Photo Credit: Professional Cricketers’ Association
Members learn from PCA commercial partner at exclusive virtual event.
The PCA brought players and commercial partners together as members received insight into the inner workings of New Balance during an exclusive hour-long webinar.
A long-standing commercial partner of the PCA, global sports brand New Balance has been the Association’s official footwear partner since 2013. The company was represented on the call by Senior HR Director Clare Lunt and Marketing Manager for Sports & Partnerships Liam Burns.
The duo offered PCA members an overview of all aspects of the New Balance organisation, including the culture and values of the company, its business practices and its key aims, before explaining how current professional cricketers in particular can tailor their CVs to gain employment opportunities at the global business in retirement from the game.
The virtual event then finished with a Q&A session led by PCA Lead Personal Development Manager (PDM) Charlie Mulraine, during which players asked questions on topics including building a personal brand, interview techniques and how to get your foot in the door at large scale businesses.
“I attended the New Balance webinar as I’ve always been interested in the idea of being a player representative for a sports brand working closely with sponsored athletes and ambassadors.”
ROB KEOGH, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE CCC
The webinar illustrated the mutual benefits of a commercial partnership with the PCA, as players learned about what they can gain from an international company like New Balance and vice versa.
It formed part of the PCA’s Personal Development and Welfare Programme (PDWP), a personalised support service which enables members to excel and develop sustainable performance within and outside of cricket.
Current Northamptonshire all-rounder Rob Keogh said: “I attended the New Balance webinar as I’ve always been interested in the idea of being a player representative for a sports brand working closely with sponsored athletes and ambassadors.
“It was particularly interesting listening to Liam, who has performed that role within New Balance, and understanding how he works with specific players to create new cricket-specific products. The advice from Clare on how to become more attractive to employers was also very insightful.”
PCA Lead Personal Development Manager Mulraine thanked Lunt and Burns for giving up their time to speak to the players: “One of the core purposes of the PCA is to support professional cricketers in the area of career transition, so we’re very grateful to our friends at New Balance for giving PCA members a comprehensive overview of what companies like theirs are looking for in individuals.
“I would like to personally thank Clare and Liam for generously giving up an hour of their time to present to the players, and I hope that PCA members were able to take away some valuable lessons about how to best position themselves to be successful post-retirement.”
New Balance Senior HR Director Lunt said: “New Balance are delighted to have been able to share our thoughts on what it is like to work for our brand with the PCA and the players. Collaboration and teamwork, along with a strong results-driven mind-set are just some of the attributes that professional sportsmen and women offer, and which are closely aligned to what we look for in our associates.
“We believe that New Balance is a very special place to work and we always welcome applications from people from a sporting background to join our company.”
A full recording of the webinar is available for players who were unable to attend. Speak to your regional PDM for further information.
Find out more about the PCA’s Personal Development and Welfare Programme (PDWP).
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.
