Deaf and Blind Cricketers Upset by Changes to Cricket Australia's Funding

Topic: Cricket

Australian men's blind cricket team members are concerned about Cricket Australia's proposed funding changes.

In short:

Australia's Deaf and intellectually disabled cricket teams will combine into a single mixed disability team under a new funding arrangement with Cricket Australia.

The national men's blind cricket team says it is facing cuts to its touring roster.

What's next?

Cricket Australia says it is still confirming the details of future funding arrangements but that the total amount it provides to inclusive cricket programs has not decreased.

A decision by Cricket Australia to change how it funds inclusive teams has left many cricketers feeling disappointed, with some saying it could ultimately drive players away from the game.

Under the new arrangement, deaf and intellectually disabled men's cricketers, previously in separate national teams, will be combined into a single mixed disability team, with physically disabled players also brought into the fold.

A women's national mixed disability team will also be created.

An email sent to players late last year acknowledged some might be disappointed but said they could still compete as separate teams overseas if they wished by making their own arrangements and self-funding any tours or camps.

Members of Western Australia's blind cricket team at this year's National Cricket Inclusion Championships in Perth.

At the same time, Australia's blind men's cricket team said its tour budget was in jeopardy.

Blind Cricket Australia said CA had previously committed to funding one international series per year, but this arrangement had ceased, leaving the team's future roster up in the air.

CA told the ABC details of funding arrangements and tour schedules were yet to be confirmed but its financial commitment to blind and all abilities cricket remained strong.

It said it could not reveal how much money it put towards inclusion programs as it did not share details of commercial contracts.

CA is also conducting a review of domestic programs, including the National Cricket Inclusion Championship.

140 years of Deaf culture lost, says cricketer

Deaf cricket emerged in Australia around the early 1880s, making it one of the nation's oldest Deaf sports.

Played without hearing aids or cochlear implants, Deaf cricket created a level and culturally meaningful playing field, which would be fundamentally altered in a mixed format, bowling all-rounder Callum Asbury said.

Callum Asbury says Cricket Australia's announcement has left many players feeling angry.

He said the decision to merge the men's Deaf and intellectually disabled teams had stirred feelings of anger, disappointment, confusion, curiosity, and in some cases, disinterest among players on both sides.

Asbury said players learned of the change via email, with no prior discussion or warning, leaving them feeling dismissed and disrespected.

Some players with intellectual disabilities may find it difficult, frustrating, or simply unengaging to learn Auslan, especially the specialised signs used in cricket.

That can unintentionally create a divide between the groups, making it harder to build cohesion on and off the field.

Callum Asbury says players weren't warned of the changes.

CA said the majority of International Cricket Council nations supported moving towards a combined model, and the change was essential to remain aligned with India and England, where mixed disability teams have already been rolled out.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed it no longer funds the Deaf national men's team and has moved to a mixed model.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has not responded to the ABC.

Both countries appear to still have separate Deaf cricket teams that are planning to attend the Deaf International Cricket Council's Deaf Cricket World Cup later this year.

Deaf Sports Australia, which strongly condemned CA's decision and said it had not been consulted, said Australia would not compete due to the national team no longer being funded.

CA argued the change would also make the sport a more viable candidate for inclusion in the 2032 Brisbane Paralympics.

However, International Paralympic Committee member Robyn Smith said applications were now closed for inclusion in the 2032 Games and, as far as she was aware, mixed disability cricket was not among the sports submitted.

Smith, who is also the president of the international governing body for elite intellectually disabled athletes Virtus, and Sport Inclusion Australia's international engagement adviser, said she was disappointed by CA's approach.

Victoria celebrates winning the Deaf and Hard of Hearing final at the 2024 National Cricket Inclusion Championships.

It's not a high performance pathway, it's tokenism from my perspective.

The Deaf International Cricket Council, in a letter published earlier this year, similarly condemned the shift in some countries towards mixed formats.

This is why Deaf sport has never participated in the Paralympic Games.

Uncertainty around blind cricket tour roster

Changes to the blind program are unclear.

BCA chair Raymond Moxly initially told the ABC the national men's team would now only be funded to attend World Cups, which take place roughly every three years.

Raymond Moxly is disappointed by Cricket Australia's original proposal.

He said it was understood the newly introduced women's blind cricket team would be on a similar triennial touring roster.

CA has consistently maintained that overall funding to inclusion programs had not fallen, but indicated some investment in the blind men's team may have recently been diverted to fund the blind women's team, which attended its first World Cup last year.

Some of these programs fluctuate year on year depending on how we actually put our finite resources towards these programs to ensure equitability.

Jon Stimpson says program changes aren't unusual.

Moxly, who used to play for Australia, said he was thrilled to see the women's program expand, but he did not think it should eat into the men's budget.

We'd love to see both teams given the opportunity to play annually.

Moxly estimated an international series costs around $200,000 to attend, a drop in the ocean for CA but a substantial fee for players, who would likely have to self-fund to maintain their previous touring roster.

He said the alternative was to settle for playing fewer games, which could see players lose motivation and potentially jump ship to other Para sports, which would be hugely detrimental to Australia's World Cup chances in 2027.

Since the ABC reached out to CA about the changes, Moxly said it had come back to the table.

He said a new proposal under discussion would see it fund a training camp and apparel next financial year for the men's and women's national teams, and one tour per year for each team for the following two financial years.

A formal agreement is yet to be signed.

Players feel confused, devalued

Star blind Australian batter Steffan Nero said many players had been anticipating potential cuts given CA's recent financial woes, and the ongoing uncertainty was frustrating.

Steffan Nero is also unhappy with the decision.

This summer's Ashes series failed to relieve pressure, wrapping up quicker than expected, forcing CA to reimburse millions of dollars in unused tickets.

I remember a few of the guys making jokes saying, Well, there goes our funding for the next 10 years.

Nero said it was deflating given the team's recent performance in the inaugural blind Ashes series against England, which Australia won comprehensively.

Blind cricket provides an opportunity for blind or vision impaired people to participate in one of Australia's most popular sports, and find a sense of community.

He said it made the team feel more like a financial burden than an asset.

We hadn't had that kind of series win and we expected things to kind of change and get better and stuff, and it's gone the complete other way.

This is not one-way, they benefit from it just as much as we have, probably more to be honest, with their marketing and social media.

CA promotes inclusion funding on its website, social media accounts and in advertising.

The tagline a sport for all has been a core pillar of its marketing strategy.

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