Cricket for anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing
Deaf cricket has been played for more than 50 years in England and there are opportunities to play different formats including Deaf cricket, Inclusive cricket, and Pan-disability cricket, creating a welcoming, accessible and thriving sport for you to discover.
Open to anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing and we have a great mix of players across England & Wales.
We are open to all deaf and hard of hearing players, no matter if you speak, sign, wear hearing aids, cochlear implants or none of these you are welcome! Our players also come from a range of different backgrounds and cultures.
At the grassroots - County and regional level - the entry requirement is that you can show you are deaf or hard of hearing. At England and Lions level, the entry requirement is 55dBs loss in the better ear.
A message from our Partners at the ECB
"We are proud to work in partnership with the England Cricket Association for the Deaf, in pursuit of developing and growing deaf cricket opportunities across England and Wales. ECAD has consistently taken the lead in providing expertise on how best to engage deaf and hard of hearing individuals in all facets of our game, from playing opportunities to coaching, volunteering and spectating.
Our Pan-disability playing offer goes from strength to strength and our deaf and hard of hearing players form a key component of this. While ECB and ECAD continue to strive to develop the knowledge and confidence of the wider cricket workforce to ensure that deaf individuals can access cricket at whatever level they wish."
Edgar Herridge, ECB Senior National Disabilities Manager
The Purpose of ECAD
We have been working closely with the England Cricket Board at elite level as they now fully support the England Deaf Cricket Team, however the focus of our plans is on grassroots level, and there are many ways in which partners can get involved.
The emerging Cricket Development Plan for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing will aim give all deaf children and young people, the chance to play cricket in a safe, supportive and fun environment, either in mainstream cricket clubs or deaf cricket teams. Whether you are a young or an adult deaf person, parent, coach, volunteer, player or official, you can get involved to ensure that we can all participate in the game of cricket.
The key question is whether or not we actually need cricket teams for people who are deaf, given there are few physical adaptions within the game. The resounding answer is YES, because the real challenge facing cricketers who are deaf, is that in order to succeed in playing to the best of their ability, playing regularly at the highest possible level, means playing for hearing clubs in competitive league matches.
Unfortunately, they are not able to participate in the “Dressing Room” dialogue and interaction, which is an essential part of the game. There are communication challenges faced on the pitch whether batting, bowling or fielding. It could be words of advice or encouragement lost during an important part of the game or even when overcoming the obstacles, coming off the pitch to applause one cannot hear. The only time that they can truly enjoy the all the benefits the game has to offer is amongst people with similar challenges who find ways together to overcome them. We are currently producing a detailed Cricket Strategy which will show how you can help. This will endeavour to produce some resources that can support specific programmes.
How to get involved
There are several ways Deaf cricketers can get involved with playing county and regional matches.
Regional Pan Disability Team
Pan Disability Regional Teams: some deaf players are involved with the Pan Disability Hard ball competition known as D40.
Friendly Matches
ECAD run three regional teams: ECAD North, ECAD Midlands and ECAD South.
Academy Team
Our ECAD Academy team for our younger players. This team has a short tour each summer and train across the winter.
Fixtures & Results
All ECAD outdoor fixtures and results can be found on our Play-Cricket page.
Local Club:
Join in Your local cricket club to get training to improve your skills and get matches experience.
Winter Training
Join in our winter indoor training for deaf Cricketers, and delivered by ECB coaches.
Become an ECAD Member
| Benefits of Membership | |
|---|---|
| ✓ Cover by ECAD Insurance for all ECAD organised activities | |
| ✓ Access to all fixtures: Deaf friendly Matches and tournaments | |
| ✓ Winter training | |
| ✓ Pathway to England Deaf Cricket | |
| ✓ Get selected for England through the Pan Disability cricket pathway | |
| ✓ Information and advice from ECAD |
England Cricket Association for the Deaf News
Find out more about becoming a member?
England Cricket Association for the Deaf.
All content on this website is maintained by England Cricket Association for the Deaf. England Cricket Association for the Deaf is a registered charity in England & Wales no. 1182075