Tom Vaughan-Lawlor to star alongside Bill Nighy in Homeless World Cup film

Tom Vaughan-Lawlor will join Bill Nighy, Michael Ward, Callum Scott Howells, Kit Young, Sheyi Cole and Robin Nazari in Netflix's The Beautiful Game.

Former Love/Hate actor Tom Vaughan-Lawlor is slated to star in a new Netflix film about the annual Homeless World Cup soccer tournament.

Leading The Beautiful Game, which has commenced production in Rome, will be Bill Nighy and Michael Ward.

Nighy plays the coach of the English homeless soccer team who travel to Rome to compete in the global tournament.

In a last minute decision, the team decide to bring along talented striker, Vinny - played by Ward. But Vinny must confront his issues and once-promising past in order to help his team to victory and to move on with his life.

A number of former players from the real tournament have been invited to take part in filming both in Rome and London.

Producers say they have been working closely with the Homeless World Cup Foundation and writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce was met with players whose real-life stories have inspired the film.

Mel Young, President and Founder of the Homeless World Cup Foundation, has expressed his excitement about the upcoming film.

Through the foundation and the tournament, Mr Young and his team have impacted the lives of over 1.2 million homeless people since 2003.

"The Homeless World Cup is our contribution to tackling the homeless problem across the globe but there is so much more to do," said Mr Young.

"We have proved just how powerful football can be when it is applied to a social problem and we will keep striving to do more."

He hopes the release of The Beautiful Game inspires people to join in and support future Homeless World Cups and hopes that "together we can all aim to end homelessness forever".

Blueprint Pictures' Graham Broadbent describes the film as showing the joy, drama and excitement of the tournament as well as showing the enormous potential of people left behind by society.

"The Beautiful Game is a film about succeeding against the odds."