England's Para Lions relishing life-changing World Cup as deaf team target glory
Brazil has become synonymous with Futsal over recent years, with some of the world’s leading stars harnessing their abilities on the courts.
England will be aiming to emulate the likes of Neymar, Ronaldinho and more this month as the South American nation welcomes the Para Lions. The Women’s Deaf Futsal side have travelled over to Sao Paulo for this year’s upcoming World Championships.
One of the players named in the squad, Zara Musker, is relishing the chance to represent England over in Brazil. Speaking to Mirror Football , she said: “It’s a massive opportunity. For me as a player, to go to a country like Brazil where Futsal is the number one out there because of Neymar and all that jazz, it’s probably going to be life-changing again.
“Every time I go to a tournament, something clicks in my brain and I’m like wow. I’ve just got to make sure I’m present during it because the tournaments come thick and fast and sometimes you can go from one day to the other without actually thinking just take it all in.
“It’s going to be massive for the girls and for the young ones who are going to come. These type of experiences and opportunities aren’t around forever. It’s just about enjoying the moment.”
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Already named the Deaf Sports Personality of the Year, Musker has endured a testing route to the top of the game. She began her career at the Blackburn Rovers ’ Centre of Excellence before being spotted by the FA.
However, she found the initial introduction into the England squad testing as communication proved difficult. Musker added: “I was reluctant to join at the beginning and it was hard for me the first couple of camps because we’re in a bit of a culture now where people are talking and orally communicating whereas when I first joined, everyone was signing.
Zara Musker and her England teammates have been training at St George's Park (Getty Images)Send your support to the Para Lions by using the comments section below
“That was a real challenge for me coming into this environment. I stuck at it. I couldn’t go to a few of the first tournaments because I was so young but I went out to Bulgaria in 2014 and it changed my life literally.
“There was a lot going on but I do remember times when it was difficult for me and the communication as well. I’d never even met a deaf person until I walked into one of these camps and everything was so overwhelming.
“I remember thinking ‘oh my god, how do I talk to these?’ I put myself exactly in that position that they put themselves in every single day in society and it’s kind of changed my perspective on it and how we treat people no matter what their disability is. They were quite hard times for me back then but looking back on it now, I was a teenager who was never exposed to that world.”
The Para Lions have been in preparation for the upcoming Deaf Futsal World Championships (Getty Images)Even during the 26-year-old’s time involved with the side, the game has developed and become even more accessible. The side had to fund their own trip to last year’s World Championships in Montesilvano, Italy.
The FA have now moved to make the sport fully-funded. While the added support of the FA has proven hugely beneficial for the Para Lions, Musker and her teammates will be aiming to pay it back with their performances. . “It’s massive,” she said. “It’s a big, big relief.
“It comes with pressure, I’ve got to say it does but that’s expected and that’s what we need as a team. I need that, the girls need that. We need that pressure to keep pushing on.
“Financially, the relief is huge because that’s one thing that we don’t have to think about. I know when we went to Italy last year, we had to self fund to get there but this year, it’s just focusing on the pitch and focusing on the players, tactical, technical and communication. We can put a lot more energy into the pitch work which sometimes we take for granted.”
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While Musker and her England teammates are aiming for glory in Sao Paulo, she is also keen to be a driving figure behind the ongoing development of para sports across the country. She said: “We’re creating a performance pathway that people can easily walk into now.
“We’re fighting and we will continue to fight but it’s just that little bit easier and the jungle is slightly more paved than when I first started, that’s for sure. We will continue to chop down those barriers and make it as accessible as possible.
“There’s nothing better than putting that shirt on. Everyone wants to leave that shirt in a better place. We want someone to take over on what we’ve done.”
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