Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold makes a HUGE change in her battle against hearing loss

Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold has confirmed she will trial wearing hearing aids on the pitch as anticipation builds to the Paris Olympics in July.

The 30-year-old, who was diagnosed with hearing loss in April last year by a specialist in London, has decided to 'try and get used to' the devices.

'I have started training with them for a little bit now, for a couple days throughout the week, just to see how it is and to try and get used to them,' the West Ham shot-stopper told News Corp.

'I feel like I probably struggle more without them now when I don't have them in than I did before. 

'It's a completely new world to be honest....it's definitely been a big adjustment but one that I'm grateful for.'

During the Women's World Cup on home soil last year, Arnold didn't wear hearing aids as she 'fiddles with them too much.'

'I’ve played my whole life without them in. I still consider not wearing them as normal,' she said at the time.

'But I think if I wore them on the field it would take my mind away [from the game] because I'd be fiddling with them too much.'

Arnold stole the hearts of many football fans globally in 2023 after she revealed the Covid pandemic forced her to confront her hearing issues as her health continued to deteriorate.

Teammates had to yell at her in conversations, Arnold couldn't hear her phone's message tone and meeting friends out in coffee shops and bars became a task she didn't envy.

But thanks to the help and guidance of brother Sam, who has worn hearing aids his whole life, Arnold realised it was time to see a specialist.

'It was around when Covid hit and everyone started wearing masks all the time that I realised I'd probably been lip-reading a lot more than I realised,' the star goalkeeper, who plays her club football for West Ham, said.

'Because, honestly, I couldn't hear a thing when people had masks on. I was just like, "What is going on?"'

She finally got the specialist to check her out, sharing the scary moment with fans in an Instagram video.

The specialist explained just how serious her situation was, telling Arnold she had almost completely lost the ability to hear high frequencies.

'The lady said if I don't get hearing aids it will just get worse because it's just like a muscle that, if you don't use, will deteriorate over time,' Arnold explained.

'Honestly, I saw Caitlin Foord [Matildas teammate] and we were in a café that was quite noisy, and she said it was so nice to actually be able to have a conversation with me and not repeat herself.

'It's made a massive difference, for sure.'