PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT & WELFARE PROGRAMME MAY 2016

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT & WELFARE PROGRAMME MAY 2016 “Confident, Resilient People = Better cricket...
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PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT & WELFARE PROGRAMME MAY 2016 “Confident, Resilient People = Better cricketers = Increased Performance” “The nature of sport at an elite level leaves athletes susceptible to becoming over absorbed and engrossed in an often closeted and impractical lifestyle” Cockerill and Tribe, 2002

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

CONTENTS

1. Executive Summary 2. Introduction 3. The History 4. The Programme Model 5. Academic Research 6. Statistics 7. Feedback

i) Players



ii) Directors of Cricket and coaches

8. Conclusions 9. Recommendations 10. Appendices

A. Personal development managers



B. Current and proposed structure for PDWP



C. PDWP deliverable objectives



D. PDWP success measures



E. Past player survey



F. County coach verbatim comments

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

“Farming helps my cricket, in a way that I’m not lying on a sofa thinking about technique. In any elite team the environment is pretty brutal. It is the release of getting away from that pressure of international cricket and doing something totally different, so that you’re not always thinking about cricket.” Alastair Cook, England and Essex CCC

PLAYER AND COACH FEEDBACK

“You don’t have to do a degree at Oxford, you could have done a plumbing course, set up your own business, work for a charity anything like that, the things we do outside cricket are important.”

• Education and welfare elements of the PDW programme are perceived as valuable or highly valuable by over 95% of Directors of Cricket & coaches

Mark Wallace, PCA Chairman & Glamorgan CCC

• Around 75% or more believe the programme has a positive effect on performance, confidence, resilience and contribution • 82% of current professional cricketers now have an active Personal Development Plan • Directors of cricket and coaches hold the view that more time dedicated to the programme would have significant impact

“Personal development is vitally important; because your career could end at any point, through injury or release. It’s important you have a plan for the future.” Daryl Mitchell, Worcestershire CCC

“It’s massively important to have a personal development plan. You don’t know what’s around the corner.” Will Porterfield, Warwickshire CCC and Ireland “Personal development is massive. You can see the benefits while you are playing because it gives you confidence.” Andrew Gale, Yorkshire CCC “I’ve found that getting involved in other things outside of cricket has been really good for me in terms of my game on the pitch.” Heather Knight, England Women “It’s very important that youngsters get in early and find these things out – that cricket isn’t forever, because you certainly do think that when you’re 18 and 19 years old.” Tony Cottey, Glamorgan CCC, & Sussex CCC, 1986 - 2004

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS • 6 PDM’s are employed to cover 17 county cricket clubs and their academies • PCA contribute a minimum of 50% to the cost of all education funding costs incurred by a member, including 100% of ECB coaching levels 1,2 & 3 • Engagement in the programme has increased from 15% in 2004 to 82% in 2015 • Over £1.25m has been spent on personal development educational funding in the last decade • Over half of the education funding applications per year now come from ex-players • PDM’s act as a first line of referral, and signpost into PCA’s programme of health and wellbeing

HEALTH AND WELLBEING • 1 in 4 of the general population will suffer from a mental health episode at some time in their lives and PDM’s act as a first line of defence in spotting signs and symptoms and then referring appropriately • Virtually all players admit to struggling when their playing career ends and 32% of past players did not feel in control of their lives two years after they finished playing (See appendix E Past Players Research 2013)

• 24% admit to on-going physical health, mental health, addiction or financial problems

Problems in the first year after retirement from sport are common: • 17% admit to high levels of anxiety & stress • 16% admit to loss of self-esteem and confidence • 16% admit to depression and feelings of despair (See appendix E Past Players Research 2013)

Key factors that influence how well sportspeople adapt to life after sport • Satisfaction with their playing career • Preparation for the future while playing • Retiring on their own terms • Quality of transition • Regaining control of their life

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS • Currently six Personal Development Managers (PDM’s) cover 3 counties (and their academies). It is recommended that the number of PDM’s is increased to nine to enable greater depth of work with both current and past cricketers • That a number of new benchmarks with regard to personal development are added to the ECB/PCA Standard contract • That the working relationship, ‘contract’, between the player, coach and PDM be enhanced to allow for greater interaction, whilst recognising the players’ individual situations and also the independent nature of the work

• The game must continue building on this important work. We have a duty to create more resilient and confident people, something which should also ensure better performing cricketers. In turn, this should lead to a better product to sell to broadcasters and spectators, ultimately creating more income for the game. As continuation of our work will help provide cricketers with smoother transitions out of the game and into the next phase of their lives and mitigate potential issues down the line.

