Nine girls who played for England at the Street Child World Cup in Brazil – a team partly organised by Islington Council – are set to spend tonight sleeping rough for charity

The young footballers, who have all experienced homelessness or had to leave their family homes as children, will join more than 50 other participants at the Big City Sleep in Spitalfields Market, in the City.

Cash from the event will help Street Child World Cup and Action For Brazil Children’s Trust raise awareness and support for street children worldwide.

In April, the girls joined 230 former street children at the Street Child World Cup, held in association with Save The Children in Rio de Janeiro.

Since returning home, Team England have continued to support young people’s rights by starring in a BBC Three documentary and enrolling in a mentoring programme organised by Deutsche Bank and New Horizon Youth Centre in central London.

A statement issued on behalf of the team, said; “We have decided to raise money for the young people we met in Rio,

“Being from a country like England with opportunities around every corner, we feel we are in the perfect situation to help support and raise awareness for the young people and the projects that support them.”

Team England was recruited by New Horizons Youth Centre and Independent Futures, run by Islington Council, and supported by Deutsche Bank as part of its Born To Be programme in partnership with homelessness charity StreetSmart.

John Wroe, chief executive officer at Street Child World Cup, said: “This is a global issue and the Team England girls are fantastic examples of how, with a safety net of support, even the most vulnerable children can have a bright future.

“We’re very proud that the girls are continuing to support the rights of those children still living on the streets across the world.”

To sponsor the girls, click here