We sat down with Rory Field, CEO of Metro Blind Sport, to hear about its two most recent projects and how it unlocks confidence and independence by reigniting people’s passion for sport.
Rory Field, CEO of Metro Blind Sport, has, he says, “always been a very sporty person”; he loves cricket, and he “never misses a session.” At age seven, he noticed his vision deteriorating and attended a boarding school that catered for people with vision impairment, where he continued to play sports.
“There was sport on offer, and we formed teams to play mainstream sport against mainstream teams. We didn’t have an adapted sport as such. We were part of the rugby league. We wrestled against sighted wrestlers. It just happened to have a team of vision impaired people,” says Rory, recalling his schooldays.
Sporting success: Excelling in rugby and cricket
His sporting passion continued through university. “When I went to university (in Johannesburg), I took up athletics. “There was athletics for people with disabilities, including blind and vision impaired people. At that point, I also played against mainstream teams. Because that's where a whole lot of more opportunities were. I played rugby, which was just mainstream rugby.”
Rory also played cricket alongside his brother. “My brother is also vision impaired, and the two of us would play cricket together with a tennis ball with insulation tape around it. Regional teams were dotted around the country, and that's when we started working towards the first World Cup in blind cricket.”
One of his proudest moments was as captain and coach of the South African team. “My brother Scott and I batted together, opened, and knocked off all the runs without losing a wicket, which got us to the total we needed to win the World Cup, which was amazing.”
Team sportsmanship: Founding Metro Blind Sport
The seeds of Metro Blind Sport began 52 years ago with a group of friends huddled around a table in a pub. They were discussing the lack of opportunities in sports for blind and vision impaired people and decided then and there to do something about it. They all threw in a tenner, and the rest is history. We are proud to have one of them as our President, Mike Brace OBE.”
Today, Metro Blind Sport offers competitive and inclusive sports for teams and individuals. It delivers life-changing opportunities for blind and vision impaired people to get out and do the sports and activities they love. Fight for Sight, which exists to Save Sight. Change Lives. is a long-time funder of the organisation.
Rory’s involvement with Metro Blind Sport is longstanding, beginning 23 years ago. He has been a beneficiary, volunteer and is now its CEO.
Reflecting on his time with Metro, he says: “Metro has been incredible to me, and I've seen firsthand what it does for others. It helps people overcome barriers and unlocks their abilities and self-confidence. That self-confidence might be just travelling on their own or getting out of their house. But for someone who has been isolated in their home, too scared to go out, that’s a huge step.”
People who are blind and vision impaired are three times more likely to experience loneliness and isolation.
He adds: “You can lose confidence, not leave home and not see other people. It really can get lonely and isolating. When we do these activities, it almost gives you a reason to leave the home in that first instance, and that reason to leave develops into a want to leave, and then that want to leave becomes easy to leave home. You become more confident you're speaking to more people. Your social circle is growing. You just feel far more part of your community. You become healthier and happier, which in turn can lead to further benefits.”
Funding support from Fight for Sight
Support from Fight for Sight has supported Metro’s growth. “Fight for Sight is amazing, and the partnership that we have with Fight for Sight has helped Metro achieve so much. Last year, we started a project with funding from Fight for Sight, which concentrates on low-intensity but high-impact activities.
“With this project, we could target people who were either our members or potential members who were the most isolated; they didn't want to participate in sport or the competitive element of sport. Others didn’t have the confidence and needed a step before they took part in physical activity.”
Activities took place all over London and included a dance class, tree planting, guided walks, a touch tour at the Greenwich Maritime Museum and a visit to Winter Wonderland.
“Our aim is to foster independence, so we encourage participants to travel a bit further and do a variety of activities.” said Rory.
He added, “The museum was a particularly great experience. We had a group tour where somebody would guide us and tell us in a very strong voice about every item, and we would be able to touch it. How often are you able to go to a museum and do that? It was wonderful. The Maritime Museum has lots of plans to develop what they're offering for blind and vision impaired people.
“One of the activities we did as part of the Low Intensity, High Impact Program was tree planting. One of the guys came over to me afterwards and said: “I wasn't 100% sure of coming here today, but I'm so glad that I did. The trees I planted will be here for my lifetime, and so will the friendships I made today.”
Future ambitions: Bringing people together
This year, Metro Blind Sport is launching Got It, which is aimed at juniors. “It's an abbreviation for “get out together, it's tremendous”. The scheme will focus on low-intensity activities and focus on building a network where people can go and participate in activities that they like.
“There are many wonderful organisations, including the Thomas Pocklington Trust, RNIB, the University of Birmingham, and a whole lot more, who have developed a parallel curriculum to the school curriculum, which is all about inclusivity and providing opportunities for blind and vision impaired people. And we are contributing to some of those objectives through this project,” said Rory.
The plan includes setting up a series of WhatsApp groups for the children. “And quite an ambitious part of the project is we would like mainstream schools to involve their pupils in guided walks. We’d train them in how to guide. There will be variations of vision loss, ranging from guiding someone by the arm to walking next to someone.
“But what that person does describes things that the other person maybe can’t see. In my experience, on one of our walks, I didn't see a worm coming down a bit of silk from a tree. But the person next to me did, so when they tell me what's going on there, that's amazing.”
We’ll also encourage the blind or vision impaired young person to describe what they hear or smell so that there is a two-way communication and benefit.
Reaching out
Finding people who need access to the service, particularly if they are isolated, is a challenge. Metro Blind Sport works with a network of other sector-based organisations and professionals. “People like rehabilitation workers who will refer someone they know is at risk of isolation. Once they join a session, you just start to see the progression. And that’s across all the sports and activities.
One example is Javid, who, after losing sight, was isolated at home and lost all self-confidence to leave home. Through Metro Blind Sport, he has reignited his passion for cricket. “For the first session, his mom helped him. She came with him on the bus to a point, and I met him there, and we travelled together to where we trained. That happened probably two or three times,” said Rory.
“Then he would come alone on the bus to that point, and then I would meet him there, which happened probably twice. After that, he got to the training ground, and it just went from there.”
“He's originally from Bharuch in the west of India, and he went back to his village alone. He took a ball and his bat along with him, and he was showing his friends and family blind cricket and what he does over here, and they were all so amazed. But that confidence from not leaving his home to travelling internationally to a little village, which is by no means a straightforward journey, and then showing other people what he's doing is just amazing.”
Looking forward to a brighter future
Rory hopes to provide more opportunities for people with vision loss. “This is where I must mention Fight for Sight’s work,” says Rory. “The organisation tackles two sides of that coin. There’s your work to improve diagnosis, treatment and prevention. But that's going to take a long time. I love that it is happening. But there is much more to do regarding creating those opportunities and overcoming barriers.”
“I don't want blind and vision impaired people to feel like they have any fewer opportunities than sighted people, or that they have any less confidence than sighted people, any less reason to leave home, or the ability to speak to other people than sighted people do, and I hope that over the next 50 years that those opportunities to overcome those barriers and to participate just increase. You can be certain that Metro Blind Sport will be giving our all to ensure that it happens.”
Metro Games
In short, Rory is looking forward to The Metro Games, a summer track and field event for children, young people, and adults. It is the only track and field event for vision impaired people that remains in the UK! (14 June 2025)
“The feedback after sessions means the most to me as an employee. It is so gratifying as I can see it means a lot to other people as well.”
