On tonight's show, Bartholomew Hall talks to England Deaf Women's Footballer Emma Brown about her fundraising to take the Team GB futsal team to this year's Winter Deaflympics. Plus: a look ahead to Deal Town FC's fifth round endeavours in the FA Vase.
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00:00 Hello and welcome along to Invicta Sport, the only show on your TV dedicated to wrapping
00:21 up all of Kent's sporting action.
00:23 I'm Bartholomew Hall and here's what to expect on this Friday 16th February.
00:30 No pressure, Deeltown face Avaaz fifth round following in the footsteps of the only Kent
00:36 side to win the competition.
00:38 Into the deep we send our reporter Gabriel out to try out scuba diving in Canterbury
00:43 and fundraising for Footsall.
00:45 Deaf footballer Emma Brown joins us live to talk about her mission to get to the Deaflympics.
00:52 But before we get to all of that, here's your round-up of this week's news.
00:55 A new British champion Sam Noakes could be fighting for a world title this time next
01:01 year.
01:02 That's the target the Maidstone boxer has set himself after such a brilliant performance
01:06 last week at London's Copper Box Arena.
01:08 After stopping fellow unbeaten boxer Louis Sylvester in the fourth round, the 26-year-old
01:13 extended his record of 13 wins all by stoppage.
01:18 Speaking with Kent Online, Noakes says it's the start of a big year but he's also keeping
01:22 his feet firmly on the ground.
01:24 You can read that full interview at Kent Online.
01:27 Now 4,800 tickets for Maidstone United's fifth round FA Cup game against Coventry City
01:34 sold out entirely earlier today, with the queue extending almost half a mile away from
01:39 the stadium.
01:40 These were the scenes outside the Gallagher this morning where thousands of eager Stones
01:43 fans were hoping to get their hands on one of those tickets.
01:47 The historic match between sixth-tier Maidstone United and second-tier championship side
01:51 Coventry will take place in just over a week's time on 26 February.
01:58 Some told us it was the best day of their lives to get their hands on a ticket.
02:02 Let's hear from one of those now.
02:03 I've always been into football.
02:04 I just wanted to get tickets for my son and me and my wife so we can come and see how
02:11 Maidstone have been progressing in this FA Cup.
02:13 It's amazing, the community, the chat we've had in the queue here, it's all been great.
02:18 It must be very friendly.
02:20 Amazing, amazing.
02:21 Driving down into the Gallagher stadium just to see the fans applauding and just in good
02:27 spirits taking time out.
02:30 Craig Fagan and myself, taking time out to go out and meet the fans and just thank them,
02:35 shake their hands and encourage them to be patient and to get their tickets.
02:40 It's the magnitude of what our players have done in terms of how we've gone about the
02:45 journey in the FA Cup.
02:47 And of course, George Ilokobe, Maidstone United's manager, talking there at the end.
02:52 Well, before the Stones get there, they've got a couple more fixtures to tackle in their
02:56 league as well as the rest of our clubs.
02:58 So let's take a look at those we've got coming up this weekend.
03:03 Gillingham will travel to Newport County, hoping to get their second away win on the
03:06 bounce.
03:07 The Stones had more than 950 travelling supporters when they took on and beat Notts County this
03:12 time last week.
03:13 Stephen Clements hoping for a repeat of that.
03:15 In the National League, another one in front of the cameras for Ebbsfleet.
03:18 First for manager Danny Searle, who was named as permanent manager on Tuesday.
03:22 It will be, however, his third game in charge since taking over from Denis Kutryb in the
03:26 interim.
03:27 Here's the National South then, where we've got a Kent Derby cooking.
03:29 Dover Athletic welcoming Dartford to travel.
03:32 We love a Kent Derby, don't we?
03:33 Meanwhile, Maidstone are at Taunton and the Angels are with Welling.
03:38 In the Ibsen Premier, these sides are hosting second place Chatham Towns.
03:45 Both of these sides hoping for promotion this season.
