GB DEAF TEAM TAKE ON US
On Saturday 28 July, Great Britain's National Deaf Football team faced the US Deaf Soccer team in the final match of the visitors' UK tour. Starting at 3pm, the match took place at the Hadley Disabled Sports Association Sports Ground, in Brickfield Lane, Arkley, Hertfordshire.
US team member Scott Rinehart said: "It was a good game, pretty even on both sides. The game ended 0-0, after we failed to capitalize on a couple of scoring opportunities but managed to control the defense and prevented scoring opportunities for Great Britain. Our team captain, Mike Lawson did a great job of controlling the midfield despite only being 75% fit due to a groin injury.
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THE GB DEAF TEAM
"The play was physical and GB defender Jason Corbett was sent off after retaliating due to frustration. All in all, it was great experience for our team and we look forward to playing again in the 2008 Deaf World Football Championship and 2009 Deaflympics."
Now 27, Scott's deafness was diagnosed when he was two and a half years old. Like many kids, his parents introduced him to football at the age of four as a way to burn off all his energy, but as his hearing loss became more profound, the game became Scott's sanctuary.
In 2005 Scott had an operation to fit a Nucleus cochlear implant - a surgically implanted electronic device that converts sound waves into electrical impulses and directly stimulates the inner ear. Since then, his work and social life has improved enormously and Scott has found it much easier to pass on his football skills to the kids he coaches now that he can understand their questions.
Scott says: "I love soccer. It has a language of its own - one that I could always understand no matter how good or bad my hearing was. It's such a simple game with simple rules, simple equipment, and simple concepts, but impossible to master. I love the challenge and the team camaraderie. The US Deaf Soccer team has brought another dimension of soccer to me.
"Where I used to be the only one on the field with hearing loss, now everyone on my team has hearing loss. When I've played with hearing footballers in the past, some have got frustrated when they were yelling for me to pass the ball and I didn't hear them. I learned quickly to make sure and tell the referee before the game that I have hearing loss. More than once I've been given a card for play after a whistle."
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US Coach Ken MacDonald says: "I've been trying for over a year to make this happen. Great Britain are by far the best Deaf football team in the world, it's an honour for me as an Englishman to be taking part in this game."