INTRODUCTION

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

2. INTRODUCTION After fifteen years, this report will assess the current Personal Development & Welfare programme against key criteria, academic research, significant past player research, it will also demonstrate its value as recognised by players and coaches alike and will conclude with a set of recommendations to increase its effectiveness moving forward.

THE HISTORY

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

3. THE HISTORY THE CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WELFARE SUPPORT, IN SPORT AND CRICKET. The earliest record of athletes’ future careers being supported was in America and Australia with the inception of the Career Assistance Programme for Athletes (CAPA) in America in 1992 and the Athlete Career Education (ACE) Programme in Australia in 1990. The CAPA programme was born from needs analysis with their Olympic athletes. They quickly realised that the benefits of supporting players to achieve dual aspirations had huge benefits to the performer’s life, emotions and performances.

THE ACE YEARS: The Athlete Career and Education (ACE) program was first introduced in Australia at the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) in 1990. Like the American CAPA Programme, the National ACE program was developed in 1994 and implemented in Australia in 1995, after an extensive international evaluation of: Research findings in the area of athlete transition and identity foreclosure; Recognised centres with athlete life-skill programs and amalgamation of existing programs at the VIS and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). The program was formed due to concerns that Australia’s elite athletes were missing out on essential life-skill development in the pursuit of sporting excellence, and that their transition out of sport was often traumatic. It was not until 1999 that the first structure for supporting British Athletes was established. With the support of UK Sport, a network of ACE advisers were employed across a number of sports and sporting institutes to meet the same goals of the ACE programme in Australia. Since this introduction, the UK Sport ACE Programme gained good support and evolved to become an essential part of an athlete’s development across a multiple amount of sports.

In 1999 Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket at the time, signed the licence with UK sport and AIS to bring the first form of this support to cricket, under the title the “ACE programme”. In 2001, the ECB and PCA combined in order to enhance the support offered. Upon doing so, they entered into a contract with UK Sport to run the ACE programme within cricket. This was a limited resource, with only two people available to cover the counties and England squad’s needs at the time.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

THE PERFORMANCE LIFESTYLE YEARS: In 2003, UK Sport rebranded to ‘Performance Lifestyle’ (PL), with the ECB & PCA programme also adopting this title. At this point there was 1 co-ordinator and 3 full time Performance Lifestyle Advisers covering all 18 counties and England needs. Research at this time showed that the utilisation rate was 15% by professional players.

The Performance lifestyle programme had 3 primary aims: Lifestyle Support: To ensure that players were combining the demands of cricket with all other personal aspirations and support them in becoming self-managed professionals. Education Guidance: To provide guidance and support for players that were currently studying or those that wish to do so. Employment & Career Advice: To enable a cricketer to explore career aspirations alongside the game. Cricket benefitted from being part of the UK Sport PL Programme up until the end of 2009. The association helped provide support for athletes of all disciplines, until a restructure meant that each sport began to operate their own programmes again. At this point the use of the programme had grown to a utilisation rate of 78% amongst professional cricketers.

