Fr om September 26 to October 2, Novorossiysk's Shiroka Balka village hosted the culmination of the Russian Women's Football Championship (Deaf Sports) at the stadium of the Bootcamp training base. Teams fr om Moscow, St. Petersburg, Moscow and Ulyanovsk Oblasts competed fiercely. The opening ceremony welcomed athletes with warmth from Artem Nesterov, head of the refereeing department of ARSFSD, Mikhail Shlenkov, senior coach of the Russian national women's football team, and representatives of all participating teams.
The tournament format began with round-robin matches followed by playoffs. The debut of female footballers from the Volga banks marked a significant first in big football. Despite the dominance of the capital region teams, every match proved competitive under the southern sun. Moscow teams dominated, accruing wins and leading the table, culminating in a pivotal match between them wh ere Moscow clinched the top spot and continued their streak into the playoffs.
The competitive marathon concluded with the third-place match, wh ere St. Petersburg triumphed over Ulyanovsk Oblast with a commanding 6-0 victory. The highly anticipated final showcased a thrilling showdown between Moscow teams. Initially, Svetlana Gagarina's team led 2-0 until the 84th minute. However, the Moscow Oblast team mounted a dramatic comeback, equalizing the score minutes before the final whistle. In a tense penalty shootout, they secured a hard-fought 5-4 victory.
Ultimately, Moscow Oblast emerged as champions of the national tournament, with Ekaterina Zhigunova (Moscow) named best goalkeeper, Olga Sundukova (Moscow Oblast) as top scorer, and Vilena Sazhnova (Moscow) recognized as outstanding player. Awards were presented by Pavel Zhukov, head of the Bootcamp training base, and Artem Nesterov, head of the ARSFSD refereeing department.
Text: Nurlan Tazhigulov
Photo: Dina Bibosnova, Bootcamp training base
Translation: Daria Kudelina
