They had received some funding from the Social Welfare Department to start the project, but had no plans on how to raise the HK$250,000 needed to get the team to the tournament in Edinburgh in Scotland. So I agreed to help. I talked to a few of my business friends and we managed to raise the money.

That was the first time Hong Kong went to the Homeless World Cup. We went again last year to Cape Town in South Africa. That first year, 27 teams took part and we came 21st. Last year there were 47 teams in Cape Town and we came something like 43rd.

But it is not the result, but the participation, that's important. Every year we try to recruit as many players as possible - about 16 to 20. Of these, only eight get selected to represent Hong Kong.

Our players have a good range of ages, between 22 and 53 years. They are not professional players with the exception of one who used to play in the A division, but due to some problems he became homeless. He was our star player in that first tournament.

This year the event will start on July 29 in Copenhagen in Denmark. We have already formed a team but recruitment is still going on for players and we are in doubt about funding. In 2006, we were fortunate enough to get sponsorship from the Jockey Club. This year we need HK$300,000 and have applied again to the Jockey Club but we don't know if we will get funding.

We do have a contingency plan, and on May 26 and 27 we are staging an event - the Kick-Off Poverty Charity Tournament - to raise money.

Any team or company can participate if they pay HK$15,000.

It is a worthy cause, which can bring the homeless back into society. According to the tournament organisers, more than 70 per cent of those who take part find the experience changes their lives. Some go back to study, a couple turn into professional footballers while others get jobs and find homes.

We believe there are between 600 to 800 homeless people in Hong Kong. But no one should be homeless here. If you are unemployed, you can get money from the government. But most of these people are homeless because they have problems. They may be into drugs, they may be ex-convicts or they may be problem gamblers.

In 2005, when we tried to recruit for the team they thought we were telling them fantasies. They never dreamed of going to Scotland to play football and representing Hong Kong. Now it is very popular among the homeless people. They really want to play and be part of the team. The regular training gives meaning to their lives and helps get rid of bad habits. The social workers involved in the programme help them apply for housing and get jobs.

I cannot say we have a 100 per cent success rate. Some get frustrated at not getting selected for the team and go back to their old ways. But in most cases it is very positive. In the first year, out of those eight members who went to Edinburgh, every one now has a job and not one is homeless. Some have stayed with the team as volunteers.

In the recent tournament, the team captain was 28. He used to study graphic design at university in Taiwan but due to family problems, he dropped out and ended up homeless in Hong Kong. Now he has a job and is going back to study design in the evenings. He is back in society.