Supporting a sports team

Whether you’re a dedicated season ticket holder or just love watching on TV, we have advice on making sure deaf sports fans have the best match day experience.

Going to a sports match

Nothing compares to the atmosphere of a live sports match, both for deaf and hearing fans!

When attending a busy match, the crowd can be loud. This can affect how deaf fans communicate during the game. 

If you or your child usually uses speech, you may want to think about alternative ways to communicate during the match. This could include:

• Using a pen and paper to write messages.
• Typing out things on a phone or other device.
• Practising signs for possible situations during the match (for example – asking for a drink or snack).
• Using a radio aid. 

Watching sports on TV

These days, more and more sports are televised with subtitles. As the match is broadcast live, the subtitles can have a short delay, but they can be useful for following commentary. 

Some major broadcasters, such as the BBC and Channel 4, also offer a selection of sports coverage with British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation. 

There are also a number of TV shows for sports fans in BSL:

• Sign Up on TNT Sports is a BSL YouTube show, showcasing interviews with football stars.
• LumoTV (formerly BSL Zone) has a large selection of BSL sports content, including shows on rugby, futsal and the Deaflympics.

Deaf sports

There are loads of amazing deaf sports teams and talented deaf athletes that you can support. There are international deaf teams for all sorts of sports, including football, rugby, cricket and basketball (Facebook page).

The Deaflympics is the second oldest multiple sports competition in the world. Every four years, elite deaf athletes compete for medals in all sorts of sports, including swimming, cycling and martial arts. 

The 2025 Summer Deaflympics will be held in Tokyo, Japan. You can watch events on the Deaflympics YouTube channel.