Football

1st World Deaf Football Championships
A lot has happened since the last E-News!  I visited Patras in Greece just before Christmas to check out the facilities.  After several meetings with the OC and the venues’ staff, I agreed to the WC Organising Committee’s request to change the venue from Katerini to Patras.

Earlier this month I flew again to Greece, this time to Athens for a meeting with the Hellenic Athletic Federation of the Deaf (HAFD) and the Greece General Secretariat of Sports.  This was to get a progress update of the preparations towards the 1st World Deaf Football Championships.

I will not pretend that things are going smoothly as it is a tight schedule.  Communication has perhaps been slow from Greece but things are on schedule.

The deadline has been extended to 31st March 2008.  This is the FINAL deadline for all deposits to be paid.  There will be NO more extension after this.  It is not too late for your country to enter the 1st World Deaf Football Championships if you can get in touch with Iaonnis Stoufis urgently at stoufisg@otenet.gr / wdcf2008@hafdeaf.gr
 
The draw will be held in Athens on 12th April 2008.  If you wish to attend (not compulsory), please email Iaonnis Stoufis (you can tour the venues in Patras after the draw).

The WC Technical Regulations and a provisional schedule have now been sent out to all confirmed entries.

The World Deaf Football Championship website is now up and the address is www.wdfc2008.gr

Other news
An interesting article in the Guardian website about Iraq’s deaf soccer team which I thought was worth a mention in here.  It just goes to show that football is a passion shared throughout the world by the deaf community.  Happy reading!

Yours in football

Christof Niklaus
ICSD Technical Director - Football

By Christof Niklaus