Deaf squad honoured
Friday, 08 August, 2008
The England Women's Deaf Squad were guests at The FA Women's Community Shield on 7 August.
The England Women’s Deaf Squad were recognised for their recent bronze medal achievement at The FA Women’s Community Shield in Macclesfield on 7 August.
England finished third at the first Deaf World Cup in Greece last month with a resounding victory over South Africa having narrowly lost their semi final to eventual champions, Russia, in extra time.
The FA’s National Manager for Women’s Football, Rachel Pavlou, was delighted to see the squad honoured at The Women's Community Shield where a solitary Kelly Smith goal gave Arsenal a 1-0 victory over Everton.
“It was a fantastic achievement to win the bronze medal at the World Cup and it was brilliant to see them receive such a positive response from all the fans at Macclesfield Town on Thursday night.”
All the girls representing England have a hearing loss of 55 decibels or more in their strongest ear while several players are profoundly deaf and rely on lip reading and sign language for communication.
The team, who were joined on the pitch at Macclesfield by The FA Women’s Committee and Disability Advisory Group member Sue Hough, also doubles up as England’s female Deaf Futsal representatives and preparations for the 2010 European Championships begin early next year.