Though the morning held threatening clouds, the spirits of deaf and hearing impaired players and players with intellectual and physical disabilities could not be damped on Saturday 13 December, at the FIFA Football for Hope – ISF Tournament for All Abilities at Phnom Penh’s Old Stadium.

The tournament brought together 15 teams of deaf and hearing impaired players from Phnom Penh, Kampot, Battambong and Kampong Cham for a day of intense football competition and fun. Over 180 deaf girls and boys kicked off the competition at 9:00 AM on Saturday morning. Spectators were treated to a fantastic show of sportsmanship and tenacious play, with the atmosphere rising throughout the day as competition heated up.

The Boys teams saw an all Krousar Thmey final, with  Krousar Thmey Phnom Penh 1 beating Krousar Thmey Phnom Penh 2 (1-2) and the Girls final was an all Deaf Development Programme (DDP) affair with DDP Kampot taking the title from DDP Phnom Penh (1-0).

On a separate pitch, 3 teams of players with intellectual and physical disabilities enjoyed fun football games and activities that were run by ISF’s coaches throughout the morning, including games like Circle of Friends which promotes communication and inclusion. Some of these activities were introduced to our coaches by our partner Coaches Across Continents (CAC) to promote football for social impact and community development.

Many thanks to FIFA Football For Hope for making this day possible and for continuing their sponsorship of this day for the next two years!