Campaign Aims To Help Deaf Children Access Football

A grassroots football club has started a campaign to raise awareness of the inclusion of deaf children in the game.

HS Sports, run by Harvey Scholes in Swindon, has made minor adjustments to its communication, which has allowed two young players to play alongside their hearing team-mates.

The campaign has been backed by Swindon Town FC manager, Ian Holloway, who said “it’s about time”, adding there is “no reason a deaf boy or girl couldn’t end up playing top flight football”.

Mr Scholes, who wants other clubs to follow their lead, said he wanted to share the journey of “talented” Stanley and Jacob to show what is possible.

Nine-year-old Stanley was born deaf and received cochlear implants at 14 months old. He plays for three teams, including the England deaf football team.

“I want to get to the level they [Premier League players] are, and work harder and harder,” he said.

He plays alongside Jacob, 10, who wears hearing aids and also plays for three teams – and dreams of playing in the Premier League.

Jacob admitted that it can sometimes be difficult on the pitch with information coming from all directions, but that it has not affected his love for the game.

“Sometimes you mishear your coach, or your players, and sometimes what you need to do,” he said.

They feature in a video made and shared on social media by Mr Scholes, and which has been viewed thousands of times.

Jacob’s dad, Aarron, said he hopes this will stop talented young players with hearing loss being overlooked.

“The looks he gets due to having hearing aids, what we find is they’re seen as a barrier,” he said.

“Just because he has a disability, it doesn’t make a difference. There’s no inability in his work.”

Mr Holloway, who has three deaf children, said being deaf is “something to be proud of”, but added “unfortunately the rest of the world doesn’t always buy into it”.

He said that provided football clubs approach inclusivity correctly, it should not stop young players achieving their goals.

“You need written things everywhere, so they can point at it,” he said.

“As long as we do it correctly… there’s no reason a deaf boy or girl couldn’t end up playing top flight football.”