Celebration of inclusivity and excellence in football

Last weekend we hosted the GB Mens Deaf Team to assist their fundraising pledge to get to the Deaflympics in Tokyo in November. The match was a celebration of skill, spirit, and inclusivity in the beautiful game.

Great Britain last won gold at the Deaflympics exactly 20 years ago, in 2005 — and they’re aiming to make history once again. The squad is currently in the selection process, and matches like last Saturday’s are a vital part of getting the team ready.

All players on the GB Deaf Team are deaf, and to qualify they must have an average hearing loss of 55 decibels or more in their best ear. In international deaf competitions, they play without hearing aids or cochlear implants. Many of the players use British Sign Language, lipreading, or visual and gestural communication — and a key difference is that the referee uses a flag instead of a whistle.

The team is managed by Memnos Costi — one of the most successful managers in deaf football, with multiple Deaf Champions League titles under his belt.

This journey to Tokyo is entirely self-funded, so if you’re able to donate or support the team’s fundraising efforts, it would be hugely appreciated. Every bit helps these incredible athletes represent Great Britain on the world stage.

Our Cambridge City XI’s team comprised mainly of our u18 players with a couple of additions. A special thanks to Josh Coulson , Michaela Cipriani, Milo Barton and Finlay Fletcher who gave up their time to support such a worthwhile cause too and raise funds for GB.

City gave a great account of themselves, in a close hard fought game, and ran out as 2-1 winners. A wonderful individual goal from Michaela Cipriani, beating several players before shooting from range, and a confident penalty from our own Kaius Genevasi were enough to seal the result.

Our GB opponents were an absolute joy to host and we wish them the very best in their attempt to win gold in Tokyo. We will be following their progress, but before that hope they manage to reach their next fundraising target of 200k to get them to Tokyo, sadly they don’t get any government funding, they are busy fundraising and applying for grants or sponsorship.

If you can spare a moment to support their campaign please do so here https://www.gofundme.com/f/get-gbmen-and-women-deaf-football-teams-to-the-deaflympic

If you’d like to support our journey to the Deaflympics, please get in touch at gbdfsponsorship@gmail.com.