Another Sunday waking up late, another last-minute football outing. I was feeling too lazy to drive far while browsing the Athens Football League’s website, trying to find a new ground to visit, when I realised there was a game on at the stadium of Akadimia Platonos. Akadimia Platonos is a neighbourhood and park on the western edge of central Athens, named after Plato’s Academy, which he founded there in ancient times. The stadium is located next to the park and, like most municipal stadiums in central Athens, is home to several football teams.

AO Kofon is a club whose name I had come across before but wasn’t familiar with. It translates to “Deaf People Athletic Club” and has been around since 1969, with departments in volleyball, basketball, and football. Their offices are located in Omonia, Athens, and they are part of the National Association of Deaf People in Sports, alongside eight other clubs from around the country.

It was pleasantly surprising to discover that a team comprised mostly of deaf people not only existed but also participated in the official football league against other hearing teams; not out of some cheap heroistic sentiment, but rather because Greece remains far behind in terms of inclusivity for disabled and Deaf people in all aspects of society.

Ymittos FC, the visiting side, are one of two football clubs from the namesake area of Athens, at the foothills of the mountain of the same name. They were founded in 1967 and use Ergani Stadium for their home games.

The stadium of Akadimia Platonos is, frankly, one of the ugliest I’ve been to in a while. As you can probably tell from the photos, the view was heavily obstructed by all the metallic constructions, and the stand was the typical, rather ugly scaffolding-like one. The view of the park opposite the stand was somewhat pleasant, though.

The atmosphere during the game was very relaxed, as expected for a sixth-tier football encounter, and most of the spectators seemed to be rooting for the home side. The match began quite evenly, with both teams keeping possession and creating chances at either end, though Ymittos looked the more capable overall and eventually opened the scoring before the half-time whistle. In the second half, the match tilted even more in favour of the visitors. They controlled the game well and monopolised the chances. AO Kofon entered the second half looking somewhat disheartened, and as the game failed to turn in their favour, frustration grew. The match ended 0-3, which felt like a fair result overall, but the main takeaway for me was the insight gained into this special club.