Hunter — Former Northern Arizona University Women’s Soccer Player —  Invited to Official U.S. Soccer Federation Training Camp Next Week in Preparation for 2025 Deaf Olympics in Japan.

Peoria, AZ (June 5, 2025)  —  Desert Dreams F.C. — Arizona’s new Women’s Premier Soccer League team — announced today that midfielder Holly Hunter has been invited by the United States Soccer Federation to participate in next week’s U.S. Women’s National Deaf Soccer Team’s official training camp.  The week-long event is centered around the team’s final preparations to defend its gold medal at the upcoming 2025 Deaf Olympics to be held this November in Japan.

Hunter, who was born completely deaf in both ears, has previously represented the U.S. Soccer Women’s National Deaf Team for many years — including being part of their most recent gold medal at the 2023 Deaf Olympics and being nominated for U.S. Soccer’s Player of the Year with a Disability.

Hunter received cochlear implants in both ears as a young child and can hear today.

In addition, Hunter is a former four-year NCAA Division One women’s soccer veteran who started her career at the University of Colorado before transferring to Northern Arizona University.

For additional background context, deaf soccer is one of the five disciplines that make up U.S. Soccer’s Extended National Team programming and holds the closest resemblance to the standard game with only two main rules that differentiate it. First, the sport is contested by deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes, with qualifying players needing to have a hearing loss of at least 55 decibels in their “better ear”. All players competing in deaf matches must remove all hearing aids before playing.

Secondly, referees have a flag which they raise along with blowing their whistle to provide a visual cue for players to know when play has stopped. Aside from those two adaptations, Deaf Soccer follows the standard 11-a-side Laws of the Game governed by the International Football Association Board.