3/1 To Win
A futsal side representing the Derby County Community Trust were the winners of the FA Disability Cup at St George’s Park.
Futsal, a five-a-side variant of association football played on a hard court, was the format for the FA Disability Female Deaf Cup which was one of five finals taking place at the National Football Centre.A group of seven Under 16s girls from the Community Trust’s FA Regional Talent Centre for deaf players and projects funded by the FA disability workforce fund came together to represent Derby County against a team comprising of West Midlands Regional Talent Centre and Braidwood Academy players.
Both teams were called back for the final by the FA after impressing at an English Schools FA competition which took place earlier in the year.
The final itself was a close affair, goals from Bethan Ashford (2), Ava Osker (2), Summer Ward and Sophie Sbardella were enough to secure a 6-4 victory - and confirmed the Derby girls as winners of the FA Disability Cup.
Following the victory, Lauren Asquith from the Derby County Community Trust, said: “It was a fantastic day for all players involved, the event itself replicated a FA Cup Final experience.
“The players represented Derby County Community Trust to the highest standard possible and to play on the same court that the international futsal squads play on was a real honour.”
On the final itself she added: “It was a nail-biting second half, with Braidwood pulling back a couple of goals to make it 4-3 five minutes after the interval, the Derby girls remained unfazed, continued to display the ability we knew they were capable of and saw the game out.”
To find out more about the FA Regional Talent Centre for deaf players and disability sport at the Derby County Community Trust, please contact Lauren.Asquith@dcct.co.uk
