Photo: Doron Hafif
Thursday 26 November 2020
UEFA.com
DSC Dolphins Ashdod from Israel are first-time competitors in the UEFA Futsal Champions League, and there is one detail about them that stands out – their squad is made up entirely of deaf and hard of hearing players.
Deaf Sports Club Dolphins Ashdod, to give them their full name, are among 15 debutants in this season’s competition <www.uefa.com/uefafutsalchampionsleague/> and meet Romania’s United Galati in the preliminary round later this week. Victory would secure entry to a round of 32 that includes holders Barcelona.
The team made history in Israel by becoming national champions despite their competitive disadvantage, and will be seeking to replicate that success on the continental stage.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-ebt-p3MbY&feature=emb_title
To create a level playing field, Ashdod’s matches see futsal’s two pitch-side referees adopt the use of flags, as well as whistles, to signal stoppages in play. A sign language interpreter joins the team’s coach on the touchline to help communicate with the players on the pitch.
Ashdod are not the first disabled team to enter a UEFA futsal competition. Doncaster College for the Deaf, the 2005 English futsal champions, participated in the 2006/07 UEFA Futsal Cup, bowing out in the preliminary round.
The Association for the Encouragement of the Deaf Athlete of Ashdod operates in a number of areas of activity. The Dolphins Ashdod futsal team are defined as the association’s flagship project, enjoying considerable success in recent years.
2020 UEFA Futsal Champions League final highlights: Barça 2-1 Murcia
The team have won seven Israeli championships and four state cups as part of the futsal competitions that come under Israel’s Deaf Sports Association, and two European Deaf Champions League Futsal titles, in 2018 and 2019.
In addition, the team won the Israeli professional futsal league title, under the management of the Israel Football Association. “We have put the city of Ashdod on the map,” says Nadav Cohen, the club’s chief operating officer.
The Ashdod association’s chairman, Yacov Oliel, added: “The futsal team’s achievements in Israel and abroad have brought great pride to the entire community in the field of sports, especially when it comes to a team that consists of people with hearing disabilities.
“It is a great source of pride for us to represent the city of Ashdod in particular, and Israel in general, in such a prestigious UEFA tournament. We have set ourselves a goal to continue our tradition of success, and to create a great history for the team and all its supporters.”
