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April 12, 2024
As the premier partner of the Home Nations Football Associations, leading British mobile company EE has launched a groundbreaking inclusivity campaign, “Support. It’s In Your Hands,” dedicated to fostering greater inclusion of the UK’s Deaf community within football. This initiative is part of EE’s commitment to championing diversity and accessibility in sports across disability and para, grassroots and women’s football communities.
In the United Kingdom, approximately 1.2 million adults suffer from hearing loss severe enough to hinder conversational speech, with projections indicating a growing number of hearing-impaired individuals over time. However, despite these statistics, there are only around 150,000 British Sign Language (BSL) signers in the UK, 87,000 of whom are Deaf.
In collaboration with the FA, EE introduced innovative training jerseys adorned with BSL, ensuring that Deaf BSL users see themselves accurately represented in the game they love. With an estimated 87,000 BSL users across the UK, this initiative wants to break down barriers and create a more inclusive sporting environment for all.
The England women’s national football team, affectionately known as the Lionesses, proudly sported the BSL jerseys as they warmed up for their inaugural Euro 2025 qualifier against Sweden this past weekend. Each jersey featured the player’s name spelled out in the BSL fingerspelling alphabet, symbolizing both a celebration of BSL and a crucial aspect of EE’s wider inclusivity campaign to make football more accessible to all fans.
Following the game between the Lionesses and Sweden, football fans were able to bid on the players’ BSL-signed training jerseys. All auction proceeds went towards supporting the Royal Association for Deaf People, further demonstrating EE’s dedication to making a tangible difference in the lives of Deaf individuals.
As part of the initiative, the company also partnered with football stars such as Harry Kane, Rachel Corsie, Sarina Wiegman and Dion Charles to upskill the nation in BSL and ensure that BSL users are integral parts of the broader football conversation. Through their involvement, these athletes aim to “use sport as a catalyst to encourage the use of sign language in deaf and non-deaf communities.” Accessible via the EE Learnsmart portal, the international stars filmed short videos teach BSL phrases.
Since 2002, BSL has been recognized as the official language of England, Wales, and Scotland. This rich and expressive language utilizes hand gestures and facial expressions to communicate. In a promising development, BSL will soon be recognized as a General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) subject in 2025, aimed at fostering greater participation in sign language among English school-goers. EE aims to leverage the popularity of football to further raise awareness about BSL and the Deaf community.
“By promoting BSL during a high-profile competitive game between two of the best sides in the world, we hope to encourage both deaf and non-deaf communities to embrace this essential form of communication,” said Pete Jeavons, EE’s Marketing Communication Director.
The “Support. It’s In Your Hands” campaign was developed in collaboration with Havas Play UK, an advertising service dedicated to connecting brands with fans. The Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD) and the Home Nations Football Associations joined forces with EE to create a film showcasing the integration of BSL in football at all levels. This film underscores how communication among referees, players, and others already naturally aligns with BSL, illustrating how football and BSL “go hand in hand.”
The film will also be played at England’s sold out friendly against Brazil at Wembley Stadium connected by EE and allocating two of its mascot spaces to deaf children who will sign the National Anthem with guidance from RAD’s accredited British Sign Language performer.
“As footballers, it is important to use out platform to spread messages of inclusivity wherever possible,” said Lioness defender Lucy Bronze. “I, together with the rest of the team, will be proud to wear these shirts ahead of our game against Sweden at Wembley. Anything that can be done to help the deaf community feel more welcome in football is an important step.”
As the Lionesses secured a win in the Euro 2025 qualifier against Sweden, the resounding message was clear: inclusion is not merely an aspiration but a shared responsibility that transcends the boundaries of sports.
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