WILDGOOSE DISCUSSES HER DEAFNESS AND CLUB SUPPORT

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Defender marks Deaf Awareness Week

2024-05-12T14:00:00.000Z

WILDGOOSE DISCUSSES HER DEAFNESS AND CLUB SUPPORT

Defender marks Deaf Awareness Week

2024-05-12T14:00:00.000Z

Defender marks Deaf Awareness Week

Mikayla Wildgoose has expressed her gratitude for the support of the Club and her Burnley Women team-mates in managing her deafness.

The 19-year-old is completely deaf in her right ear, which can make some situations both on and off the pitch challenging.

Earlier this season, the Club sourced a specially made hearing aid for Wildgoose to wear during training and matches.

Today is the end of Deaf Awareness Week, a national campaign that aims to raise awareness of the deaf community and their needs.

To mark the occasion, the defender explained how her deafness came to the fore: “I started to lose my hearing around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I went to quite a few doctors and had several hearing tests and they have never been sure what’s caused it.

“Initially I was issued with an NHS hearing aid that wrapped around the outside of my ear, and sometimes referees wouldn’t let me play with it which ultimately affected my hearing on the pitch.

“If someone was shouting something at me, I might not have been able to hear it.”

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After spending her entire career with Birmingham City, Wildgoose joined Burnley on a free transfer last summer.

She made a strong start to the campaign, starting the first seven games in all competitions before being dismissed for two bookable offences against Stourbridge.

After returning to the side she then picked up an ankle injury which kept her out for much of the second half of the campaign.

“I was able to go private through the Club and get a more suitable hearing aid that’s easier to wear while playing,” Wildgoose continued.

“I’ve now not got the stress of thinking officials might make me take it out or worrying what damage it might cause if I get a ball to the side of the head.

"It’s really small and fits inside my ear, so you can’t see it. It’s a smart piece of technology which compresses sound too, so if something’s too loud the hearing aid will make it a bit quieter for me.

“With this new one I feel a lot more comfortable.”

WILDGOOSE DISCUSSES HER DEAFNESS AND CLUB SUPPORT - Image 2

The defender, who typically operates at centre-back, returned to fitness towards the end of the 2023/24 season and came off the bench in the women’s team’s final three matches.

On her time in Lancashire to date, which is a completely new area for her, she finished: “I was more than delighted to sign for the Club and I was getting minutes initially.

“The ankle injury kept me out for a while but I’m getting back fit for selection now so overall it’s been a really good season.

"I’ve had a lot of support from team-mates and staff with my deafness too, which has been really helpful.”