England strike gold for the first time in Futsal history

England's Deaf Women's futsal team have become European champions after claiming first place at the Deaf European Futsal Finals for the first time in history on Saturday.

Futsal is a fast-paced sport that requires lots of technical skills in a restricted space. This  type of football is played between two teams of five players on a hard surface, usually indoors, with a smaller, heavier ball, different to that of a normal football. Due to the weight of the ball, it usually remains on the ground during the play. Teams can use an unlimited amount of substitute players as they battle on the pitch.

The major international championship games went on for 10 days and saw the deaf Lionesses through to victory. After an intense game against Germany on day eight which started with England down 2-1, the Women's Deaf futsal team clawed their way back on top and won 7-3 against Germany. This already was a great success for the British team who had previously been beaten by Germany in three previous semi-finals. This great performance took England to the finals where they would go head to head with team Spain. This was already a remarkable day for team England being that it was their first final since Moscow 2006 in which they took home second place.

England’s deaf Women’s futsal team rose to the challenge for their match against Spain which resulted in a 3-2 win for the Lionesses as they claimed the first ever gold medals for any English Futsal team. The crowds sat in suspense as the final was a slow burner until the second half. It was only then that teammate, Rose Kent, scored a hat-trick, showing off her immense strength and skill as a player for team England. Team Spain was unable to make a comeback after this, leaving the lionesses to claim victory. Team Spain thus came second and team Poland claimed bronze.

At the awards ceremony, many acknowledgements were made for England's deaf women's futsal team players. Zara Musker won the Golden Boot for top goalscorer, Maisie O'Shea won Most Valuable Player and both players were named in the top 5 all-star women’s team of the tournament. Musker said: “What an honour to be named in the best 5 female players in Europe alongside the women’s top goal scorer. Couldn’t have done it without the team & staff.” Their coach, Marios Costi, won Best Manager as well.

It has been a fantastic achievement from our deaf Women’s Futsal Team who are yet to prepare for the World Championships in Brazil next year.