It is FC Zaanstad’s wish to attract more deaf and hearing-impaired footballers from the region when they see that a major tournament is being organized for this target group.
Now 17-year-old Hayden van Maris is the only Dutchman in the selection of FC Zaanstad, which also has Brazilians, Belgians, Italians, a Portuguese and a German. That’s not necessarily a bad thing: “The deaf world is small. Distance doesn’t matter, far or close,” Yannick gestures. His words are neatly translated by an interpreter. “It’s like we’re a family,” adds Brazilian player Felipe.
Switching to sign language
The players communicate in international sign language. The chairman compares it to English for hearing people. For Hayden that took some switching: “I have really learned a lot in that regard in recent days.”
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