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Mel Young has saved the world billions and won a host of prestigious awards — so why isn’t he famous?

27 November 2017

Mel Young was enjoying a beer on the Cape Town beach with his friend Harold Schmidt when they had a thought: why don’t we hold a World Cup for homeless players?

Mel became interested in radical politics while at university

The idea wasn’t completely out of nowhere. Mel was the co-founder of the Big Issue in Scotland and they were in town for the 2001 Global Street Paper Summit.

In the hands of other people, this might not have become a reality.

But Mel is a person who likes to get things done.

The first Homeless World Cup was held in 2003, with players from 18 countries taking part. By 2017, when the tournament was held in Oslo, it had grown to include more than 500 players from over 50 countries.

He told Stark Talk that there are unique challenges in getting homeless people to an event abroad.

‘Some of the players in some countries don't have any identity at all, let alone a port. Brazil, for example, they're born on the street, they have names, they say they're a certain age but they don't have any identity.’

These players have to go through various processes to become officially ed before they can get the documentation needed to travel abroad.

Small team, big impact

The rapid growth of the Homeless World Cup is especially remarkable given the size of the organisation – there are just four full-time of staff.

Mexico won the tournament in 2015 and 2016

‘We didn't want to create a big istrative headquarters because then you have to go fundraising all the time.’

‘So what we've done is create this network where each country is autonomous and then buying into the brand. And that's really worked, that's why we've grown so fast, it's a a strategy that's really worked.’

Any money spent on running the Homeless World Cup is an investment that massively pays off according to Mel.

The 2016 tournament in Glasgow created $13 million in social capital.

The Homeless World Cup Foundation has created more than $364 million in social capital throughout the year via programmes from its partners around the world.

‘This is the saving to society by someone not being homeless, the amount of police time, hostel time, whatever. Then if you take them off the street you're obviously saving society that amount of money.’

‘Which means that it's billions actually that we've contributed to global society since we started.’

International acclaim

Mel’s efforts have not gone unnoticed by the establishment, both in the UK and abroad.

Sport has the power to change lives.
Mel Young

In 2016 he was given the Jackie Robinson Humanitarian Award – Michael Jordan and Ronaldo are amoung the previous winners. He also received an MBE in the Queen’s 2017 Birthday Honours List.

He’s not desperate to become a household name though.

‘I’m not a great believer of the current cult in the media of celebrity which sometimes happens. I believe if you want to change the world, and the world needs to change, all of us have a role to play as individuals’.

The interview in full

  • Stark Talk: Mel Young

    Edi Stark talks to Mel Young, one of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs. Originally a journalist by trade, it has been his mission not to report the story but to change it, which he has achieved with phenomenal success.

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