Scoring goals on and off the field
Posted on 02/12/2008
By Tim Beissmann
‘Goal’ was certainly the buzz word during the opening day of the 2008 Homeless World Cup.
On the pitches, the players slammed miraculous strikes into the back of the net, making a perfect start in their pursuit of the week’s top prize.
But the most important goals were those shared by the players at the Scoring Your Dream Goal workshops run by motivational speaker Kevin Carroll at BMW Edge theatre.
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The workshops encouraged the players set personal goals and think about how they would achieve their dreams, then write them down and share them with the room.
“It is not enough to have an idea in your head. You need to share it. That takes courage. That is your challenge,” said Kevin.
He said it was not important how the goal was written or spelt. It was the action of writing it down which truly symbolised the intention to achieve it.
Kevin, who was abandoned by his drug-addicted parents when he was just six, told how discovering football as a child had changed his life, just as it had for the players of the Homeless World Cup.
“A ball can save a life. That is why every time you see that ball go in the back of the net this week, you will think about your dreams. Just as that player has reached their goal, you too will think of how you will reach yours.”
Everyone at the workshops received wristbands with the word DREAM inscribed on them, which represented the values of Dedication, Responsibility, Education, Attitude, and Motivation.
Speaking at his third Homeless World Cup, Kevin acknowledged that the road to achieving dreams was a difficult one, but also a highly rewarding one.
“It will not be easy,” he said. “But anything worth having takes dedication, time and effort.”
He told the players: “Your circumstances do not dictate your future”, and said he was living proof of that.
One Zimbabwean player said his goals were to play professional soccer for his local team in Zimbabwe, build a house for his homeless family, start up a soccer academy for the young people in his community and take care of and empower the orphans back at home.
Others simply wanted to do the best they could for their country in Melbourne and be able to return home with renewed pride and enthusiasm for life.
Kevin said he was greatly honoured to be in the presence of such leadership, and challenged the players to take those values home with them after the tournament concluded on December 7.
“You are all ambassadors. Make a commitment to your dreams, your goals, and your futures.”
