Jamie Clarke

A charismatic and dedicated Scotsman for a manager, an iconic English striker and a team that doesn’t stop working to achieve their goals. A sentence that could describe a Manchester United side in their prime but is just as accurate when describing England’s Men’s Deaf team.

I was lucky enough to be invited to St George’s Park to see the team at work and get a first-hand experience of what it felt like to be involved with the squad. The harmony in the squad was evident to see from the off and the careful selection of coaching staff by Andy Smith only enhanced the communication. Due to some players preferring sign language and others using hearing aids and talking aloud, there is the potential for a breakdown of dialogue within the camp. Instead, what I witnessed was two coaches working in tandem with each other to make sure every single player in the squad received whatever message was being sent. Whilst one was speaking aloud, the other would translate whatever was being said into British sign language (BSL). Throughout the drills in training, the interviews with media staff and even at mealtimes, there was always someone on hand to help translate into or from BSL to ensure the entire day went without a hitch.

Linking up at St. George’s Park, manager Andy Smith and his team began their preparations for the 2023 World Championship which will be held in South Korea. Having access to the world class facilities on offer will hopefully see the squad match the same success that England’s other senior teams have achieved in recent times but it wasn’t always like this. Over the last 15 years, Deaf football has seen a huge improvement in the opportunities given to players and the recognition they so clearly deserve. Someone at the forefront of this is Jamie Clarke. One of deaf football’s most prominent names, the striker has made over 60 international appearances for his country and has garnered attention from across the world. He started his footballing career with offers to play for various academies but it wasn’t until his late teen years that he found the right path for him. He explained, “When I was around 16, I was playing football for my county team. I came home one day and saw a letter with the England logo on it. It said I had been given a trial which was just unbelievable to me. My parents were very emotional and that is when we first realised there was a deaf football community.”

The UK is yet to really embrace deaf football and players like Jamie are doing everything they can to help grow the game so more and more people can enjoy it. One way they are hoping to expand the community is to have some big-name Premier League or EFL teams establish official deaf teams so it becomes more common and people hear more about those teams. Jamie explained that whilst one team has taken the initiative, it would be hugely encouraging to see more follow; “Big footballing clubs should have their own deaf teams. Brighton has a deaf team which is good but it would be good to see more teams do it. The awareness isn’t there yet. There are still some deaf people out there that we haven’t reached and still need to find and get them involved. There is always a new player that just appears, and you think ‘where did he come from’ and we need to keep getting the information out and hopefully more teams getting involved will help that.”

One thing that was clear to see was the need for more football clubs to join in and grow the deaf football community. The talent and quality of the players are unquestionable but only one Premier League side has a registered deaf team playing in the English Deaf Football league and cups in Brighton and Hove Albion. Only 11 teams compete in the English League which means the routes into the league and the playing opportunities might not reach some players who could be an undiscovered star. The FA have done a fantastic job in supporting the national team but the domestic game is still lacking unfortunately. Of the 11 teams currently competing in England, five compete in the North league and six in the South. To be able to number that would allow a national league instead of two smaller ones would be huge as it would allow for a much more familiar format of competition which could encourage more funding and enable the players and coaches the chance to get paid what they deserve. The deaf game is moving toward this and hopefully in a few years we will have reached that target but there is still work to be done.

With a lot less funding than that of professional hearing footballers, every penny counts for deaf teams. Having to pay for transport, wages and maintenance without the bumper finance of the TV deals that hearing clubs benefit from means that most of the money in the deaf football community is spread thin. Jamie hopes that more companies will start to back deaf teams as they see the quality that is regularly on show in the deaf league. “Sponsorship money is so important for us being able to compete. At St Johns DFC we have just got a new sponsor which allows us to cover our costs in the deaf champions league. The deaf world is usually a bit more limited in that way. I feel positive for the future and we just have to keep doing what we are doing. We have to work twice as hard to get recognised and attract sponsorship, but we are used to it.”