03:47 Meanwhile, Margate host Canvey at Hartsdown and Folkestone Victor are going to Whitehawk.
03:52 And it's time to try once again for Dealtown as they head to Bridgewater in their huge
03:57 fifth round FA Vars tie after a waterlogged pitch prevented them from having a go at getting
04:02 to the final eight last weekend.
04:04 Well, sticking with Dealtown, who play their league games in the Southern Counties East
04:10 League Premier Division, their opponents this weekend are Bridgewater United, who play in
04:14 Somerset.
04:15 So quite the journey to be made from the Kent coast.
04:17 I caught up with manager Steve King before the team set off earlier today about the occasion.
04:22 And we started by talking about the frustration of having a game postponed.
04:27 We've had to obviously rearrange hotels, travel and everything like that.
04:32 So it's not been the easiest week, but we had a game on Tuesday.
04:36 So that was our focus.
04:38 We got a win in that, which was good.
04:40 And now we're all set to travel again this afternoon, hoping that obviously there's no
04:44 bad weather overnight tonight and that we get the game played tomorrow.
04:48 Now, of course, I mean, you also have a semifinal league cup fixture next Tuesday.
04:53 So how are you kind of balancing the two out?
04:56 I mean, one of them, you know, if you win, you'll be a step closer to playing at Wembley.
05:00 So I mean, that kind of weighs up a little bit.
05:02 But surely, you know, you're focused on winning both of these games.
05:05 Yeah, we're also trying to get promoted in the league as well.
05:09 So we're in second in the league with four or five games in hand.
05:12 So that's probably our number one priority.
05:15 We have the two cup competitions.
05:17 The VARs obviously is being played tomorrow.
05:20 We're three rounds away from potentially going to Wembley.
05:23 So that's a massive opportunity for us.
05:26 That takes our focus.
05:28 Tuesday's semifinal, our attitude to that will probably be dictated to by tomorrow's result.
05:35 If we unfortunately don't get the result tomorrow, then that semifinal is going to become a real big opportunity for us to reach a final.
05:42 If we do win tomorrow and then we're in a quarterfinal with the VARs, then we might have to think about rotating players and making sure that we can still compete on all fronts.
05:52 So the VARs is a priority and then we'll reassess come Sunday.
05:57 That's very interesting.
05:58 Also as well, because coming up to over the next couple of years, it's going to be 25 years since Deal, of course, did it.
06:05 They got to the final. They won it for Kent, really.
06:07 They're the only team to have ever done it within the county in the VARs.
06:11 Does that add to the pressure at all?
06:12 Will you be looking to repeat that success?
06:15 I don't think it adds to the pressure.
06:16 I think it's an inspiration for the group.
06:19 It's an inspiration for the club.
06:21 I was at Wembley that day supporting the club in 2000.
06:25 A lot of our fans obviously were around then.
06:28 A lot of the players are from the local area.
06:31 So it's an inspiration.
06:32 It's not a pressure.
06:34 Look, Deal were the only Kent club to ever win it, so it shows how difficult it is to do it.
06:39 So if we could emulate them, that would be absolutely fantastic.
06:42 But no, we don't feel pressure.
06:43 We just, I think, use it as an inspiration.
06:46 And if we could match it, that would be absolutely unbelievable.
06:50 No pressure. I like it.
06:51 So how do you shape up your opponents then, Bridgewater, tomorrow?
06:55 They're a very strong side.
06:58 Obviously, when you get to the last 16 of the VARs, that's going to be the case.
07:02 There's 800-odd teams that start in it and we're down to 16.
07:05 So they're all going to be strong sides.
07:06 They beat the favourites in the last round away from home, Farnham, who have won every single league game.
07:12 And we know that Bridgewater are very strong at home.
07:15 So it was a very difficult draw for us when it came out.
07:18 But we've done our homework.
07:20 I'm lucky to have a very close friend of mine who lives down in the West Country,
07:24 who's involved in football there.
