Jess’ blog: Why I love football

Hello, my name is Jess and I am 11 years old. I have two cochlear implants and am profoundly deaf. I communicate using speech. My hobbies are football, swimming, reading and playing with my dog, Nick.

I started playing football when I was 8 and have loved it since! I play as a defender and my favourite thing about playing football is that it is a chance to meet new friends with similar interests and that you can have fun!

My biggest achievement was winning player of the season when I was 9 years old. This was when I had only been playing football for a year, so it was nice to be recognised.

When I’m on the pitch, the other players on the team help me by repeating any instructions I didn’t hear, which is useful because it can help me to improve. I also have a very deaf aware coach as he is my step-dad!

t my club, the ladies’ team sometimes join in with our training sessions and watch our matches. This shows us the team that we could be a part of in the future.

This summer, I went to see some of the Women’s Euros games. There was a great atmosphere. I liked that there were a lot of women there who came to support their countries.

My hopes for the future are to improve, keep playing and keep enjoying it!

My top tips and advice:

• If you don’t hear something, ask a manager, coach or teammate what they said.

• If you have a cochlear implant or hearing aid that falls off if you run around, a sports headband with elastic loops sewn on can help to keep them in place.

• Try hard and don’t give up!

• Don’t let your deafness stop you from playing the sports that you love!

Thank you for reading my football blog. I hope it has inspired you to lace up your boots!

Jess