Photo Credit: Professional Cricketers’ Association
Players’ Union and skin care brand protect players from the sun
The Professional Cricketers’ Association has agreed a multi-year partnership with LifeJacket Skin Protection, aiming to encourage better skin protection amongst players and its millions of fans.
The agreement will see professional cricketers supplied with LifeJacket Skin Protection products to support them on and off the field, offering a critical safeguard to players.
Announced during the Skin Cancer Awareness Month of May, a number of PCA members launched the agreement, including Kent and England wicketkeeper Sam Billings, Thunder’s Naomi Dattani, Northamptonshire’s PCA representative Rob Keogh, and PCA England Legends batter Mark Ramprakash. You can watch the launch video here.
All four members have led the way in the PCA’s fresh approach to commercial partnerships. The Association is focusing on using the profile and reach of its members in upcoming agreements. LifeJacket Skin Protection will utilise past and present players to help spread its important messaging of encouraging daily skin protection during a time when skin cancer rates are rapidly on the rise, particularly amongst males who are twice as likely to die from skin cancer as women.
With a vision to stop the increase in skin cancer, one of the world’s most common and preventable cancers, LifeJacket Skin Protection works extensively to provide people with the knowledge, tools and products to better protect their skin every single day of the year.
“I had been pretty naïve around skin care at times and in November last year I had two operations on my chest to remove a melanoma and it became very real.”
SAM BILLINGS
Developed and made in Britain, LifeJacket Skin Protection produces a range of high-performance skincare and UPF 50+ technical wear that is used by professional athletes, Olympians, and its own Team LifeJacket athletes. LifeJacket Skin Protection is an official partner of Melanoma UK.
LifeJacket Skin Protection has already provided over 500 sets of protection to players through the PCA pre-season meetings. Following every visit, the PCA team have provided players with a bundle of products to make sure when they take the field in 2023 they do so knowing the health of their skin is looked after by an industry leading brand.
England and Kent wicketkeeper-batter Sam Billings, said: “We are so lucky to have an Association that is so caring and this is such an important partnership that is close to my heart. We are in the sun most days and I think anybody associated with cricket can benefit from this.
“When it comes to skin damage you never think you are going to be ‘the guy’. I had been pretty naïve around skin care at times and in November last year I had two operations on my chest to remove a melanoma and it became very real.
“It is absolutely paramount to protect yourself and I look forward to supporting LifeJacket Skin Protection and the PCA to create awareness around the domestic system, club cricket and supporters.”
PCA Commercial Director, Rob Smyth, said: “We are thrilled that LifeJacket Skin Protection has partnered with the Professional Cricketers’ Association. With the cricket calendar predominately taking place during the sunnier, higher risk months, it’s reassuring to have LifeJacket on-board to ensure that our members can play without the concern of skin damage.
“This is the perfect partnership and the synergy with LifeJacket Skin Protection is clear. It is also empowering to see past and present players keen to support this partnership and I am sure this will be the first of many agreements where partners can work with our members to amplify their messaging and grow their businesses.”
Photo Credit: LinkedIn Profile Photo of Rob Smyth
LifeJacket Co-Founder, Billy Boulos, said: “We started LifeJacket Skin Protection after personal setback and having identified some shocking statistics about the rise in skin cancer cases which have doubled since the 90s, and are set to double again in the next 20 years.
“Through innovative products, education and partnerships like this one, we try and encourage people to protect their body’s largest organ every day of the year and carry out regular skin checks. Our products are already used by professional and Olympic athletes, so it made perfect sense to protect cricketers, who are occupationally exposed to skin damage. We hope our message will filter down throughout the cricketing world to amateur clubs and, of course, the millions of fans of this great game.”
LifeJacket Skin Protection products are available online at lifejacketskin.com and selected retailers.
Name of Author: Professional Cricketers Association
The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), founded in 1967 by former England fast bowler Fred Rumsey as the Cricketers’ Association, represents past and present first-class cricketers in England and Wales. In the 1970s, the PCA established a standard employment contract and minimum wage for professional cricketers. It also helped create a pension scheme in 1995 and launched the magazine All Out Cricket and the ACE UK Educational Programme in 2002.