THE BIRTH OF THE PCA AND ECB PDWP: In 2010, a re-brand process established the PCA & ECB Personal Development and Welfare Programme. A new title was born and the PCA & ECB co-funded 1 co-ordinator and 7 personal development and welfare managers. In that period, the programme established 7 areas where support can make a positive difference to players. These are explained in the next chapter. The main purpose of the PDW programme was: To improve the performance of cricketers by easing and minimising potential distractions during their playing career. To better prepare players for life after cricket.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

THE PCA AND ECB RE FOCUS OF RESOURCE 2012: Throughout 2010/2011 it was becoming very clear that the demand was increasing, with the continued initiatives linked to the PDWP taking place at both first class counties and the ECB performance pathway. A PCA Survey in 2011 discovered the service was well known, valued and respected amongst players and coaches. Over 80% of players and coaches regard the service as good or of great value. This matched with the increased utilisation on various ECB pathway programmes, meaning that the programme needed to look at their staffing numbers to meet the successful usage it had created. It was decided that the best possible outcome was for the ECB to employ two Personal Development & Welfare coaches to meet the programme’s needs, aligned to the ECB pathways. In January 2012 the PCA took full responsibility for the programmes provision at county level by appointing a team of 6 Personal Development Managers, with new deliverables and measurements. (See Appendix Item ii for the PDWP deliverable and measurable objectives)

THE PROGRAMME MODEL

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

4. THE PDWP MODEL: “ENABLE INDIVIDUALS TO EXCEL AND DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE PERFORMANCE WITHIN AND OUTSIDE CRICKET” The following provides an overview of the Personal Development and Welfare Programme (PDWP) and outlines the guidance, support and advice this programme provides to academy and professional players throughout the different stages of their careers.

WHY IS PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WELFARE IMPORTANT? It is crucial that an elite cricketer is able to manage the competing demands in their life, both on and off the pitch, so that they can perform at the highest level possible. In order to succeed within a high performance environment players have to fit many aspects of their lives into and around their training and competitive programme. When striving for cricketing excellence it is often easy for players to miss the bigger picture and ignore some of the fundamental aspects in their everyday life that need to remain intact.

THE AIMS OF THE PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WELFARE PROGRAMME WITHIN CRICKET The Personal Development and Welfare Programme (PDWP) is a personalised support service which recognises that cricket is likely to be the main focus in a player’s life. Trained Personal Development Managers provide players with guidance on how to maximise their cricketing focus whilst also fulfilling their other important commitments such as education, career, family and friendships. The aim of the PDM’s is to work closely with cricketers, coaches and support staff as part of an integrated team so as to minimise potential concerns, conflicts and distractions, all of which can be detrimental to a player’s performance, and at worst, may end a career prematurely.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

THE PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WELFARE PROGRAMME HAS 7 AREAS OF SUPPORT:

DUAL ASPIRATIONS

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Educational Support: Making the right educational choices to fit into cricketing demands and develop parallel careers, professional, vocational and academic courses, flexible learning routes and funding options, gaining flexibility in an existing study programme by liaising with schools, colleges and course providers.

Community Projects, Interactive Experiences, Problem Solving and Decision Making, Increased Accountability & Personal Responsibility, The Importance & Value of Perspective, Lifestyles of other Professionals (incl- Sportsmen & Women).

Career Development: Exploration of Career Options, Identification of Training & Development Needs, Prioritising Personal Skills & Values, Career Match Verbal/Computer Support, Support for accessing Structured Work Placements, CV Development & Writing Skills, Job Searching and Applications and Interview & Presentation Techniques.

ELITE PLAYER AND ENVIRONMENT PREPARATION Understanding the Reality & Business of Professional/ Elite Cricket, Preparing for Touring & Travel, The Culture of Cricket: Alcohol/Lifestyle Awareness, Impression & Image Management as an Academy & Professional Cricketer, Recreational, Performance Enhancing & General Awareness of Drugs/Gambling in Cricket, The Club, Rules and Regulations of the Game, Leadership & decision making, Social Responsibility.

INTERPERSONAL SKILL DEVELOPMENT Public Speaking, Effective Networking, Negotiation Skills, Managing Relationships, Dealing with Agents, Assertiveness & Managing Difficult situations/ Confrontation, Communication Skills, Media Training.

