Phillipi’s winning deaf soccer team

Masiba, who is deaf himself, went to school in the Eastern Cape, along with some of the parents of the deaf children that make up his soccer team known as the Phillipi Deaf Stars. When Masiba moved down to the Western Cape after matriculating, he noticed how many deaf children did not have anything to do and were at a risk of ending up resorting to crime. “It was not easy starting the soccer team because there were not a lot of deaf people in my community and so I had to travel to different areas to find deaf children for the soccer squad. I went to deaf schools in Khayelitsha and Observatory to make up a full soccer team,” Masiba explained.

What was initially intended to be an adult soccer team for the deaf quickly did not work out as many of the adult players had job commitments and could not commit to practices and tournaments. So Masiba turned to creating a team that consisted of young deaf people. The under-15 and under-17 teams were formed in 2011.

Masiba explains that due to the lack of sporting facilities in Phillipi the team has to practice on an empty field alongside the railway station, where it is not very safe, before their weekend games.

The Phillipi Deaf Stars play against other soccer teams with children that can hear. Masiba explained how they previously encountered problems playing under the local Phillipi Football Association and how the other children would ridicule and undermine their players, which made them angry and frustrated. The team then decided to search for a football association that would be more accepting of their disability and were welcomed by the Manenberg Football Association. “They made us feel welcome and accepted our disability. They were happy to play with the deaf and they could get a chance to learn from interacting with the deaf,” explained Masiba.

The Phillipi Deaf Stars currently stay afloat through donations from family members and community raffles. This support is much needed as it goes towards supporting the team to buy soccer kits and attend events such as training camps.

While the team has approached some big companies for sponsorship as well as the Department of Sport and Recreation, nothing has materialised.

Despite the challenges faced by the Phillipi Deaf Stars, they came first at the Mandela Day tournament held in Milnerton, where teams from all over the Western Cape participated for a chance to win the trophy. “I was overwhelmed with joy when we won because this is something we’ve always wanted! It shows that the Phillipi Deaf Stars will go far and one of our players can even play for the national team one day,” exclaimed Loyiso Mdokwe, who is one of the interpreters to coach Masiba.