Deaf Friendly Football Club Conference

The Deaf Friendly Football Club (DFFC) Conference was held at the home of Liverpool FC on Monday 16 November 2009. The conference was an opportunity to showcase the fantastic achievements of the project over the last three years along with our plans for the next two years. We also held an awards ceremony to recognise the achievements of club and individuals who had made exceptional contributions to the project.

Alan Knight MBE, the former Portsmouth FC legend and holder of the most professional appearances by a goalkeeper, was the special guest for the day. Alan has lost some of his hearing in recent years and he thoroughly endorsed the work of the DFFC project.

“Since I have some hearing loss, I am delighted to be able to lend my support to this innovative project which breaks down the barriers that many deaf young footballers face in accessing the game.

“Access to football is extremely important for deaf children as many are isolated from activities that their hearing peers take for granted. I would urge all clubs and coaches to get involved in the Deaf Friendly Football Club project and back up NDCS in their meaningful work with deaf children.”

Alan also handed out our DFFC Awards recognising outstanding contributions to the project.

The last three years of the project has been an amazing success and has increased the opportunities for deaf children and young people, as well as raising awareness of deafness to football clubs and coaches across the country.

We have had nearly 1000 deaf children and young people attend our football festivals, tournaments and coaching sessions. By the end of this year we will have over 65 deaf friendly football clubs, from grassroots clubs to Premier League giants, such as Arsenal and Manchester United.

We have seen over 60 deaf people pass their coaching qualifications to improve standards of coaching in deaf football, and over 400 people have attended our Coaching Deaf Footballers and BSL for Football courses.

The Conference was also an opportunity for the NDCS to recognise the outstanding achievements of the last three years from those involved in the project.

The DFFC Awards were handed out by Alan Knight MBE:

Coach of the Project award - Roanna Simmons (Fulham FC) for becoming the first deaf lady to achieve the FA Level 3 coaching award in the country. Roanna now works with Fulham FC as their Head of Disability football.

Young Person of the Project award – Danielle Evans (Everton FC) 16 year old Danielle recently flew out to the Deaflympics with the Great Britain Ladies football squad. Whilst there she scored an incredible 12 goals in 5 matches! Sadly though the Ladies team just missed out on a bronze medal in the 3^rd/4^th place playoff with the USA.

Deaf Friendly Football Club of the Project – Maidstone United. Awarded to the club most dedicated to improving opportunities for deaf children in their region. The award was handed to John Harvey and Tyke Harvey for their fantastic work in helping set up deaf football in Maidstone, an achievement that eventually saw them creating 3 deaf teams for our recent football tournament in Coventry, under the Kent FA banner. They are a real example of how deaf footballers can become a real part of the community through their local club.

Partner Club of the Project – Albion in the Community, part of Brighton & Hove Albion FC. This is awarded to the club that has done the most with their funding and NDCS support to ensure that deaf football has a long term future at the club involved. They have set up a variety of opportunities in their region, as well as being proactive in raising deaf awareness amongst local clubs and coaches. The award was accepted by Nikki Richardson, Assistant Disability Development Manager of Albion in the Community.

Thank you to all the winners and all other clubs and individuals for their hard work and dedication to improving football opportunities for deaf children and young people.

You can view photos of the award winners below.

The Deaf Friendly Football Club project was pleased to announce at the Conference that the Football Foundation and Football Association have provided funding for the project to continue for a further two years from 2010-2011.

This will allow us to continue our fantastic work supporting deaf children and young people, through our popular football festivals, tournaments and coaching sessions. We will also be continuing our coaching courses for deaf people.

However, there are lots of exciting new developments too, including the set up of deaf girls football activities and even an annual deaf girls training camp!

To find out more information, please download the attachment or contact us.

You can view photos of the event and award winners receiving their plaques from Alan Knight, here.

 If you would like to get involved in the project, please contact the NDCS to find out more about our exciting plans for 2010-11!