07:26 So he's helped us out a lot.
07:28 Obviously, we've only lost one game, I think, in 27.
07:32 So we're in fantastic form and as much as we're going to respect them and know how difficult it is,
07:37 I'm pretty sure that they'll be sat there preparing for tomorrow, looking at us and looking at us.
07:43 Absolutely. And of course, you go into this knowing who you could potentially face
07:48 if you do get through to the quarterfinals.
07:52 Hallam or Lincoln United, are you thinking about that at all at the moment
07:56 or is that just too far in the distance?
07:59 No, I don't think there's any point until tomorrow's game is out of the way,
08:02 because if we don't win the game, then it's an irrelevance.
08:06 I think, obviously, if we do win, then maybe on the coach on the way home Sunday morning,
08:11 we'll start to have a look. Obviously, they're due to play each other as well.
08:13 So it's difficult to know which one's going to prevail from that game.
08:18 So it's going to be another long journey if we get through either to Sheffield or to Lincoln.
08:23 But our focus is on trying to win the game tomorrow.
08:27 It'll be a massive result for us if we do.
08:30 And if we come home victorious, then we'll start to focus on
08:34 whichever team prevails in that game for the night for March.
08:37 Well, you've got a big journey ahead of you later on today.
08:39 I'll let you get on to it. Best of luck for this weekend.
08:42 And of course, for next Tuesday's semifinal as well.
08:45 Thank you. Appreciate it.
08:48 Well, moving on, here's a fun one for you.
08:49 Our reporters here at KMTV are natural at diving into stories.
08:53 But how about pools? Well, we've sent one of us to try out scuba diving in Canterbury.
08:57 Here's how Gabriel Morris got on.
09:00 It's after hours at this leisure centre.
09:03 The swim is long gone, but the water sports are far from over.
09:07 Well, I'm here at Kings Mead Pool in Canterbury.
09:10 I'm trying something new today. It's not swimming.
09:13 I'm going underneath the water and trying scuba diving.
09:16 Better get out of the work gear and get into something more appropriate for the pool.
09:22 Tonight, you're basically going to be doing your tri-dive.
09:24 So you're going to be taking your first breaths underwater,
09:26 which is obviously a completely alien feeling.
09:29 It's a great feeling.
09:30 So first of all, you'll be getting into the shallow end
09:34 and then they'll get the kit onto you.
09:35 They'll get you sort of breathing in the water face first,
09:38 just to start off with, just to make sure you're getting used to the breathing.
09:42 And then once you're comfortable there, you will go off for a swim down the pool.
09:46 A couple of lengths, just getting used to the equipment and everything else,
09:49 getting used to your buoyancy.
09:50 After a few practices, into the deep I went.
09:57 It was a weird feeling at first.
10:00 And then comes learning to equalise your ears.
10:03 It's a little like being on a plane.
10:05 But after a while, it's all OK.
10:12 The pool's only around three metres underwater,
10:15 but that's perfect for training.
10:17 But Kent has many diving hotspots.
10:20 The big thing for us is Dover, wreck diving.
10:25 Absolutely thousands of shipwrecks out there from World Wars, from the 1700s.
10:32 Obviously some are protected, but there are a lot that we can go diving on.
10:35 And I mean, that's where I like.
10:36 I like the history of finding the wrecks and doing the research
10:40 to find out what they were, what they were carrying.
10:42 My instructor showed me a few tricks.
10:46 Maybe I need a little more practice, but that's what the club is here for.
10:52 I quite like the club aspect that we've got here.
10:54 So that's what made me join.
10:55 I came here to do exactly what you're doing tonight, a tri-dive.
10:59 And then I went on from there, progressed through all my training levels
11:03 and then became an instructor last year as well.
11:06 So started from where you are and worked my way right up to what I do now for the club.
11:11 The time soon came to research.
11:15 Get your balance, get your balance.
11:18 How was that?
11:19 It was weird not being out in the water.
11:21 I've never quite felt anything like this before, but it's certainly worth a go.
