From taking on international football teams, to perfecting her artworks, and learning to drive, 16-year-old Isla is certainly keeping busy.

As the youngest player in the Deaf Football Australia Women’s squad, she has already proudly represented her country on several occasions. In May 2024, she travelled to Denver, Colorado, to take part in a friendly match against the reigning world champions—the US Women’s Deaf Football team.

Isla’s hearing loss was picked up during her newborn hearing screening and her family later learned it was due to a genetic condition. Isla is the fourth of five siblings, and the only one in her family to have hearing loss. So her diagnosis was unexpected.

'She actually got two recessive deafness genes, and because of that, she couldn't hear at all,' says her Mum, Katherine.

Following a flurry of appointments, the family decided to proceed with cochlear implants for Isla, and she received two implants through NextSense.

Isla also attended NextSense School through to Year 6 in our Spoken Language Program, where she received specialised support for her hearing loss in an inclusive environment. Before starting school, Katherine says Isla had some delays in her speech development. But once she started, 'it just kind of exploded,' she says.

Isla has always been creative. Her incredible home-made birthday cards are a family tradition. After auditioning at Northmead Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) School—a high school in Sydney’s northwest—she was accepted into their CAPA program. She is flourishing—loving being surrounded by other creatives and learning new skills like photography and visual design.

Isla is also excelling academically in subjects like mathematics and history.

Meanwhile, outside of the classroom, her love of soccer is taking her far. 'My Mum got me into [soccer] when I was really young. But then I developed a passion for it and really enjoyed it,' says Isla, whose brothers and younger sister are also big fans. Isla plays each weekend in the Youth Girls Development Squad for Norwest FC, where she’s received tremendous support from the club and her coach, Sam. The club’s encouragement, along with Sam’s positive guidance, has played a crucial role in helping Isla develop her skills and achieve her goals both on and off the field.

Last year, she travelled to New Zealand to compete as part of the Australian Women’s Futsal team in the NZ Deaf Futsal Championships, and she will be returning to compete again this September.

And she was part of the Deaf Football Australia Women’s squad as they faced the Deaf Women’s Football team from Japan in another friendly match. It was a particularly special occasion, as Isla celebrated her 16th birthday during the tour.

She also competed at the Australian Deaf Games in Newcastle as part of the NSW Women’s team, where they claimed gold.

In 2024, she was named the NSW Macca's Community Grant winner, receiving $2,500 in funding, mentoring and a job—support that helped her proudly represent Australia at her match in Denver. Katherine and Isla say her school is very supportive of her hearing loss and makes sure she feels included without feeling singled out. Isla can sometimes miss hearing announcements, so staff check in regularly with her to make sure she knows when meetings or training sessions are taking place. She also continues to be supported by NextSense for audiology and speech pathology.

Refereeing—which she’s been doing for close to four years now, including for the Hills Football Referees—has boosted her confidence and she’s gained a better understanding of the sport.

Isla’s father is a referee coordinator, and he usually introduces her to the players before games. 'He explains that Isla has hearing loss so there’s no point yelling stuff at us. People are actually quite respectful of her,' says Katherine.

Isla recently joined the Venturer Scouts and is looking forward to attending her first Jamborette during the June long weekend this year. She is enjoying meeting new people and learning new skills through Venturers.

Katherine’s looking forward to what might come next for Isla and in the meantime, she’s enjoying seeing her daughter hit all her teenage milestones, including learning to drive.