After losing his vision, Jordan Hayles began the Sheffield Strikers – giving his local visually impaired community the chance to get active, and showcasing how any sport can adapt to anybody.

Ten years ago, Jordan Hayles was completing his sport coaching degree at Huddersfield university when his vision began to deteriorate. 

“I was playing football and it was like I was looking at fog lights,” he recalls, “Within three months, I was registered visually impaired. Severely visually impaired.”

Jordan was only 21 when he was diagnosed with Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy, a rare disease that led to the loss of his vision – and one that nobody else in his family had ever faced before. 

Despite the diagnosis, Jordan still managed to complete his teaching degree, even if it ‘was difficult at the best of times.’ However, he chose not to pursue the career any further. 

“I lacked confidence,” he says, “How was I supposed to manage a classroom when I couldn’t even see? I didn’t go back to that.”

For just over a year, he was lost – with his declining confidence and limited vision, Jordan was struggling to find himself – but that all changed when he discovered Sheffield’s Royal Society of the Blind (SRSB).

They offered him the chance to reclaim the sports he once played – badminton, football, and even going to the gym. The workouts especially were important for Jordan, who began to train to compete in a bodybuilding competition – an event in which he achieved second place.

“That built a bit more confidence in me,” Jordan says, “It made me think ‘I can do something – I can achieve something.’”

Motivated by his newfound confidence, and discovering others who wanted to keep active after losing their vision, Jordan decided to do something. He wanted to keep people competitive and believed that through teamwork, people who were struggling may be able to reclaim their confidence in the same way that he had. 

Just over two years ago, Jordan formed the Sheffield Strikers – a baseball team composed of blind and visually impaired players that operates out of SRSB.

He says: “I think it’s coming to terms with, ‘I am blind, but I can still do anything that anyone else can do – if not more’

“The belief of ‘I can’t’ shouldn’t come into anyone’s vocabulary. I think you just haven’t done it yet. So I think that’s the mindset; I think it’s a collective community and everyone should just try and help each other.”

The Strikers are part of a wider baseball league known as The United Kingdom Blind Baseball Association (UKBBA) and are a relatively young club compared to others in the association. 

Blind baseball itself only became popular in Europe over 15 years ago, thanks to the Association Italian Baseball Played From Blind. The Lancashire Lions became the first team in the UK, introducing the sport to the nation in 2019. Since then, it has spread out across Britain, with teams in Manchester, Liverpool, and more.

It is a very audio driven sport. Using the senses they can, the Strikers rely mostly on clapping and noises to help carry out their games. The baseball that is used is very unique, being covered in holes and filled with ball bearings – used to help keep track of the ball. 

There’s no pitcher; hitters must instead hold the ball in one hand and the bat in the other, aiming it into the field. 

To aid with direction, there are pointers at every base. Someone would point a runner on first where second is and on second where third is. As the runners approach the base, a beeper plays, getting faster the closer the players are to the base. 

From first to second, however, there is a clapper. The clapper operates the same as the beeper, clapping the closer the runner gets to the base.

From third to home, there is no noise; it’s completely free running. Instead, players have a four foot invisible ‘gate’ that they have to get through to make it home. Missing this gate can mean missing out on runs – so it’s vital that players become perfect at free running.

One of the first to join the Strikers was Nomaan Iqbal, who lost his vision to meningitis four and a half years ago. 

“I was in a coma for five weeks,” Nomaan shares, “They said to my family ‘that’s it – he’s not making it. He’s a vegetable now.’ When I woke up, I was trying to say ‘open my eyes!’, but my eyes were open already.”

Six months later – after countless sessions of rehabilitation and treatment, Nomaan decided enough was enough and got back out there.  

This article is part of our This:Ability series, celebrating individuals with disabilities in sport. Read our other story on the Heroes of Hope here, on the Sheffield Steelkings here, or on the rise of disabled tennis here!

Before everything, Nomaan was extremely active. He was a plumber, a taxi driver, and a father of two kids. He played cricket and football and a plethora of other sports. 

It’s this passion for living and movement that kept him afloat. 

“God is the most merciful,” Nomaan says. “He will never burden you with more than you can handle. That’s for anyone. You will only get how much you can take. I just kept that in my head throughout my whole journey.”

When Nomaan discovered the SRSB, he says it gave him ‘enlightenment.’ Immediately, he began to make the most of every opportunity placed in front of him.

After participating in every sport and activity offered by the SRSB, Nomaan eventually managed to become the captain of The South Yorkshire Visual Impaired Tennis club. 

“I always had a vision,” Nomaan says, “Even though I don’t have vision.

“When I started, I thought ‘okay, I’m not good at it now, but there’s potential in it. I can do sports again.’”

Through the Strikers, Nomaan and Jordan had the opportunity to play blind baseball for Team GB in the first ever Blind Baseball European Championship in Italy last month, where they helped Great Britain win a bronze medal. 

“I don’t count myself disabled,” Nomaan says, “Cause we have the ability to do things without certain things, like vision. That’s an ability – not a disability”

Nomaan had always had a dream of being something in sports. Something ‘big’, he says. Playing for Team GB has helped them get there; it’s made him feel fulfilled. 

The Strikers, and the SRSB as a whole, has been pushing him to be the best he can be. Pushing him to return to the world of sports that he loved so much. They’ve given him opportunities that were never available to him before. 

“What more could I ask for?”

According to statistics by SportEngland, 34.9% of people in England have a long standing disability or illness, with visual impairments being the most common. Disabled people are much less likely to engage in sporting or physical activity, with 47% of them believing that sport “isn’t for someone like them”.

Unfortunately, it’s the low awareness of these clubs that are killing their reach. Most disabled people are under the impression that spaces, like sport, aren’t fully accessible for them – that their specific needs won’t be able to be met. 

But adaptable sports understand that there isn’t really a ‘one size fits all’ approach to playing with disability. People have different levels of severity and experience. Whilst this has sometimes been a hindering factor, many sports find ways to make it work. 

The Strikers, for instance, use a shade to ensure all players have limited vision, and allow some players to use a ‘tee’ when they bat, instead of just holding the ball, making things easier for people with movement disabilities. 

Thanks to Jordan, Nomaan and the rest of the Strikers are able to feel a bit more like themselves again and begin enjoying the active lifestyle so many of them used to have. 

As adaptable sports continue to evolve, we will be seeing more and more activities continue to change to better accommodate all kinds of people. We have been hearing ‘Sport for All’ for years now – and it finally feels like we’re living up to the phrase. 

Follow the Strikers on Instagram here!