Football
Competition Introduction
A sport where two teams of 11players each compete to score points by putting the ball into the opponent’s goal
Basic Rules
Match time is 90 minutes total: 45 minutes each half with a 15-minute half-time
Unique Aspects of Deaf Sports
Deaf football is football for people with hearing impairments. Players are required to remove hearing aids during competition, earning it the nickname “silent football”.
Players communicate primarily through eye contact and sign languag e on the pitch.
Deaf football differs little from hearing football, sharing common rules for positions,
player numbers, and fouls,with differences in refereeing and communication methods.
Since players cannot hear whistles or voices, there are four referees including assistant referees and the main referee (who normally doesn’t carry a flag) holding flags, with the main referee controlling the game using both whistle and flag.
International competitions additionally place 1flag-carrying assistant each behind both goals to communicate match situations to players from multiple directions.
Event
25th Summer Deaflympics Tokyo 2025
Football (Men/Women)
