Futsal stars seize chance to wear the green jersey
SOME of Ireland’s World Cup heroes from this summer in Australia appeared in a video on Friday to support another Irish team who are beginning their own World Cup adventure in Brazil this weekend.
The women’s deaf futsal side are in a tough group, having lost 5-1 to Germany in their opener on Friday before a 2-1 defeat to Argentina yesterday. They will also line up against the hosts tomorrow. But that shouldn’t lessen the achievement of the team getting there.
Futsal is the official version of five-a-side football. The games, which are 30 minutes a half, are played on an indoor hard court. It is fast-paced and the players do not wear implants or hearing aids while playing and have to communicate with each other using sign language.
Ireland qualified for the World
Cup in last year’s European Championships. After losing to eventual winners Poland in the quarter-finals, they beat Sweden in the fifth-placed play-off to secure a place in Sao Paolo. The team arrived in Brazil after a long journey last Tuesday, so they didn’t have much time to settle in before their first game.
Since the first European deaf futsal championship was held in 2006, Ireland have been entering men’s and women’s teams. And with the support of bodies such as the FAI, Sport Ireland and, most significantly, Deaf Sports Ireland, the teams have made real progress in the past 17 years.
Deaf Sports Ireland came into existence back in 1968, with a vision to empower deaf athletes to become the best version of their athletic selves. Based out of the Deaf Village in Cabra, Dublin, they currently cater for athletes in a wide range of sports, from futsal and football to badminton and swimming. But the achievement of the Irish side, that includes players from Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Cork and Dublin, is remarkable.
As Ireland defender Louise Quinn said on social media on Friday, she knows what it is like to represent Ireland and wear the crest at the World Cup. And now the deaf futsal team will experience it. They should savour every moment.