A Teesside student has helped Team GB's deaf football team qualify for an international competition.

Sophie Dacombe, 17, from Eaglescliffe, was part of the squad that secured victory over Poland in the first-ever official deaf international women's football match held in the UK.

The win means Team GB has now qualified for the 2025 Deaflympics, held in Tokyo.

Sophie, who attends Bede Sixth Form College in Billingham, is hopeful of retaining her place in the squad.

She said: "Our team is the strongest it has ever been, and we are only going to get better over the next year.

"We have shown that by beating Poland, who are the second-best team in the world."

Sophie has been playing football since she was eight years old, starting her career with Leven AFC Under 9s.

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She has also played for Teesside RTC and Stockton Town FC Ladies and first represented England Deaf Ladies Football in a friendly match at the age of 15.

Despite having moderate to severe bilateral hearing loss, Sophie said playing deaf football is not too different from any other game.

She explained: "If you have hearing aids you have to take them off which puts everyone on an equal playing field, and, without a whistle, the referee waves a flag to start and stop play.

"The main difference is you have to find different signs for communicating with each other on the pitch because, without hearing aids, you can’t rely on verbal communication during the match."

A hamstring injury earlier in the season could have jeopardised her chances, but Sophie said: "I worked hard on my recovery and while I wasn’t able to start the game I got 25 minutes at the end."

Looking ahead to the Deaflympics, she said: "It is exciting.

"Playing at this level has opened up opportunities that I might not otherwise have had."

The Deaflympics, now in its 100th year, provides a platform for deaf athletes to compete at an elite level.