Photo Credit: Professional Cricketers Association
The PCA Futures Week returns for the fourth year in succession today, marking the beginning of the inaugural Futures Series which will take place throughout November.
The Futures Week aims to shine a light on the area of personal development and career transition amongst PCA members. Formerly the PCA Transition Week, the initiative is designed for players of all ages, whether young, in the latter stages of their playing careers, or retired.
The PCA has assisted 244 players into their second careers since 2015, and is delighted to reaffirm its commitment to supporting players in this area in a year when those leaving the game are entering into one of the toughest job markets in living memory.
The average career in professional cricket comes to an end at the age of just 26 and, as a result, helping PCA members to prepare for life after the game remains the cornerstone of the PCA’s Personal Development and Welfare Programme (PDWP).
As soon as any player in England and Wales signs their first professional contract, they become PCA members for life and therefore gain access to the PDWP and the services of the PCA’s six-strong team of Personal Development Managers (PDMs).
The PDMs play a key role in the organisation and running of Futures Week and the Futures Series. The initiatives join further annual events such as Rookie Camp and the Futures Awards in helping players throughout their entire journey, from start to finish.
The 2020 Futures Week will see the PCA highlight a wide range of individual stories of personal development and career transition via video interviews and web stories, in the absence of the annual Futures Conference which is unable to take place due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
In its place, this week will also include the launch of the virtual Futures Series, with 11 webinars happening throughout November. The series begins at 1pm on Monday with an insight into high performance behaviours both on and off the pitch from Damian Hughes of the High Performance Podcast.
Damian will be followed at 10.30am on Wednesday by former Test skipper Michael Vaughan, ex-Liverpool footballer Neil Mellor and Olympic champion Amy Williams, each of whom will recount their own stories of career transition.
For more information on the nine further webinars taking place throughout November, click here.
PCA Director of Personal Development and Welfare Ian Thomas has welcomed the return of Futures Week for a fourth year in succession: “It is vital that the PCA continues to help professional cricketers maximise their potential both during and after their playing careers, particularly in a year when the Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant negative impact on the job market.
Photo credit: Instagram photo of @timstagram20
“In the absence of the annual Futures Conference, we are therefore delighted to be able to offer the virtual Futures Series, headlined by Futures Week. I hope that PCA members of all ages will make use of the sessions we have organised to help them continue on their personal development journey.”
For more information and to book a place on the Futures Series, email Tom Jones or contact your regional PDM.
Click here to find out more about the PCA’s Personal Development and Welfare Programme.
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.
