Deaf Football Score Awards For All Funding Grant

Added: (Thu Jun 13 2002)

Pressbox (Press Release) - Deaf Alerter plc
For Immediate Release
Date: 12/06/02

Doncaster College for the Deaf football team, has secured a funding grant from the National Lottery’s Awards for All programme.

The £5,000 grant will help to develop a device called Wireless Whistle. This alerts deaf players to the referee’s whistle, giving deaf sportsmen and women the opportunity to integrate easily with hearing peers on a fairer and more equal footing. The ‘Deaf whistle’ is supported by the FA, English Federation of Disability Sport and Doncaster College for the Deaf sports department,

Deaf Alerter plc, responsible for designing and developing the Wireless Whistle, are working closely with Doncaster Deaf football team and the English Deaf Football Team and its Coaches to ensure the system meets the needs of the game at every level. The removal of the communication barrier by this project will inevitably revolutionise deaf sport.

Jon Smith, Coach for the English Deaf Football Team, said “We are looking forward to using the Wireless Whistle from the very foundation; Grassroots right through to Premiership and International Football. We’ve already conducted trials using the device and I believe it will make a significant improvement to the way in which the game is conducted, overcoming the technical issues of coaching and refereeing. Getting this award is a great achievement and aid to deaf sport, not just football.”

The Wireless Whistle will benefit a broad spectrum of the deaf sporting community, it is hoped that on completion of the project, the Wireless Whistle will increase player participation and ability.

For more information please contact Liz Parslow, Deaf Alerter plc, Enfield House, 303 Burton Road, Derby, DE23 6AG Tel (01332) 363 981 Fax (01332) 293 267
Minicom (01332) 291 921 lizp@deaf-alerter.com or info@deaf-alerter.com

Jon Smith, Assistant Coach England Deaf Football, Doncaster College For the Deaf, Ledger Way, Doncaster, DN2 6AY, Tel (01302) 341 462 josmith@yrds-dcd.org.uk

For an Awards For All application pack please call 0845 600 20 40 or visit www.awardsforall .org.uk

Note to the Editor
The Royal National Institute for the Deaf estimate 8.7million people in the UK are affected by deafness and hearing loss. Statistics show this figure is steadily increasing; by 2005 it is expected to be in the region of 10.2 million. The probability that everyone who reads this will be affected at some point during his or her life, either directly or through someone close, is virtually unavoidable.

Jon Smith, Assistant Coach to the English Deaf Football Team on behalf of Doncaster Deaf football team, approached Deaf Alerter plc to come up with an effective method of contacting Deaf players on the football field, as problems had been experienced getting players to stop, stay in position and giving on field instructions.

Derby-based company Deaf Alerter plc are widely known within the deaf community as the market leading designer and manufacturer of fire alarm and messaging systems for deaf and hard of hearing people, in support of the Disabilities Discrimination Act.

Each player will be equipped with a small vibrating alerter, worn at the top of the arm on the inside surface and held in place in a pocket within a sweatband.

The Referee/Coach has a pocket-sized transmitter (ideally worn in the breast pocket of a shirt). When the whistle is sounded, a radio signal is sent to the players’ alerter which will then vibrate for 4 seconds.

As radio waves travel faster than sound, the players will be in receipt of the whistle notification almost immediately.

Useful Websites
Deaf Alerter plc www.deaf-alerter.com
English Federation of Disability Sport www.efds.co.uk
Doncaster College for the Deaf www.ddt-dcd.org .uk


Pictures available, were taken at Doncaster College for the Deaf on Wednesday 29th May. A five-a-side memorial tournament was held in conjunction with Doncaster College in remembrance of Bradley Knapton, a student of Doncaster College.

(DCS00001)Members of Doncaster Deaf Football Team and England Deaf Football Team. Left to Right: Top Michael Morgans, Sam Kitchin, Samba coker, Taljinder Singh and Daniel Hogan. Bottom Sharon Molloy, Vicky Sowden and Steff Burns

(DCS00002)Doncaster College for the Deaf handing over the cheque for £5,000 to Deaf Alerter to facilitate the development of the Wireless Whistle. Left to Right:
Jon Smith, England Deaf Football Coach, Doncaster Deaf footballer Samba Coker, Liz Parslow Deaf Alerter plc Marketing Manager, Ronnie Branson England Deaf Football Technical Director.