receiving the FIFPRO Fair Play award, has surpassed our expectations. And my god, the team deserved it, they worked so hard.
"It takes months, and a lot of hard work from an incredible but tiny team of Street Football Wales staff to get us to the Homeless World Cup, and more importantly, an impactful year-round Programme.
“We were unable to take a Men's team to the Homeless World Cup this year, and have a committed group of male players passionately awaiting their opportunity to represent Wales on the world stage. Next year, we are focussed on taking both a men's and women's team to Mexico and are already looking for partners and funders to support us on this journey.”
These women, and all who’ve played before them deserve to be celebrated. At the end of the month, we’ll host a Homecoming Celebration that brings together players, partners, and supporters.
More than a party, we want to build momentum for the 2026 Homeless World Cup, when we aim to send both a women’s and a men’s team to Mexico so that more of our stars have the life-changing opportunity to represent Wales on the world stage.
Your support will:
- Enable a heroes’ homecoming for our women’s team
- Kickstart our journey and preparations for next year’s Homeless World Cup
- Support Street Football Wales’s ongoing weekly sessions across Wales
Together, we can remind Wales – and the world – of the power of sport to inspire resilience, community, and hope.
Donate today and help us celebrate our heroes, the journey so far, and plan for tomorrow.
Diolch o Galon!
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made