A Sheffield resident has been selected to represent the England Deaf Football Team at the Championships in Antalya.
Will Palmer, 22, is a striker for the England Deaf Football Team with the squad training hard for the tournament which will start on the 20th of May.
Mr Palmer said: “We want to show the younger generations with a disability that deafness should not be a barrier and we want to be role models.”
The team recently headed to Portugal for a warm weather training camp, which consisted of a mix of training and games to prepare for the tournament.
Mr Palmer also said: “I am not the type of person to say I want five goals at a tournament, I want to be a reliable player that can impact the game and can be counted on all the time.”
Mr Palmer had previously been injured and only returned to playing competitively in April.
On his return to competitive football, Mr Palmer participated in the Deaf Champions League with Farsley Celtic FC, scoring 2 goals, which led to a 3rd place finish.
Will Perkins, one of the coaching staff for the squad, said: “The tournament is going to be tough, with hot conditions and a number of high-quality teams but we are confident of doing well.”
The squad achieved a top 10 finish in the 4th World Deaf Football Championships in Kuala Lumpur last year, losing to Turkey 4-3 in the 9th-10th place play-off.
Deaf football has a few adaptations to mainstream 11 a side football, with referees raising a flag whilst they blow their whistle to stop the game as well as players having to remove any hearing aids or cochlear implants on the international stage.
More information about the squad selected and the tournament itself can be found at: https://www.englandfootball.com/articles/2024/Apr/16/england-deaf-mens-european-championship-squad-20240416
