Taran Jones was staying in a shelter when a friend suggested he come out to kick the ball around with a street soccer team in the Downtown Eastside.
Jones was skeptical, having never played soccer before and being new to the city. But there was a promise of pizza after the practice, so he went.
Ten months since that first time out on the pitch at Andy Livingstone Park with the Covenant House team, 21-year-old Jones, a native of Saskatchewan, plays in goal for his team four times a week and credits the Beautiful Game with turning his troubled life around.
The non-profit Vancouver Street Soccer League, founded in 2009, is a low-barrier recreational league for teens and adults who struggle with homelessness, addiction or mental health.
The League has nine teams and approximately 100 players.
Through the confidence and connections he gained playing soccer, Jones is now working full-time at a retail job in Burnaby and living in his own apartment.
Achieving a “normal” life was no small feat for Jones, who said he had struggled since he and his twin brother were placed in government care when they were six years old.
Jones said he was frightened and uncomfortable in foster care so often ran away.
By age 11, he had lived in 16 foster homes. By 15 he was in trouble with the law.
“I was always fighting, fighting, fighting,” he said.
Last spring after completing his sentence, he came to B.C. for a fresh start.
Through the street soccer league he found the family, acceptance and guidance he lacked.
“If I need help with anything they are always there to push me in the right direction or just to give me some advice on what I need to do,” said Jones.
Volunteer coach Arun Agha said one of the main goals of the league is to foster mentorship.
Agha, 26, said in the four years he has been volunteering with the league he has seen many older players gain confidence and come to guide the younger generation.
Dennis Munroe, 41, joined Team Central a year ago because he was homeless and wanted to add routine to his life and get in shape.
He has since become a league mentor, spending time with the younger players talking about soccer or just kicking the ball.
“They tell me, ‘oh I would have been drinking all afternoon, but instead I am at the park,’” Munroe recalled.
Last year, Munroe organized a fundraising campaign to help the team attend a street soccer tournament on Vancouver Island over the summer.
According to Agha, events that take the players out of the city and away from some of the adversity they face, if only for a few days, help to build networks and foster self-esteem.
In August, Jones attended the Homeless World Cup in Poland. It was his first trip on an airplane.
The team played about 13 games in seven days, but it was the off-pitch camaraderie that meant the most.
“There was no leaving anyone out,” he said.
Jones said a common refrain heard from players from all nations was how much soccer had turned their lives around.
“Like they say, a ball can change the world, and definitely I believe it now,” he said.
For more info to go vancouverstreetsoccer.com.
