Everyone has the right to participate, volunteer and develop a career in sport and physical activity. However, we know the opportunities to do so aren’t equal and that some groups, including disabled people, often face significant barriers. We want to change this. Sector leaders have a fundamental role to play in making this a reality.
We caught up with Chris Ratcliffe, CEO of UK Deaf Sport (UKDS), Chair of the Royal Association of Deaf people and former international athlete, to find out about his leadership journey, challenges and top tips for other leaders working to tackle inequalities in sport.
Chris' story
Chris grew up with a deep-rooted passion and natural ability for sport. He excelled in swimming and rugby and proudly represented Great Britain and Wales on an international stage. Beyond this, Chris is a successful and respected senior sector leader with over 25-years of experience. His career spans a multitude of executive, Non-Executive Director (NED) and advisory roles for multiple charities, local authorities, Activity Alliance, Boccia England, The RFU and the LTA. He joined UKDS as their CEO in 2024.
Chris is committed to tackling inequalities in sport. He’s driven by using his role and influence as a leader to make a difference, help drive equity of opportunity and ensure everyone’s treated with respect. His drive, commitment and passion are heavily shaped by his lived experience.
Chris was born deaf. He went to a mainstream school until the age of 11 and was the only deaf person in his family and local community.
“I was treated the same as everyone else but found this very difficult. I knew I was missing out on everything around me. I experienced isolation, exclusion, listening fatigue, loneliness and frustration, and I was sometimes teased for being deaf. All I wanted was to feel part of things and be the same as everyone else. As a deaf person, within mainstream environments, you must work harder and have more about you. I felt like I had to be the loudest, fastest, biggest and strongest. It’s very difficult to achieve and be the best you can if people don’t make reasonable adjustments.”
For Chris, sport has always offered an important means of escape, “it is a leveller, a way of gaining acceptance from others, overcoming challenges and channelling your frustrations.”
While Chris’ own pathway led him to international success, he remains acutely aware of the barriers that continue to face disabled people. Chris uses his leadership role to strongly advocate for equity of opportunity and increased diversity and visibility within the sector’s workforce and leadership.
“It’s vital to provide extra support to help disabled people navigate the barriers and frustrations they face.”
Throughout his career, Chris has been at the centre of some powerful and transformational work. From mainstreaming the Inclusive Fitness Initiative, to revolutionising sector training courses, there’s lots to be proud of. His breadth of experience and leadership training has enabled Chris to refine his leadership approach, mindset and behaviours. It’s also expanded his networks and given him the confidence to innovate.
Facing challenges
Chris’ faced numerous challenges throughout his leadership journey, including:
- The need to continuously advocate for equity and recognition of the disabled people’s agenda.
- Working to overcome a lack of visibility and diversity in the sector’s employment practices.
- Working to maximise the impact of organisations, while navigating the constraints of size and funding insecurity.
- The resilience required to lead through Covid and being responsible for quickly and safely regenerating opportunities and activities for members.
- Balancing working irregular hours in sports development while actively competing in international sport. This resulted in Chris choosing to leave the sector for a few years.
Learning from others at events and networking opportunities.
“Me being deaf can put the fear of God into people! It also makes networking at mainstream events very difficult. You know you need to be there, but without the right support, networking opportunities can leave you feeling isolated and frustrated. You’re worried about misunderstanding people or people not understanding what you’re saying. I can lip-read, speak and sign but I’m most confident talking to familiar faces on a one-to-one level. However, only doing this limits your scope and input from others so I always try to push myself."
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Leader wellbeing
With a demanding day job, NED roles and a young family, Chris’ very busy and hasn’t always prioritised his wellbeing.
Devastatingly, Chris lost a child 20 years ago. He bottled up his grief for many years and continued to immerse himself in work. The pressure of leading through Covid added to the strain and Chris found himself in a difficult headspace. With the support of his organisation and family, he took some time out and engaged in counselling which has really helped him.
Fast forward to now and Chris intentionally makes time to prioritise his wellbeing. He enjoys spending time with his family and walks with his dog.
“As a leader, making time for yourself is hugely important. It’s not just about switching off but having headspace. I regularly walk my dog, but it’s not just a dog walk. It helps clear my head, reset my thoughts, plan my day, reflect and recap on things.”
To look after his own and other’s wellbeing, Chris also:
- Treats others with respect and kindness.
- Is sensitive to situations and people, ‘’you often have no idea what others have been through or what else is going on for them.”
- Takes time to understand the needs and experiences of others and respond to them.
- Regularly encourages others to prioritise their wellbeing.
Top tips
Reflecting on his own personal and professional experiences, Chris’ top tips for other leaders working to tackle inequalities are:
Stay curious and surround yourself with good people
Tackling inequalities is hard. To get results, you can’t just settle for the status quo. Put yourself out there! Be curious. Admit when you don’t have the answers. Meaningfully engage with networks and people that share your vision and have the lived experience, knowledge and connections to help you.
Take your team with you
Don’t underestimate the power of a good team! Make sure your team are on the journey with you. Connect regularly and invest time in exploring ideas together.
Put people first. Be empathetic, approachable and driven, and take the time to explain tough decisions.
Take inspiration and learn from others
Throughout your leadership journey, you’ll meet and learn from inspirational individuals. Some will believe in you, others will give you opportunities, challenge your thinking or support you to do things differently. Make the most of these people, you’ll be thankful for them.
Diversity and equity of opportunity matter in the workplace too
The need to tackle inequalities isn’t restricted to participation. Be intentional about diversifying your workforce and boardroom too. Provide equity of opportunity and make reasonable adjustments to enable people to thrive. Embracing and celebrating diversity truly enhances how you work and deliver as an organisation.
Protect your wellbeing and make time for professional development
Make time to look after your own wellbeing and professional development to help you keep learning and evolving. Find the setting(s) that’s right for you and lean on your network by supporting and challenging each other.
Navigate blockages quickly
Tackling inequalities, overcoming challenges and making progress is vitally important. It requires us to do things differently. You won’t always get it right. If something’s not working, or someone’s unable or unwilling to help, move on quickly (with kindness). Learn from your experiences, surround yourself with people who want to help and find another way.
Be ambitious and do the small things well
Be ambitious about the end goal and know what success looks like. But remember, that tackling inequalities is complicated and takes time. “This work can sometimes leave you wondering, am I making a difference? It’s important to remember that the journey to get to where you want to be can sometimes outlive you. Make a plan to make things better, hold on to the big picture and do the small things well to get things on the right track.”
In this segment, we asked the last leader we spoke to to leave a question for the next, they said: How do you show love in leadership?
“Great question! It’s important to understand what love means in a work environment. It’ll be different for everyone, but for me it means:
- Being approachable and aware of your impact on others.
- Treating people how you’d like to be treated.
- Having empathy, showing kindness and respect.
- Building strong connections by acknowledging, recognising and taking the time to understand the people around you.
- Working as a team and being on a journey together, recognising that success is a product of the cumulative efforts of everyone around you.”
What's next?
Chris’ hard at work putting plans in place for the next 20-30 years so deaf sport continues to get better. He’s committed to staying curious and continuing to work hard to drive equity, inclusion and diversity. He intends to continue his work with the LTA’s Inclusion Advisory Group and expand his portfolio of NED roles, with the view of taking on a Senior Independent Director role in the future.
Do you have a leadership story you'd like to share? We'd love to hear from you, email us at leadingthemovement@sportengland.org and we'll be in touch!
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