Photo Credit: Professional Cricketers’ Association
Partnership boosted by Board additions following player input.
The England Women’s Player Partnership (EWPP) Management Board has expanded as the PCA continues to develop the partnership to meet the needs of international women cricketers.
The expansion of the Management Board will improve governance of the body which has successfully represented the interests of international women cricketers since its creation in 2017.
The EWPP continues to work alongside the players, the PCA and the ECB to help chart the future path for greater equality in the international arena.
The nine-strong Management Board contains increased player representation with England vice-captain Nat Sciver, Georgia Elwiss and Amy Jones joining captain Heather Knight who was initially the sole player representative.
Responsible for the day-to-day running of the EWPP are PCA Chief Executive Rob Lynch, PCA Non-Executive Director and former international cricketer Isa Guha, PCA Head of Player Rights and Women’s Cricket Emma Reid and FCB Inferno agency Founder and Chairman Frazer Gibney.
The latest addition to the Management Board is Will Brass. Brass is currently the Chief Commercial Officer at the Premier League, where he has worked for over five years and has previously held positions as Commercial Director and Head of Sales and Marketing.
A qualified lawyer, Brass brings a wealth of experience with him onto the Management Board, having also previously worked as Head of Business Development at Tottenham Hotspur FC and in Sports Partnerships at the Creative Artists Agency.
Prior to Brass’ appointment, Gibney was recently brought onto the Management Board to bring his expertise from outside the game.
Gibney has led the multi award-winning FCB Inferno for over 20 years and was the creator of the ‘This Girl Can’ campaign, which successfully persuaded nearly three million women to get more active. He also holds a position on the Advisory Board of leading education and social mobility charity, Future Frontiers.
The evolution of the EWPP Management Board follows a period of increased player input, which has seen the PCA working with the players to identify and understand further areas for future improvement in their employment conditions.
Earlier this year, the players, the EWPP and the ECB collaborated to make the allocation of Central Contracts a more transparent and fair process.
The EWPP was established in 2017 to represent England Women’s players who held a Central Contract with the ECB. The aim of the partnership is to look after the needs of all female England cricketers, ensuring they are represented in contractual and commercial negotiations with the ECB, and to also ensure that the individuals’ player rights are protected.
The latest addition to the EWPP Management Board, Brass, said: “The importance of the work that the EWPP carries out on behalf of international women cricketers can not be overstated, so I’m really excited to be the latest addition to the Management Board and I’m looking forward to getting started in my new role.
Photo Credit: LinkedIn profile photo of Will Brass
“Women’s cricket in England and Wales continues to move in the right direction, and with more of a spotlight on Heather’s team than ever before, I’m aiming to work with the Board, the players and the ECB to increase commercial revenue streams for the England Women’s team.”
Brass’ fellow Board member, Gibney, added: “I am honoured to hold a position within EWPP and I am extremely passionate about accelerating the professionalism of the England team.
“We have seen significant growth within the women’s game in recent years, however, it is imperative we work with the ECB to chart a path for greater equality within the game. We aim to empower the England Women team by improving their working conditions and revenue to close the gender equity gap.”
Find out more about the Team England Player Partnerships.
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.