SELF AWARENESS AND MANAGEMENT Psychometric development tools (MBTi), Sponsorship & Promotion, Financial Planning & Budgeting, Time Management - Relieving Boredom (winter), Personal Organisation, Nutritional Cooking/ Preparation, Planning for Retirement.

PERSONAL WELFARE AND WELLBEING Understanding, Knowing & Using your Support Staff, Supporting the Cricketer – guidance for Parents’/significant others. Access to help with Complex Issues including Addictions: Smoking, Gambling, Alcohol, Drugs.

TRANSITIONAL SUPPORT Education and timely support using referral networks to help players anticipate, support & deal with/manage change: Typical transitions in sport during movement through England Cricket Pathways include injury, moving county, contracts, and personal changes: marriage, children etc.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

THE PDWP Professional Player Development

Dual Aspirations

Person

Experiential Learning

Professional

Transitional Support

Performance

Welfare Support Interpersonal Skill Development

Self-Awareness Development

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

ADDITIONAL INITIATIVES: As part of a comprehensive transitions programme, the PCA & ECB’s Personal Development and Welfare Programme (PDWP), run an annual Rookie Camp to celebrate the achievement of reaching pro status and formally induct players into the Professional game of Cricket in England and Wales. The camps are an opportunity to bring all newly signed Professional Players to a central location and give them the chance to explore and develop an understanding of their role as a Professional Cricketer and the minimum standards expected of them, on and off the pitch and also to explain the comprehensive support network on offer to help them.

AREAS COVERED: Introduction to the reality of being a Professional Cricketer Emotional Intelligence - The Importance of Perspective and Self-awareness Managing yourself as a Business – Negotiation, Financial Management, Role and need of an Agent Media Management Personal Responsibility/Discipline: The Law and Spirit of Cricket Personal Development Plans – Managing aspirations, Winter plans Role of PCA Player Services (Insurance, Education, Benevolent Fund, Confidential support) Role Model/Ambassador – Long Timer Addictive Behaviours – the Signs and Symptoms – ‘Where to Turn’

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC TAILORED COURSES The PCA has been running winter ‘taster’ courses for players as part of the Personal Development Programme for over 10 years. The courses give players a chance to develop new transferable skills or enhance existing ones. It also gives them the chance to ‘try out’ potential careers before deciding which route to follow when they finish playing.

EDUCATIONAL FUNDING The PCA will fund 50% of individual personal development courses For example: - £3,000 would return £1,500 - £1,500 would return £750

Some discretion may prevail and will be handled on a case by case basis

Education and training options are becoming increasingly flexible to suit the needs of any individual that is looking to continue their education and professional development. There are many courses available to you ranging from short one-day professional courses to 6-year parttime higher education degree courses. It is important to consider what is appropriate for individuals when they are looking for a course and that they enrol on something that fits around their current commitments.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

A wide variety of skills and subjects are covered: Lifestyle Support - To ensure that players are combining the demands of cricket with all other personal aspirations and support them in becoming self-managed professionals. Lifestyle and Resilience workshop - Workshops to make players more self-aware of lifestyle behaviours and mental pitfalls that will better prepare them for life as a high performer. Supporting players to be more resilient as players and people.

Effective Networking - Learn how to make the best of a networking situation and to present yourself in a confident manner. Media/interview training - Develop your skills for when you’re being interviewed for television and radio. How to answer those difficult questions, tips on how to sound interesting and articulate. Managing & understanding your finances Interactive workshop to develop your knowledge of basic investment/pension and tax information.

Transitional Workshop - Understanding the transferable skills professional cricketers can have when leaving the profession. Developing self-awareness to better formulate a career plan to leave the game.

Contract Negotiations - Develop your negotiation skills for when you are specifically dealing with contracts and agents. What to ask, what to look for, how to approach an issue.

Financial Education - Financial education for players, to better understand and organise their financial income and plans. Getting players to understand the realities of planning needed for the potential loss of earnings at the end of their careers.

General negotiation skills - Tips and advice on how to approach everyday conversations and situations where you may need to negotiate.

Leadership - Tips and exercises to enhance your confidence in leading others. Develop your skills in effective leadership.

