'Eagles' help homeless players soar

England are one of 42 countries taking part in a the week long event, which is in its 16th edition this year, and is expected to be viewed by more than 200,000 people. 

Two of the players from the England team, Scott and Raph,  were greeted by players and staff of Premier League side Crystal Palace, at the club's training base in London. 

Scott became homeless after the tragic death of his grandmother, with whom he had been living, and had not been named in the paperwork for the rented home. 

He spoke of his experience on Tuesday, telling 'Sky Sports News': ""I wouldn't really want to get up for anything other than football, I needed to get myself doing something and football was the way for me. When I was 20, I came to London a bit clueless about life. I learned the hard way, I made some mistakes."

Given no other option but to move into a hostel with 150 other men, some of whom were addicted to hard drugs, Scott attained a job at McDonalds, where he eventually became a restaurant manager. 

Scott continued to tell his story, explaining: ""I had a normal job, a normal girlfriend, but then, at the end of the day, I'd come back to a not-normal home. I was ashamed. But eventually I started playing football with my mates, and then I started playing with Crisis. We all go through stuff, but football brings a sense of closure. It's like a big family playing together, bonding around a football. You forget all your problems."

 

November 13, 2018

Teammate Raph experienced similar harship. After moving to the UK from France aged 20, Raph was evicted from his house shortly after his arrival. 

Raph is hoping that this year can prove to be one of good experiences for himself and his teammates. He told 'Sky Sports News': "Just one week after I moved there I got a job at a gym on the same street. Now I've been selected to play in the Homeless World Cup in Mexico. This experience has given me the power to see further, beyond the here and now."

Among the players that greeted the Scott and Raph were Frenchman Mamadou Sakho and midfielder Luka Milivojevic, and as a special surprise, manager Roy Hodgson personally greeted the pair. 

Crystal Palace's partnership with homeless helpline 'Crisis' began last year, when a handful of academy players visited the donation distribution centre in South London.