Talina Jones | Helping bring Swansea City matches to the deaf community
To mark Deaf Awareness Week 2025, we sat down with Swansea City’s British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter Talina Jones to discuss her journey with BSL, her pride in the matchday provision and the impact her role has had on the Deaf community.
A Swansea University report into BSL users from 2019 highlighted the fact that - despite BSL being formally recognised as an official language of the UK since 2006 - it is still not widely used by companies, sports teams or in entertainment.
But, with the introduction of a floor camera at the Swansea.com Stadium at the start of the 2024-25 season, the opportunity to include BSL as part of the matchday experience became possible.
With the club’s PA announcer Kev Johns now presenting to a camera which could be viewed by everyone in the ground on the big screens, he was joined by Jones to provide BSL interpretation of his remarks and announcements.
“I can’t really explain the impact it has made,” Jones says about matchday BSL being introduced at the club.
“BSL wasn’t an afterthought, it was just as much a thought as everything else that came with the introduction of the big screen camera. It’s amazing.”
Interpreting is not new for Jones. She’s been working in Swansea as an interpreter for years. The first of those roles was in education - giving Deaf children the chance to go to hearing schools - before more recently becoming a BSL tutor, but Jones' journey began when she was still a child.
“Being a BSL interpreter chose me,” she explains.
“I came from a Deaf family so my parents and my eldest brother are Deaf, and my paternal grandparents were Deaf. I was an unofficial interpreter for them my whole life.
“When it came to choosing a career, this wasn’t what I planned, but it just came to me. I got my qualifications and fell in love with it.
“BSL is my home language. My parents didn’t speak to me in English, they signed to me in BSL, so it’s the language that we used at home and it’s my first language. I think in BSL.”
The club first encountered Jones in around 2020 when she was a Trustee at the Swansea Deaf Centre in Hafod.
“Someone from the Swans reached out to us, I can’t quite remember why, but I think it was Deaf Awareness Week and there was a campaign about raising the profile of BSL,” she remembers.
“Because of what I do as a living, I was asked to come down. I was working with Leon Britton and Lee Trundle, and I think we did a few phrases in BSL. The relationship blossomed from there.
“Three years ago, I came down to help the club create BSL matchday gifs for Deaf Awareness Week, which went really well. The feedback we had at the Deaf Centre and the club was really positive – not just from the Deaf community but from everyone.
“Then Talking Hands - a youth group based at the Deaf Centre – were part of the first BSL stadium tour, which was really successful and great for the young Deaf children.”
Jones was on hand to interpret the tour too, helping the club engage with its local Deaf community and ensuring everyone is able to have the same access to the club they support.
But the matchday provision has been the big step in making Deaf people feel a larger part of the Swans community, and less isolated from the matchday experience.
“BSL interpretation for Deaf supporters is massive,” she continues.
“It’s not so much about the football itself, that’s a language of its own, but it’s the run up to the match and half-time.
“It used to be that everyone else would get what was going on, but for Deaf people, whether they are profoundly Deaf, hard of hearing, or not, they weren’t getting anything.
“They would just suddenly find there’s a minute’s applause for a testimonial, or because someone has passed, and Deaf people wouldn’t know what they were applauding or what the silence is for, or why a team is walking around doing a lap of honour.
“Deaf people can be stood in a stadium with thousands of people and yet feel completely isolated. It’s so important that they get the same amount of access.”
Over the past season, Jones has become a regular part of the home matchday and her appearances on screen have led to people approaching her to find out more about BSL.
“The first bit of feedback I had was in August after the very first home match of the season,” she says.
“I did the game and on my way home I went to the supermarket. While I was shopping I was approached by someone saying “you’re that lady at the Swans, where can I learn BSL?”
“I’ve had that a few times. There are people who have always been interested in learning, who maybe don’t know where to go or how to get started and the information they need. Things like that mean we already know that we’re going to have more people learning BSL is fantastic.”
The impact of her presence on hearing people who are thinking more about BSL is one thing, but the feedback from those within the Deaf Community – home and away supporters – has been profound.
“I had a family reach out to me who first came to a game as away fans,” she recalls.
“Their children are Deaf and they have been travelling to games at the Swansea.com Stadium from the West Midlands because there is a Deaf interpreter and the kids love it.
“We also had a group of Deaf children in the guard of honour this season, and one of those kids loved the matchday so much that they’ve bought season tickets for next year.
“I think these children feel included – they’re not different, they get exactly the same experience as their friend gets.
“It just creates community – Deaf people have the Deaf community where they feel really included and involved, but now they also have the football community where they feel equally as involved.”
The Swans are leading the way in Wales and the EFL. The club is the first in the 72 to have a permanent BSL matchday provision, something Jones admits gives her great pride.
“I’m very proud of the club,” she continues.
“We’re the only Championship club that does it, and not that many Premier League teams do it.
“I am really proud of it, and the fact it’s my home town means a lot.
“I’ve grown up with the Swans, through my parents and my grandparents. I mean, my grandfather if he was still alive would be so proud to say: one, that’s my granddaughter, but also that’s the club I love so much doing something for me as a fan.”
Deaf Awareness Week marks the anniversary for the club’s work with Swansea Deaf Centre and, by extension, Jones herself.
“The purpose of Deaf Awareness Week is to focus people’s mind on BSL and the Deaf community, but it’s great that BSL is something the Swans consider and promote all year around.”
But for supporters reading this during Deaf Awareness Week, what is Jones’ message?
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions!” she says.
“If you have any questions, ask away! If you want to send something into the club and I can answer it, I will.
“It might be something that the club hasn’t thought about, and it might help us improve what we’re doing. Or it might just be curiosity about BSL and the community.”
Interested in learning BSL?
Swansea Deaf Centre run British Sign Language courses from their base in Hafod.
You can enquire about signing up, or find out more about BSL by emailing bslswansea@gmail.com