Presentation & communication skills Improve your general presentation and communication skills so you feel confident in any situation, whether it be a formal presentation, a team talk, meeting sponsors and clients. Public/After dinner speaking - Exercises to help you develop your formal speaking skills. Improve your body language, pace and tone of voice and general delivery of a speech. Interview/assessment day skills - Learn tips on how to maximise your potential when at an interview or assessment. What to do and not to do. Social Responsibility & Self Awareness A workshop exploring the issues of social responsibility and self-awareness for cricketers, as role models in the public eye. Self-Management - How to maximise your potential and manage yourself in order to achieve all that you set out to do. Sales & Marketing skills - General skills in sales and management useful in all walks of life but especially for those with their own businesses. Trade skills - Taster days learning the basics in a trade; plumbing, plastering, tiling and electrician skills. Useful to gain valuable skills for those who want to do DIY around the house, property development or those thinking of a future career in the trades.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS

ANNUAL TRANSITION MANUAL:

PERSONALITY PROFILING:

The awards have three categories:

The PCA make it a priority to prepare and support a player’s transition and all that it will entail. The moment a player is retired or released, we provide a player with the PCA transition manual. This is further to the PDM’s existing working relationship. Meetings between PDM’s and exiting players will occur on regular intervals. The players are reminded they are members for life, some will use this support for the first two years and in some cases longer when needed.

Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a wellrespected tool used for personality profiling within professional cricket, as well as in business. The MBTI assessment consists of a questionnaire that allows you to assess your preferences based on a four pairs of opposite styles. These preferences are not the same as abilities or skills, they are all of equal value and importance and people will use all eight of the preferences some of the time. As the word ‘preference’ suggests, MBTI aims to help understand what comes naturally to each individual.

The Personal Development Newcomer Award (for players making their first achievements in personal development) The Past Player Personal Development Award The Current Player Personal Development Award The winners take home a significant financial reward that can be used towards the costs of their personal development. Examples that the award could be used for include, costs incurred, resource costs or course fees.

JUDGING CRITERIA: The judging panel will assess the shortlisted candidates on various criteria. Development course/s undertaken and qualifications attained Cricketing development — where relevant Work placement/s undertaken

The PCA Transition Manual endeavours to be a resource and point of reference to players dealing with leaving the professional game. The manual covers a wide range of areas, from the practical day to day considerations, to questions that will challenge the emotional thoughts that go with this process. It is well documented from our past player survey that on average the transitional process can take two years and the manual aims to be a working resource through this period. It helps PDM’s better support the player and highlights some key areas of consideration. Inside the manual the information given ranges from financial advice to helping you with your CV and job interviews. It aims to help players to reflect and re-focus.

Community work undertaken Willingness to embrace charitable initiatives How they would use the additional scholarship award

Every player is different and therefore the manual will support different elements that the player needs to consider.

COMMUNICATIONS: Significant presence in PCA’s membership magazine to showcase and highlight the personal development being undertaken. Regular Personal Development E-flyers to the membership database again, highlighting work being undertaken and by definition, encouraging others to engage and a significant website presence detailing all PDWP content at www.thepca.co.uk

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

HEALTH & WELLBEING. 10 WAYS TO LOOK AFTER YOUR MENTAL HEALTH TALK ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS Talking about your feelings can help you stay in good mental health and deal with times when you feel troubled. It’s part of taking charge of your wellbeing and doing what you can to stay healthy.

EAT WELL There are strong links between what we eat and how we feel – for example, caffeine and sugar can have an immediate effect. But food can also have a long-lasting effect on your mental health.

KEEP IN TOUCH Friends and family can make you feel included and cared for. They can offer different views from whatever’s going on inside your own head. They can help keep you active, keep you grounded and help you solve practical problems.

DRINK SENSIBLY We often drink alcohol to change our mood. Some people drink to deal with fear or loneliness, but the effect is only temporary.

