The EDRU are aiming to beat the Welsh and take on the world!

The England Deaf Rugby Union team are looking for individual player sponsorships to assist the players with travelling cost and to enable companies that normally wouldn’t have the means to sponsor an international team to have the opportunity to align their companies to an England representative team.
Amongst other benefits each sponsor will have the ability to attend a training session or identify someone (adult or child) to train with the players. We are also looking for larger sponsors to be the main match day sponsor for an international match, this has many benefits and can be tailored to suit the sponsor. Please feel free to contact us via Twitter or the detailed email addresses and we will arrange to forward specific details. Our sponsorship packages range between £500 – £4000 but as we are a registered charity for a disabled sport all donations large and small are gratefully received!
EDRU has been under a period of reorganisation and we are in the process of updating / changing our website structure. We have recently changed our coaching set up and are pleased that Sean Fletcher, who in his playing days played premiership rugby for Sale, North of England and Lancashire including representing his country as an England Colt, has agreed to take over as head coach. We have retained the services of Aldam Mills who has a wealth of experience with EDRU and is now involved in representative coaching in the Midlands. Aldam will continue as the backs coach. Paul Bailey another Lancashire player and England schoolboy has joined as assistant backs coach so we have a huge source of knowledge and experience to take us forward.
EDRU has been in existence for 11 years. It was set up by a group of deaf sports enthusiasts including the current Chairman of EDRU, Mr Marcel Hirschman. At its commencement EDRU was an unincorporated association.  Its purpose was to promote the playing of rugby union by deaf and hard of hearing players. It was never intended that there should be a separate game of ‘deaf rugby’. The purpose was to provide support to those wishing to participate and deaf awareness to those clubs working with deaf and hard of hearing players. Since 1 May 2009 EDRU has been incorporated as a company limited by guarantee and has been given charitable status (No. 1134194) since 8 February 2010.  It has also been accepted as a member of the RFU family of elite teams.
EDRU has two main functions.  First it seeks to ensure that the game of rugby union is available to all men and women with hearing impairment.  It does this by providing individual support at its open training sessions and guidance to parents of deaf and hard of hearing children.  EDRU also provides deaf awareness to clubs with deaf and hard of hearing players. In addition EDRU have visited a number of schools for the deaf to introduce the game of rugby union.
Secondly, EDRU is responsible for the administration and organisation of the England Deaf rugby team.  In order to qualify to play for England Deaf a player must have an average of 25db hearing loss bilaterally. It means that deaf, deafened and many hard of hearing players will qualify.  It includes those who have had hearing impairment from birth through to those who have incurred hearing impairment as a result if illness or injury.
England Deaf play internationals against other national deaf rugby teams, most recently Wales Deaf. In addition England Deaf play against full national teams such as Estonia and will also play demonstration games.
At the present time England Deaf are preparing for a return fixture against Wales Deaf which is currently scheduled to be played over the weekend of 10/11 May 2014. Looking further forward, Wales Deaf are organising a world deaf rugby tournament to be played in Wales in August 2015.  At the time of writing nine nations have indicated a willingness to attend this tournament which promises to be the biggest deaf rugby tournament ever held.
As stated above, there has never been the intention of creating a separate game of deaf rugby. The purpose of EDRU is to ensure inclusion. The only games that are exclusively for deaf and hard of hearing players are the deaf internationals. They are played to almost identical rules as the hearing game. The only potential changes relate to making sure the signals for setting the scrum can be communicated and the use of a signal by the referee to indicate a halt in play if necessary.
Any deaf or hard of hearing player wishing to play for England Deaf may attend any of the training days. For information about training days players should contact Tony Stoyles, EDRU Director of Rugby at [email protected]. General inquiries regarding the work of EDRU or seeking the support of EDRU should be directed to Lyndon James, Secretary EDRU at [email protected]