11:27 Gabriel Morris for KMTV in Canterbury.
11:29 Well, it looks like he had a lot of fun there.
11:34 Maybe next time we'll send him out down by the coast where it's nice and cold.
11:37 I'm sure he'll enjoy that.
11:38 Really good stuff from Gabriel.
11:39 Now we've reached halftime, which means it is time for a break.
11:42 But coming up, we'll be speaking with Emma Brown from the England Deaf Women's Football Team
11:45 about her fundraising efforts to help get Team GB's futsal team
11:49 along to the 100th anniversary of the Deaf Olympics.
11:53 See you in a minute.
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15:07 Hello, and welcome back to Invicta Sport live on KMTV.
15:14 Now, it's time to remind you that you can keep up to date with all the latest sports news,
15:18 interviews, and features from right here on Invicta Sport by heading to our website,
15:22 kmtv.co.uk. When you get there, click on the Sports tab.
15:26 There you'll see videos like this one about my tour of Canterbury Golf Club's biodiversity project
15:31 after it was awarded Ecological Project of the Year.
15:35 Built almost 100 years ago, Canterbury Golf Club's greens, fairways, and roughs
15:40 are uniquely surrounded by acres of green space inhabited by a rich variety of wildlife,
15:46 from trees and sprouting greenery to bats, moles, and rabbits.
15:51 After winning Ecological Project of the Year, the club took me on a tour of the course.
15:55 But rather than playing 18 rounds, it was the elements in the rough that were of the most interest.
16:01 You can see that there's regeneration happening already.
16:05 We've got early pioneer species of gorse and broom.
16:08 All that seed and holly was in the woodland floor.
16:12 The wood, the sycamore that we cut, we've stacked,
16:16 and we've created habitat, basically, for insects and small mammals.
16:21 Anthony Dance is a volunteer and member of Canterbury Golf Club.
16:25 He's behind their biodiversity plan, which won them the award.
16:29 It's very satisfying, one, because I'm very interested in wildlife and nature and conservation.
16:36 So that's my angle, really. I'm not too bothered about awards,
16:40 but they bring recognition and validation of all that we're doing and can raise the profile as well.
16:46 Oh, well, it's fantastic. I was blown away actually winning this award.
16:52 And it's testament to the volunteers and the creation of the biodiversity plan by Anthony.
17:01 Canterbury's course is classed as a site of special scientific interest,
17:05 which means its land can help make a significant contribution to nature conservation.
17:10 Alongside winning the award, the club is being granted a five-year funding grant from the government.
17:15 If it was left to its own devices, invasive species like bramble, sycamore and hazel would take over.
17:23 So what we do is in certain areas, we take it back to low level.
17:28 We coppice it, we scrub it or we cut it so that we get a variety of habitats.
17:36 I'm here now with some of the volunteers.
17:38 They come here weekly to help work on some of the biodiverse elements of the land here.
17:43 Today, they're taking some of the wood that's been chopped down from these trees to create a wood pile.
17:48 Now, that's going to eventually become a brand new habitat for the wildlife within the woods.
17:54 Golf clubs in the UK make up a whopping 33% of open green space in Great Britain
18:00 and that's why it's hoped more clubs will join in and swing towards a greener future.
18:05 Bartholomew Hall for KMTB in Canterbury.
18:10 Now it's time to meet our next guest here on Invicta Sport this evening.
18:13 England's deaf women's team player Emma Brown from Faversham has begun fundraising for support
18:18 to represent Team GB in the upcoming Winter Deaflympics.
18:21 She says Team GB has only two weeks to raise £40,000 to attend the games
18:26 where she's been shortlisted for Team GB's Futsal team.
18:29 Sport England has committed £1.2 million towards funding for deaf athletes
18:34 but the cash is only available for grass roots.
18:36 Well, I'm happy to say Emma joins me in the studio now.
18:39 Thank you very much for being here. Welcome onto the programme.
