Kirby and Koalas get shot at Deaflympics glory

ELLA Kirby is ready to put her best foot forward in green and gold at the 2025 Deaflympics in Tokyo.

The 22-year-old, who was born deaf and has two cochlear implants, has been selected to play for her country in the Australian Women’s Deaf Football team.

It will be the third time she has represented the Deaf Koalas.

She debuted last year against the United States deaf women’s team in Denver, Colorado, and followed up against Japan in Sydney last December.

The 22nd capped player in Deaf Koalas history, Kirby has the number proudly tattooed behind one of her years.

While she had less than two months’ notice of her debut on US soil, Kirby is better prepared this time around, with the Deaflympics having been on the agenda for almost 12 months.

“The USA game just came up out of the blue, only about a month or two before hand,” she said.

“It was a really great experience, getting a taste of that professional life.

“We played before the US women’s team against Japan and it was televised. It was a real honour.”

The clash against the USA marked the Deaf Koalas’ first international match in 18 years following the team’s reformation.

Born and raised in Bendigo, Kirby has been playing soccer since she was eight years old.

Her first foray into the sport came alongside the boys at Strathdale, before joining the under-13 girls at Heidelberg United a few years later and a stint at Calder United SC.

In 2024, she was part of the Spring Gully team which won all three Central Victorian Women’s League 1 titles, securing the Championship, League Cup, and Super Cup.

She headed back to Melbourne this year, playing for Williamstown in the State League 2 competition.

The Koalas will vie with host nation Japan, Brazil, Great Britain, Kenya and USA for the gold medal in Japan.

 

Not only does Kirby feel she is better prepared, but she is also confident the Australian team is better equipped for success.

“We have got a strong squad going over; a very young squad,” she said.

“For a lot of these girls, it will be their first time going overseas or being away from family.

“But it’s a very close-knit team, which will help with the transition from being away from family and doing something completely different.”

The Deaflympics (15 to 26 November) is an international multi-sport event for deaf athletes.

Held every four years, it uses visual communication.

To qualify, an athlete’s best ear must register at 55 decibels or below.

Players compete with no hearing devices to create an even playing field.

“That creates a challenge in itself, when players can’t communicate verbally,” Kirby said.

“You have to use sign language and gestures.

“It’s a big adjustment going from being able to use my hearing aids in a normal game, to not having them at all.

“You have to be very self-aware and looking at your teammates or looking at the ref because you can’t hear the whistle.”

Australia will be represented in athletics, basketball, golf, swimming table tennis, tennis, as well as soccer in Tokyo.

Kirby admits she is still pinching herself at getting another opportunity to don the Australian green and gold.

“It’s such a hard thing to describe, that feeling of walking out and representing your country and having all these people looking up to you.

“The younger girls on the team and even young people watching from the sidelines, there’s a real sense of pride in it.

“Knowing you’ve done all the work, gone through all the setbacks of coaches saying you are not good enough, but realising, hey, I am good enough to represent my country in the sport I love and with the people I love.

“It’s a pretty cool feeling.”

With athletes having to contribute to their own accommodation, flights and other costs, the Deaf Koalas have launched a fundraising campaign to get the team to Tokyo.

To help, visit deaf-koalas-deaflympics.raiselysite.com/ella-kirby.