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British Disabled Angling Association Information

British Disabled Angling Association (BDAA) represents disabled people interested in coarse, sea or game fishing opportunities. BDAA works with its partner organizations to develop new and exciting opportunities in angling participation, from grass roots to competition levels.

British Disabled Angling Association (BDAA) represents disabled people interested in coarse, sea or game fishing opportunities. BDAA works with its partner organizations to develop new and exciting opportunities in angling participation, from grass roots to competition levels.

The BDAA is a national registered charity and the lead disability angling organization in the UK. Angling continues to be the largest participation sport with an estimated four million people fishing each year, of which tens of thousands have a disability.

Angling is unlike most active sports. As an activity it is open to children and adults with physical, sensory or learning impairments to participate, regardless of severity of disability. Angling can be a recreational activity or sport specific; offering a variety of experiences. The largest barrier to participation, which is being addressed by BDAA, is physical access to the sport and classification.

Angling has been popular for centuries as a recreation. As a competitive sport for disabled people it is still in the embryonic stage. The BDAA is progressively developing classification systems in partnership with various disability organizations. “Adaptive angling” being developed by the BDAA, has the potential to open angling to many disabled people who may never have had an opportunity to experience any sport.

Competitions are mainly organized by independently run disabled clubs and various organizations throughout England, Wales and Scotland. There are ‘Governing Bodies’ for angling in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. England has one for each discipline, with development being managed by a joint Angling Development Board (ADB). Opportunities to access elite sport are limited and not universal across disciplines. The BDAA is currently pressing all Governing Bodies to improve opportunities and equity in the sport.

For those in Britain wishing to become involved in the sport of fishing the contact details are below:

British Disabled Angling Association - 01922 860912 - http://www.bdaa.co.uk

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