BFCCT Pan Ability Player Selected for U21’s

Blackpool FC Community Trust ‘Pan-Ability’ player Joe Blockley has been selected to play for the Great Britain U21 Deaf Squad for this coming summers ‘Deaf European Cup Competition’.

Joe who has been playing for the Blackpool FC Pan Ability ‘A team’ for the last year has been selected to represent the International team off the back of his performances and achievements this season, in total Joe has won four trophies in his first spell with the team.

The GB Deaf U21 side headed to Wroclaw (Poland) on the 3rd of August to take part in the Deaf U21 European Championships where they will face other International sides such as Germany, Spain, Russia and Italy who are all strong teams that will also stake a claim for the prestigious European trophy.

Since he was 18 months old Joe has had a cochlear implant which was due to Joe suffering from meningitis, as an outcome this has affected Joe’s hearing ever since but hasn’t held Joe back from taking part in football and every other day activities, which has been reflected in his recent success.

Joe plays a variety of positions for the Pan Ability team but mainly operates as a left winger with good technical ability and also is a physical presence in the air due to his height. He is one of the younger players within the first team squad but shows his maturity on and off the field with his contributions.

Owen Coyle (BFCCT Inclusion Officer) said; ‘I have known Joe for four years now and coached him previously at another disability specific centre, it is great to see how he has progressed and developed over the years and it is really pleasing to see that Blackpool FC Community Trust have had a positive impact on Joe’s achievement’.