“It's opened my eyes to a completely different world” | Endacott on using British Sign Language

Women’s Academy player Mia Endacott explains how British Sign Language (BSL) has become an important part of her and her family life – thanks to her inspirational brother.

Having joined our Academy set-up in the summer of 2024, the young forward has been impressing during her two years in Lilywhite, where she racked up a remarkable 21 goal involvements (nine goals and 12 assists) in 29 appearances last term.

Moving away from home in Plymouth at the age of 16 to begin her new career in north London in Lilywhite, the England youth international, who is capped at Under-17 level, has been learning a valuable life skill away from the pitch.

Her younger brother, Reggie, is profoundly deaf in one ear and Mia, alongside her mum, took the time to learn BSL to communicate – and now the pair of them have used that unique skill on the football pitch.

“We found out that Reggie was deaf quite early,” Mia told us. “My mum went and completed her Level One [in BSL], so I picked things up from her. It's a really good way of communicating.”

Katherine Endacott-Foster, Mia’s mum, added: “We're quite lucky because I can communicate with Mia off the pitch through the use of BSL. Reggie has cerebral palsy. He was born with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder in one ear, and profoundly deaf in the other. We were given the option at a young age for him to have cochlear implants, and he's had them for about four or five years.

“When Mia's playing football, I'm her eyes off the pitch. I can communicate with her about certain things without having to shout across. For example, we talk about ball speed. She might sign that the ball is slow, meaning the ball speed needs to increase.”

Mia added: “Sometimes there are things you want to say that you don’t want others to hear. If I didn’t know BSL, that would be very tricky. If I’m doing something that isn't working and she recognises it, she can let me know without others being aware. It’s nice to communicate in a way that is just between us.

“Having Reggie has been a blessing to all of us. We've all had to learn and adapt to a new skill because he's unique in his own way. You get to communicate with him through something others don’t know, and it brings you closer.

“I feel like he’s opened my eyes to a completely different world. When you see the challenges he faces every day, it's massive and inspiring. He’s inspired me to pursue things in my future. He's just a joy to be around.”