In this episode, Ollie Monksfield shares his journey as a deaf footballer and coach on the Para football regional emerging talent program. Ollie supports players in their journey to progress to the development program and potentially become an England deaf player.

Ollie lost his hearing at a young age and we learn about the challenges he faced growing up and how he progressed from the sports hall to being a gold medalist with the Great Britain team. We learn about the most influential roles that Ollie has held, including head coach of the London blind team.

Ollie shares plenty of actionable advice for those coaching players with disabilities. We learn about how coaches can adapt their communication for players depending on how they learn best.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Key attributes and skills people need to make them a transformational coach
• The false assumptions some make about deaf people  
• How coaches can adapt their communication to support players with a disability  
• How do you strike the balance between challenge and support?  
• Advice for teachers integrating a deaf child into a mainstream school PE lesson  
• How sign language can be used to support deaf players and the difference between BSL and SSE  
• How deaf footballers can get involved in the Para Talent Pathway  
• Advice for aspiring coaches  
• Where can coaches get more information about coaching deaf players?  

Transcript:  Episode seventeen: Ollie Monksfield - winning gold and developing deaf footballers