18:42 Now, it must have felt pretty good to be shortlisted for the squad
18:46 because it's the first time that Futsal has been at these games.
18:49 Yes, so it's just been out, so it's the first time ever to have Futsal at Winter Deaflympics.
18:55 So in the summer Deaflympics is football, so it's amazing to have Futsal in Winter Deaflympics.
19:01 And as well, it's really quite interesting about the funding situation
19:05 because, I mean, looking at your fundraiser and what's been written,
19:08 £40,000 is quite a lot of money. There's so much that goes into it.
19:11 Yeah, so we literally get zero fund whatsoever.
19:16 It's just difficult, so we've got literally two weeks left to try and raise £40,000.
19:22 If we don't find the money for it, we won't be able to go.
19:27 We'll be devastated if we don't find the fund to go.
19:30 So we're just trying to raise as much money as we can to go to the Winter Deaflympics.
19:35 And it must mean quite a lot as well because, I mean, we can see the pictures here and on the screen as well.
19:40 To be able to put on that England shirt, that iconic white and blue,
19:44 it must mean so much to be able to represent the whole country.
19:47 Yeah, it's just an honour to wear that shirt.
19:50 It is so proud, like you worked so hard to earn that shirt.
19:55 And it's just, yeah, it's just an honour to wear that shirt.
19:59 And you've had quite a good reception as well at the moment, more than £2,000 already raised.
20:03 What's been the kind of response that you've heard from people since this story's been put out?
20:09 Yeah, so, yeah, from fundraising going well for me,
20:12 it's just that we've got to do it as a team.
20:15 Obviously, we've got to try and find sponsors for the kit.
20:19 We've literally got no coach, no coach or any other training kit.
20:24 So we've got nothing like that.
20:26 We're just trying to find sponsorships out there to try and get us to the Winter Deaflympics.
20:31 And it's the 100th Games as well, so quite a monumental one.
20:36 What does it mean for you to not just be representing England, but also the deaf community as well within these Games?
20:42 Yeah, so for the deaf community, especially when you've got young kids
20:47 who maybe want to dream to play for England for one day,
20:50 for me to be a role model for that little kid to say,
20:54 "Oh, I'll be like her when I play England one day."
20:57 So it's good to show them to be a role model for the kids as well, for the deaf kids.
21:01 Of course. I was looking up a statistic and it says 53% of adults over the age of 16,
21:07 deaf adults over the age of 16, don't get involved in sport.
21:11 And that's compared with 15% of those without a disability.
21:15 So hearing from you now, it seems like there are barriers that prevent people from,
21:19 maybe it's the confidence thing, but what is it that's stopping young people?
21:23 Yeah, so I hear a lot.
21:25 So the communication, I know a lot of players have gone to a football club
21:32 and they struggle to fit in because of the communication.
21:36 And it's just a bit of lack of deaf awareness out there.
21:39 So it's important to spread the deaf awareness, like for example, how to communicate,
21:44 how can we work well and make it easy for the person.
21:47 And like you said, it's the confidence, it's having confidence.
21:50 It's the communication and fitting in.
21:53 It's important we need to try and encourage as many kids as we can into sport
21:58 and grow their confidence.
22:00 What was it for you then? What got you into football and futsal?
22:05 My family's a massive football fan, a massive Man United fan.
22:10 So yeah, growing up, when I was in school, primary school,
22:15 I didn't care if I was only a girl on the team.
22:18 I was a lad playing football with a lad.
22:20 So yeah, been growing up playing football with a lad in the school.
22:24 So that's how it started.
22:26 There was no other sport then? It was always going to be football?
22:29 I've done other sports like windsurfing.
22:31 Before starting playing for football, I did some windsurfing, skiing,
22:35 so basically I do all sports, but yeah, so much passion for football.
22:39 It's fantastic. I want to take you back to last year as well.
22:43 You were at the Futsal World Championships in Brazil where you won that bronze medal.
22:47 How did that feel?
22:49 It was the most tough tournament we ever had.
