It’s not every day that a homeless person gets to travel to another country. But earlier this week, Oscar Grandberry of St. Louis found himself in Melbourne, Australia, the site of the 2008 Homeless World Cup.
“I’m in Australia, and I’m thinking I’m here,” recalled Oscar, who arrived in St. Louis late Monday night.
The sixth edition of the tournament brought together players from 56 countries to celebrate Street Soccer, a four-a-side non-stop game played on a 72 by 52 foot walled court.
Mel Young, founder and president of the Homeless World Cup, created the tournament to give homeless persons the opportunity change their lives through sport. Brothers Lawrence and Rob Cann were responsible for bringing the tournament concept to the U.S.
According to the tournament’s website, it is significant year after year, with 73 percent of players changing their lives for the better by coming off drugs and alcohol, moving into jobs, education, homes and training, and repairing relationships. Some go on to play and coach for pro or semi-pro teams.
“When you step on the field, you have butterflies in your stomach at first, then your hands get sweaty,” Oscar said of stepping onto the field in Melbourne.
“You see all these people, and then the awe of it all grabs you. Your first reaction is that you want to be the best and for the world to see your skills.”
In the 2008 Homeless World Cup, Oscar tended goal for St. Louis Roadies, sponsored by the Peter and Paul Community Service Center, an emergency shelter program that provides immediate and transitional housing and support services to the homeless.
That’s where he was asked to join the center’s soccer team. After a year of bad luck on the streets of St. Louis, Oscar met Keith Deisner, coach of the St. Louis Roadies and director of development for Peter and Paul.
“They hadn’t had a chance to be on a sporting team since they were kids,” Deisner said of the homeless participants.
“When you’re homeless, you’re just trying to survive. You don’t get a chance to play on an organized team.”
$21 and a sea bag
Oscar drove to St. Louis from Popular Bluff two years ago, hoping to make a fresh start after a bitter divorce from his wife. He arrived in the new city with only $21 in his pocket and a sea bag with everything he owned.
“I lost about $175,000 in cars, real estate and property,” Oscar said of the divorce. “It boiled down to who was going to get what. I had to ask myself if my happiness was worth a bunch of material things.”
Oscar stayed with his aunt in Nellyville and landed a job in a small engineering company to try to get his life back together.
But when his aunt was killed, Oscar’s life again spiraled down an uncertain path. He dabbled in drugs for a time. He moved in with a friend and saved enough money to buy a car, in which he drove to St. Louis.
“The thought scared me to death,” he said of St. Louis, “because it’s a place known for very high crime. But when I got here, it was cool.”
Other homeless people helped by giving him tips on places to get food and find shelter. He shuffled in and out of shelters. He shuffled into Peter and Paul and onto a soccer team.
The first Homeless World Cup was played in Graz, Austria, with 17 nations. Since then the tournament has grown and has been played in Sweden (2004), Scotland (2005), South Africa (2006) and Denmark (2007).
To qualify for the tournament, players must have been homeless at some point in the last year and have not taken part in previous Homeless World Cup tournaments. Players must also be at least 16 years old.
This year, in various parts of the country, 50 players tried out for a team of eight. As a member of the St. Louis Roadies, Oscar impressed judges with his speed and agility and made the national pool in Washington, D.C. He secured a passport and visa application and was asked to join the team in Australia a little over a week before the tournament was set to begin. Peter and Paul sponsored for him to go.
When first-string goalie Tim Cummings hurt his back early on in the tournament, the job of guarding the net fell to Oscar, his alternate. Oscar got some playing time.
The U.S. finished the tournament with four wins and four loses, but Oscar said he returned to St. Louis with renewed hope and determination. He hopes he can be a role model to his teammates and other homeless people who are looking to turn their lives around.
Right now, Oscar lives with a friend until he saves enough money to rent or buy a place. He has held his job as a cook at Kitchen K, 1000 Washington Ave., for four or five months now. While he said he wants to eventually go back to culinary school, his main loves are designing and painting. His specialties are pencil, acrylics and charcoal.
“I never studied art, but there’s not too much I can’t draw,” said Oscar, who created the logo for the St. Louis Roadies soccer jerseys.
Soft-spoken and very humble in manner, Oscar was careful to thank Peter and Paul, the St. Louis Roadies, Kitchen K and Elizabeth Hinds for providing him with the experience of a lifetime.
Oscar said of his trip, “It drives you and makes you want to get back to regular society.”
For more information on Peter and Paul Community Services, 1025 Park Ave., call 314-588-7111 or visit www.ppcsinc.org. For more information on the Homeless World Cup, visit www.homelessworldcup.org.
