Home and Away: In Search of Dreams at the Homeless World Cup of Soccer

Dave Bidini

Sep 2010 · Greystone Books

About this ebook

""" Home and Away] captures Bidini's many strengths as a writer -- compassion mixed with close observation, humour and a gift for a poetic turn of phrase. His book demonstrates the capacity of sports to act as a therapeutic agent and a catalyst for social change...This book has a heart as big as the game itself."" -- Globe & Mail

""Home and Away, is] an instantly and tangibly compelling story of these players and their moment in the spotlight, underscored by the transformative powers of team sports."" -- Torontoist

An uplifting tale of travelling with Team Canada as they compete for the Homeless World Cup.

In 2008, Dave Bidini accompanies Homeless Team Canada to the Homeless World Cup in Melbourne, Australia. As he watches team members play and shares their disappointments, frustrations, joys, and triumphs, he comes to care deeply about the players-45-year-old Billy, who is a former addict; the quick-footed 24-year-old Moroccan immigrant Juventus, who refuses to talk about his past; and most of all, the endearing teenaged Krystal, who carries a photograph of her long-dead mother and dreams of a better life. Bidini gets to know the other teams at the World Cup and describes the games themselves, culminating in the final between Canada and Malawi and a chance for the talented Krystal to join a soccer team in Holland. Bidini also begins to understand what this tournament means to people. He sees firsthand the power of sport to transform the lives of those on the edge-how the decision to play this game can mean the difference between survival or heading down a road of addiction, poverty, or crime. Home and Away offers a powerful look at the poor and dispossessed, from the barrios of Mexico City and the shanties of West Africa to the streets of North America and Europe, and illuminates the renewed meaning that these homeless players find in the beautiful game.

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About the author

Dave Bidini 's first book, published in 1998, was the popular and critically acclaimed On a Cold Road, about what it's like to tour Canada in a rock 'n' roll band. He has since written four more books, Tropic of Hockey (2001), Baseballissimo (2004), For Those About to Rock (2004) and The Best Game You Can Name (2005). When he is not writing or traveling the world, Bidini is rhythm guitarist for the Rheostatics. He also starred in the Gemini Award--winning film The Hockey Nomad. Dave Bidini lives with his wife and two children in Toronto. Please visit Dave at www.davebidini.ca or follow him on Facebook.