Lionesses to wear training shirts with names in British Sign Language for football match v Sweden

The England women’s football team, known as the Lionesses, will wear a special training kit with the names shown in BSL, before their match with Sweden on Friday night at Wembley.

The tops were created by sponsor EE in partnership with the Football Association.

Each jersey will display the player’s name in the BSL fingerspelling alphabet to celebrate British Sign Language and act as a visual reminder of how football can be made more accessible to all fans.

Football fans will be able to get their hands on a player-worn British Sign Language shirt via EE’s Instagram channel while EE will also raise money for the Royal Association for Deaf People through an auction of these unique ‘Signed Shirts.’

The FA will also be inviting players and staff from the England women’s deaf football team to attend the Sweden fixture in the Royal Box and be presented to fans at half-time in recognition of their third place finish at the 2023 World Deaf Championships in Brazil.

The warm-up shirts form part of ‘Support. It’s In Your Hands’, a campaign launched by EE, the lead partner of the Home Nations Football Associations, last month to keep the BSL users in the deaf community involved in the football conversation by encouraging the use of sign language in both deaf and non-deaf communities.

The campaign launched with a  film that showcased the ways BSL is incorporated in football, as well as a host of content on EE’s LearnSmart platform that features footballing stars from the four Home Nations including Mary Earps, Jess Carter, Rachel Corsie, Bukayo Saka, Ella Toone and Harry Kane, teaching football-themed BSL phrases. ‘Support. It’s In Your Hands’ was created with support from the Royal Association for Deaf people (RAD) and the Home Nations Football Associations.

England star, Lucy Bronze, said: “As footballers, it is important to use our platform to spread messages of inclusivity wherever possible. I, together with the rest of the team, will be proud to wear these shirts ahead of our game against Sweden at Wembley. Anything that can be done to help the deaf community feel more welcome in football is an important step.”

Pete Jeavons, Marketing Communications Director, EE said: “By promoting British Sign Language during a high-profile competitive game between two of the best sides in the world, we hope to encourage both deaf and non-deaf communities to embrace this essential form of communication. As the lead partner of the Home Nations Football Associations, we are committed to making football accessible for everyone. We hope football fans will use this opportunity to not only support the Lionesses but to also learn more about BSL, so we can help everyone feel a part of the football conversation”.