22:53 It was a heatwave in Brazil, so it was 37 degrees,
22:57 and all the venues in Brazil don't have air-con.
23:01 So it was just so hard, like hot,
23:05 and it was a dream to play futsal in Brazil because that's how it started.
23:11 Futsal started in Brazil, so it's a dream just to play futsal in Brazil
23:16 where it was started, so it's an absolute dream.
23:19 The girls, the squad, we've just got such a good squad,
23:23 and it just feels good to come home with a medal.
23:27 You must be quite close with the rest of the girls as well.
23:30 Yeah, we're just like a second family.
23:33 The bonding in the team is brilliant, and the squad we've got now,
23:36 hopefully when we go to win the Deaflympia,
23:39 we've actually got a very good squad, so I believe in this team.
23:43 What would your advice be to someone, you mentioned those youngsters
23:46 who look up to people like yourself.
23:48 What would be your advice to them if they're struggling with their confidence?
23:51 I'd just say just be you.
23:54 Do not change anything, just be you, do what you enjoy doing.
23:58 Yeah, just be yourself.
24:01 Well, thank you very much for joining us today,
24:04 and best of luck the rest of the year.
24:07 We'll be following your journey along closely, I'm absolutely sure of it.
24:10 Now we should just say before we go, the Sport England says
24:13 it understands the desire for change on Deaflympics funding
24:16 for elite deaf athletes, and they are supporting UK Deaf Sport
24:19 as they navigate this and explore potential solutions.
24:22 Tackling inequalities is at the heart of their work to get more people active.
24:27 Now, we've reached full time on today's episode,
24:30 but there's just a few minutes of extra time to take a look at this week's Action Replay.
24:34 It's the segment, of course, where we take a look at the clips and pictures
24:37 that you, the KMTV audience, have sent in of you taking part in sport.
24:41 So let's see what we've got in store on this week's Action Replay.
24:44 This week's Action Replay starts with a thrilling trip to Leeds
24:50 alongside Folkestone's Adam Brownsword,
24:53 who has been making waves in the Learning Disability Regional Tour.
24:57 Adam fought tooth and nail to achieve 5th in the men's singles
25:01 and clinched a podium place in the doubles.
25:04 After winning his bronze medal, Adam described his performance
25:07 as the best he's played in a while,
25:10 outmanoeuvring opponents he hasn't bested in ages.
25:14 Next up, we have a real medal rush in Swale
25:18 as every member of the town's combined athletics clubs,
25:21 under-13s and under-15s teams,
25:24 have struck gold at the Kent Sports Hall Championships in Ashford.
25:28 A huge congratulations to the club,
25:31 who say they're always on the lookout for new members to join them,
25:35 with spaces available from age 9 to seniors.
25:38 And in a knockout finish for today's segment,
25:42 Gravesend lads Louis and Connor Anderson have claimed top honours.
25:47 Louis with gold and Connor with silver.
25:50 These talented puzzlers train out of Leo's Lion Boxing Club in Gravesend.
25:56 Well, that's it for this week's Action Replay.
25:59 Remember, it could be you on next week's edition.
26:02 Just send in your pictures and videos on social media
26:05 or to sport@kmtv.co.uk
26:09 And don't forget, as Ollie said,
26:12 if you want to appear in next week's Action Replay,
26:14 then you absolutely can.
26:15 Tag us in your clips and pics on social media, kmtvkent,
26:19 or send us an email to sport@kmtv.co.uk.
26:22 Just make sure you tell us what part of the county you come from
26:25 and what it is you do.
26:27 Well, that really is full time on today's episode of Invicta Sport.
26:30 If you want more from KMTV, you can watch all our other special programmes.
26:34 We've got the Kent Politics Show, Made in Kent,
26:36 Kent on Climate and the Kent Film Club all ready and waiting for you to watch
26:40 at our website, kmtv.co.uk.
26:43 I'll be back on Monday with another one, but for now, goodbye.
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