As if one tournament wasn’t enough of a feat to host, ISF made history on Saturday when they hosted 2 extra tournaments for deaf players; one female and one male. The events blossomed from a request from the participants of the Epic Arts programme in Kampot when they asked ISF if it would be possible for them to join the ISF Football Programme.
The initial idea was to have a friendly match with two deaf teams and showcase it at the Barclays Capital ISF Girls Cup but the interest sparked resulted in 5 male teams and 4 female teams representing deaf organizations in Phnom Penh, Kampot, Battambang and Kompong Cham. As the date drew closer, word of the tournament spread and requests to join the competition continued to be received just days before it was scheduled to take place. Due to timings on the day it had to be limited to the 9 teams. Justin Smith of Deaf Development Programme (DDP) in Phnom Penh said “This tournament is the first of its kind in Cambodia. Deaf players have never had the opportunity to play in such a tournament before. They are so happy for the opportunity”. In addition to an opportunity to play and show off their skills, the tournaments provided a great opportunity for deaf communities to socialize with other deaf participants and spectators. The day was a roaring success. In spite of the muted excitement, it was evident from the faces of the players how much this chance to play meant to them.
The tournaments started with a round robin competition which saw the DDP Kampong Cham and DDP Phnom Penh teams, the Epic Arts team and Krousa Thmey Battambang team battle it for their place in the final.
Garry Hammond, Krousar Thmey, Battambang and Mark Stafford
The women’s final saw DDP Kampong Cham meet Krousar Thmey Phnom Penh team. The teams were well matched but the luck was on the side of the Krousar Thmey team who won 1-0 and lifted the Adrian La Polombara / ISF trophy for girls.
The road to the men’s division final was a truly exciting journey with the final game in the round robin competition resulting in a penalty shoot out between two DDP tied teams. The DDP Phnom Penh team won their place in the final to meet the very skillful Krousar Thmey Battambang team. When this game ended in a 1-1 draw another thrilling penalty shootout resulted. The Krousar Thmey Battambang goalkeeper proved his worth with some amazing saves that dashed the hopes of the DDP PP team wining. The game ended 4-2 with Krousar Thmey Battambang lifting the Adrian la Polombara / ISF trophy for boys.
ISF was so impressed with the interest and determination of the deaf players and the feedback received from the day that it has committed to looking into expanding its programme to incorporate deaf players.