The Big Issue

The picture shows Steve (on the left) with two of his best mates in England.

Steve’s story

Steve has been training as a Street Socceroo at Fitzroy for about 12 months. Steve is from England and hails from St Helens in the north-west. “I was a jockey for 17 years so have always been pretty fit. As a kid I also played a lot of Rugby”.

Steve has a nine year old son called William. “We spend lots of time together playing X-box, kicking the footy and just hanging out”.

“In the past I had problems with alcohol and I was in a rehab called Quinn House when I saw a poster on the wall saying come down and train. I went down and George and Bushy made me feel welcome”.

When asked what he likes most about being a Street Socceroo, Steve says “I like having ‘a crack’ (a laugh) with the lads, I really like playing football. It keeps me fit and it gives me something to look forward to. It breaks the week up and stops it being monotonous. I also play for the Caulfield Cougars FC in a Sunday League which is really competitive; it’s a chance to improve my game even further”.

Steve is really looking forward to the Victorian State Camp and meeting other Socceroos from around Victoria. He says, “I guess this is what we train for. I’ve got my fingers crossed that I will make the Homeless World Cup, it would be nice to play for Australia. If I do make the team and come up against England I will be like- sorry boys, I don’t live in England anymore!”.

“I have also been to a few Victory games which were great and I have also seen to an Australia play”.

“I have been on the straight and narrow for 10 ½ months now and soccer has helped me with that, as has attending regular AA meetings and being a dad!”

Steve is presently part of The Big Issue’s Adopt a Team project and spends much of his week talking to school children about his journey. “It is such a pleasure telling kids about my life so they can learn from my mistakes, I have been so surprised how well they listen and take it on board”.