"The Homies & the Popz," a cricket club based in Compton, is heading south.
"The only all-American-born cricket team in the world today" has matches scheduled for February in Melbourne, Alice Springs and Sydney. In addition to games, the tour is also about goodwill, as the team has partnered with a few Australian charities.
The club, originally known as the LA Krickets, started more than 14 years ago and is now comprised of Latino and African American ex-gang members and homeless men.
"It reminded me of a cross between the Jamaican bobsled team and [the film] Boyz n the Hood. They're doing a positive thing in the community and using an innovative way to do it," Hugh Snelgrove, the team's Australian ambassador, told the Sydney Morning Herald.
During a trip to England in 1995, President Bill Clinton dubbed the players "goodwill ambassadors." Since then, the team has been living up to that moniker. The Homies returned to the UK in 1997, 1999 and 2001.
This is the first time an all-American cricket club will tour Australia, according to the team.
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