Cricket and Soccer
Deaf soccer and cricket are well-established, inclusive sports in South Africa, offering athletes the opportunity to participate, compete, and excel at every level.
Both sports follow the same core rules as their mainstream counterparts, with adaptations focused mainly on communication and officiating.
Together, deaf soccer and deaf cricket provide clear development pathways, from community and club participation through provincial structures to national team representation and international competition.
Eligibility is based on recognised deaf sport criteria, typically requiring a permanent hearing loss of 55 decibels or greater.
Beyond competition, both sports play an important role in promoting fitness, teamwork, confidence, and social connection, while strengthening representation and pride within South Africa’s deaf sporting community.
What assistance are you looking for?
A. Deaf Cricket
1. About Deaf Cricket
2. International Cricket Governance
3. South Africa – Disability Cricket
4. Provincial Deaf Cricket
i. The Differently Abled Cricket Club
B. Soccer | Football
1. About Soccer
2. South African Deaf Sport Federation (SADSF)
3. South African Deaf Football Association
About Deaf Cricket
Hearing disabilities are no obstacle to playing cricket. In disability cricket, there are a few rules and regulations that are specific to the different impairment groups.
Where possible the game is played in accordance with the MCC Laws of Cricket.
The South African Deaf Cricket’s team manager, Michael Lombard, with the help of Linley Verster, an interpreter and physiotherapist, explains. “The only difference is that we are deaf … but we play by the same rules.
A deaf player must have a 55 decibels or under to play in the first team. To play the international game, all cricketers with a hearing impairment must have a hearing loss of 55 decibels or less in their better ear. To put that in context it means they would be unable to hear an everyday conversation.”
A lot of the players will use digital hearing aids to help them in their everyday lives, however these must be removed when they take the field.
2. International Cricket Governance
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the global governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England and South Africa. It was renamed as the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.
The ICC has 104 members: 12 Full Members that play Test matches and 92 Associate Members. The ICC is responsible for the organisation and governance of cricket’s major international tournaments, most notably the Cricket World Cup. It also appoints the umpires and referees that officiate at all sanctioned Test matches, One Day International and Twenty20 Internationals. It promulgates the ICC Code of Conduct, which sets professional standards of discipline for international cricket, and also co-ordinates action against corruption and match-fixing through its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU).
The ICC does not control bilateral fixtures between member countries (which include all Test matches), it does not govern domestic cricket in member countries, and it does not make the laws of the game, which remain under the control of the Marylebone Cricket Club. [ Read More: …. ]
3. South Africa – Disability Cricket
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has three Disability entities affiliated to the organisation, namely South African Deaf Cricket Association (SADCA); Blind Cricket South Africa (BCSA) and South African Sports Association for the Intellectually Impaired (SASA-II).”
“Cricket really is the everybody-est sport! Find out how you can get involved today and become part of the team.
Contact Johan Weyers by Email: johanw@cricket.co.za or on Tel: 012 484 1835
4. Provincial Deaf Cricket
There are various provincial Deaf cricket teams such as:
The Gauteng Deaf Cricket: which was founded in 1975 with the aim of becoming the flagship provincial Deaf Team of South Africa; it is also one of the oldest Provincial teams in Deaf Cricket in South Africa and is actively involved in grass roots development and is currently working on setting up a Deaf KFC Mini Cricket Contest in conjunction with various stakeholders and Deaf Schools around Gauteng.
Cricket for persons with Hearing Impairments is also available at club level in South Africa. One of these clubs that offers this sport, is the Differently Abled Cricket Club. The Differently Abled Cricket Club are on a mission to uplift persons with disabilities or differences in South Africa.
i. The Differently Abled Cricket Club
The Differently Abled Cricket Club from South Africa are on a mission to uplift the Physically Disabled side of Cricket in South Africa.
“We have to start from the bottom and work our way up. We are in the process of establishing a league within the schools for this, then once that is done we are looking at the Northerns side”.
In 2017 the Differently Abled Cricket Club (DACC) adopted the principle of not being ashamed of who we are and hence the name Differently Abled Cricket Club, the club felt it’s time we have our own identity and independence and focus on the awareness of LSEN (Learners with Special Educational Needs) which includes the Blind, Deaf, Intellectually Impaired and Physically Disabled.”
The home of Differently Abled Cricket Club is located at FH Odendaal High School, we have embarked on a new journey and with the relationship we have built with the school they have given us permission to make the school our new home. We are in the process of building a clubhouse at the school and we also want to build a cricket academy specifically for differently abled players. Currently we are in the process of getting junior teams going as this is the feeding system for the club going forward.
With our new constitution we not only want to develop the cricket skills of players but also want to create a skills development program for our cricketers in order to attain the required skills for the workplace.
For more information: Contact Christo Pelzer – Cell: +27 82 998 4568 or Email: admin@dacc.co.za
Address: 200 Baviaanspoort Road, Derdepoort, Pretoria, 0186 | Website: www.dacc.co.za
Deaf soccer in South Africa follows the same laws of the game as mainstream football and is played under FIFA rules, with adaptations to ensure full accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing players.
The sport is fast, competitive, and team-based, relying heavily on visual awareness, positioning, and non-verbal communication rather than sound.
Players use visual signals, hand gestures, and eye contact to communicate, while referees replace whistle-based control with flags, hand signals, and visual cues.
Participation pathways are well established, starting at community and club level, progressing through provincial structures, and leading to national team selection.
South Africa’s deaf national teams compete in regional and international competitions, including events sanctioned by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD), such as the Deaflympics and continental championships. These pathways allow talented players to progress from grassroots participation to elite international competition.
Eligibility for deaf soccer is based on recognised deaf sport criteria. Players must have a permanent hearing loss of at least 55 decibels in the better ear, confirmed by an audiogram. In line with international regulations, hearing aids and cochlear implants are not permitted during match play, ensuring an equal playing environment. Beyond competition, deaf soccer plays a vital role in physical fitness, teamwork, confidence, and social inclusion, while providing a powerful platform for representation and pride within South Africa’s deaf community.
2. South African Deaf Sport Federation (SADSF)
There are a number of organizations that oversee soccer for the Deaf in South Africa, this includes the South African Deaf Sport Federation which currently promotes 10 sport codes, namely Athletics; Cricket; Soccer; Netball; Volleyball; Golf; Table Tennis; Swimming; Squash; Cycling. SADSF further has 9 constituted Provincial structures that are responsible for the identification and development of sporting talent for Deaf at grassroots level and also for the administering and coordination of sport for the Deaf at a Provincial level. Read More: ….
3. South African Deaf Football Association
South African Deaf Football Association (SADFA) is the national association responsible for the Deaf football clubs and provincial associations in South Africa. The South African Deaf Football Association is located in Gauteng, and also oversee and promote the development of soccer for the Deaf in South Africa along with Deaf Football Associations and Clubs in different Provinces. Read More: …