Deaf Football Festival Great Success

Norwich City's Football in the Community Team held their first Deaf Football Festival last week at Carrow Park.

In partnership with NDCS (National Deaf Children's Society) and Active Norfolk, the day was all about giving children who are deaf or have a hearing impairment the opportunity to take part in coaching sessions, fun games and matches as well as a ground tour of NCFC, with their deaf peers.

Around 30 children from 6-16 yrs old attended the Football Festival, which was officially opened by Community Ambassador and former Norwich City favorite Jeremy Goss.

The football festival was part of a NDCS project designed to make football more accessible to all deaf children. Norwich City has committed to the project and over the course of the next three years, with the support of the NDCS, will be holding regular weekly coaching sessions for deaf footballers as well as providing deaf children the chance to join the new Norwich City Deaf Football Club and play in competitions

FITC Disability Officer Darran Lovell said ‘ It was great to attract so many boys and girls from the deaf community to Norwich for the festival. It was nice to see the NDCS pin point Norwich City as the first club to become involved in their national project and we hope that we have set an example for other clubs to get involved'.

Community Ambassador Goss added ‘The enthusiasm shown by the FITC coaches, added by the fantastic facilities at Carrow Park enabled all the children to have a magnificent time. The amount of smiles that I saw during the course of the day only confirms to me how important these type of events are, and I commend everybody who was involved on the day'.

Hayley Brown, NDCS Sports and Leisure Activities Officer says:

"In the UK today there is a real lack of football opportunities available from grassroots to elite level for deaf children and young people. Deafness makes it harder for children to communicate which can be very isolating. Many deaf children and young people find it difficult to participate in football because clubs are not set up to provide good communication"

Football in the Community are now running a specific Deaf Soccer Center on Tuesday evenings from 6pm-7pm at Carrow Park starting on 22^nd May. The center is open to boys and girls from 6-16 yrs old and the 10 week course costs just £20.

If you require an application form or more information please contact the FITC Office on 01603 761122 or email [email protected]