New Zealand Deaf Futsal Championship comes to Ōtautahi

Ōtautahi is gearing up to host the country's top deaf futsal players as the 2025 NZ Deaf Futsal Championship kicks off at Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub tomorrow.

This year marks the fifth championship since the event first began in 2017, with eight teams set to compete over the next three days.

The competition includes three men’s teams, two mixed teams, and three women’s teams. One of the women’s teams is travelling over from Australia, adding an international challenge.

More than 50 players, coaches and managers are expected to take part, representing cities and regions from all across Aotearoa.

Southern Deaf Football manager Cory Myatt said the tournament is about more than trophies.

“We’re trying our best to get the word out there and encourage people to come down, watch and support us. For the deaf community, we’re small but we just love playing sports. Football is just something we really love.”

Futsal is a quick, high-energy version of football. It is played indoors with a smaller team and is growing rapidly in the global sports field. For deaf athletes, it is also about creating an inclusive environment, where communication barriers can’t stand in the way of a good game.

The championship helps to showcase the growth of deaf sport in Aotearoa. Myatt said the Southern Deaf club, which he manages, has a strong identity, a logo, and continues to bring in young players.

“At the moment we’ve got six or seven young players. I want to encourage more younger people to join in and get involved so we can pass this down and keep the tradition alive in the deaf community.”

The three-day competition will start at 12.30pm with an opening ceremony, followed by games kicking off an hour later.

For anyone interested in deaf sports, contacts are available through the organisation Deaf Sports New Zealand. 

 

*The interpreter for this interview was supplied by Wordsworth through its new CallSign for mobile interpreting service.