The report and analysis of the First U21 European Deaf Football Championship Men, Wroclaw, Poland 2016

Abstract

PurposeThe First U21 European Deaf Football Championship Men was played in August 2016 in Wroclaw, Poland. No studies have documented or analysed sporting events for deaf players at the elite level. The aim of the study was to bring deaf football closer to the reader and analyse selected offensive actions recorded during the U21 Championship.MethodsAnalyses were performed on the basis of video recordings from the stadium. Eight national teams participated in the Championship. Sixteen matches were analysed with reference to the number of goals, shots on target, shots missed, crosses, and corners.ResultsThe mean number of goals scored per match during the U21 Championship was 1.81 ± 1.53. The number of shots on target was 246, with 194 shots missed and 191 corners. The shooting efficiency of the four best teams was: 14.81% for Poland, 14.29% for Turkey, 13.89% for Sweden, and 13.25% for Russia. The highest efficiency of crosses for the best four equalled: 34.57% for Poland, 28.00% for Sweden, 26.22% for Turkey, and 23% for Russia.ConclusionsThe winner of the tournament was the team with the highest shooting efficiency and highest efficiency of crosses in all matches. Overall, 15.25% of goals were scored after shooting from outside of the penalty area, 55.17% of goals were scored from outside of the goal area but from the penalty area, whereas 29.58% were scored from the goal area. The analyses of the U21 Championship can be useful for the organization of coaching and preparation of teams for championships.