As the World Cup in Qatar gets under way, Derby already has an England champion footballer in its ranks.
Macie White, 15, was part of the England gold medal winning deaf futsal team at the European Championships in Italy last month.
The Allestree Woodlands School student was one of the team’s youngest players, joining women from across the country to represent England.
“It was surreal, winning my first gold, in my first tournament, not a lot of players achieve that, so yeah it felt really good,” said Macie, from Mackworth.
Macie got into the England squad through trying out at the University of Derby when it was open to all. Futsal is the FIFA-recognised form of small-sided football and is played on a hard court, smaller than a football pitch and mainly indoors.
It was the first time Macie had played at a major tournament and the first time she had played abroad.
“I was obviously nervous – the first time, playing for your country and winning the gold. Also, it was quite packed with other countries and it was hard for me to communicate with them as all countries have their own sign languages.”
Now she is training hard, working towards hopefully being selected for the England squad in the futsal World Cup in Brazil in November, 2023.
“My hopes for the future are to continue playing football and futsal, and to win more golds in both 11-a-side and futsal. There’s more to come.”
Macie doesn’t just play futsal at a high level; she plays football too – for Derby County Ladies on Saturdays and Woodlands Girls on Sundays – both hearing teams.
“I got into football when I was young, I grew watching my father play, and I got into futsal for fun when I was about nine,” said Macie. “Futsal is much quicker than football, you don’t have thinking time on the ball. I think that does help with my football because it helps me to make decisions quickly.”
Being part of an international squad with older team members as mentors has also helped Macie personally.
“The tournament has taught me to have more confidence, also to be open to learning,” she said. “I love sports, I find it fun because it’s usually challenging and hard to play. Also, it brings me closer to other people.”
Maicie’s school was so proud of her achievements they even let some students watch Macie’s matches during school time.
Tom Bate, head of the Enhanced Resource Facility for Deaf Students at Allestree Woodlands School, said: “We were all very proud of Macie and many students were able to watch her progress on live streams throughout the tournament.”
To celebrate her achievement, the school has arranged for Macie and a small group of students to have a tour of Derby County’s stadium at Pride Park with the help of Derby County Community Trust.