TAKE A BREAK

CARE FOR OTHERS

A change of scene or a change of pace is good for your mental health. It could be a five-minute pause from cleaning your kitchen, a half-hour lunch break at work or a weekend exploring somewhere new. A few minutes can be enough to de-stress you.

Caring for others is often an important part of keeping up relationships with people close to you. It can even bring you closer together.

ACCEPT WHO YOU ARE

What do you love doing? What activities can you lose yourself in? What did you love doing in the past? Enjoying yourself helps beat stress. Doing an activity you enjoy probably means you’re good at it and achieving something boosts your self-esteem. For more information on mental health please visit http://www.mind.org.uk/

Some of us make people laugh, some are good at maths, others cook fantastic meals. Some of us share our lifestyle with the people who live close to us, others live very differently. We’re all different.

KEEP ACTIVE Experts believe exercise releases chemicals in your brain that make you feel good. Regular exercise can boost your self-esteem and help you concentrate, sleep, look and feel better. Exercise also keeps the brain and your other vital organs healthy.

ASK FOR HELP None of us are superhuman. We all sometimes get tired or overwhelmed by how we feel or when things go wrong. If things are getting too much for you and you feel you can’t cope, ask for help.

DO SOMETHING YOU’RE GOOD AT

CONFIDENTIAL HELPLINE No obligation, no demands – just help when you need it. The Confidential Helpline has been set up for players who would like to talk to a professional counsellor and therapist in absolute confidence. If you are struggling with a personal problem such as drink, drugs or gambling dependency, family issues, bereavement, depression or anything else that may be affecting your game and your life in general, help is just a phone call away. The first call is just the start. Face-to-face meetings as close to your home, or at home, will follow as soon as a need is ascertained. Don’t delay a call. There is no such thing as a time waster with this service

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

MIND MATTERS

PCA PDWP ACADEMY SUPPORT

In every area of day-to-day life, we are exploring the effects and consequences that many stresses and strains can have on our minds.

The PCA PDWP programme is available to all first class county academies. It has been providing education and advice to compliment the ECB’s first class county academy system since the early 2000’s.

PDWP ACADEMY DELIVERY AIMS AND OBJECTIVES • Deliver a PDWP workshop programme to county Academies to meet the objectives of the PCA, County Academy Director and the game of cricket.

Our feelings can fluctuate on a sliding scale – from feeling happy on one side, to a little gloomy and down at times, and in some cases, go beyond that and into depression.

1-1 and group support has provided advice and guidance to support players lifestyles and better prepare them for life as a professional cricketer.

• Plan the delivery of workshops and source appropriate facilitators when he/she does not possess the requisite skills or experience.

Launched on the back of the success of the Professional Cricketers’ Helpline, the PCA in association with LPP, has developed the Addictive Behaviour Programme into a series of tutorials entitled ‘Mind Matters’.

The advice has also helped support players to be able to make calculated decisions on post 18 career choices. This is an essential time for a young cricketer with dual aspirations to succeed at the academy and academically.

• Deliver a minimum of 5 workshops per year. (Inc. compulsory anti-corruption workshop)

OUR AIMS

PROFESSIONAL PLAYER PREPARATION

Recognise the circumstances that could lead to you getting into a problem relationship with substances, gambling or alcohol. Learn more about the warning signs of anxiety and depression and the subsequent links to self-harm and suicide. Recognise signs of problems in yourself, your teammates, friends and family. Learn more about the process for accessing help, self-managing your own problem and be able to focus on the challenges of playing cricket at the highest level and/or leading a healthy and happy life during or after a career playing cricket.

The programme delivers a minimum of 5 developmental and awareness workshops per year, to better prepare young academy players to become professional cricketers. The aim being to be proactive in our subject delivery and have less issues in their career to deal with. The PDWP has developed a menu of subject choices that both the regional PDM, and Academy director can select appropriately for the academy selected. These subject areas have helped to compliment the ECB ASSE programme for those cricketers enrolled on that programme.

• Be on call all season on 1-1 basis for all players and county academy directors when additional support is required. • Deliver a compulsory anti-corruption tutorial workshop annually. • Provide each player with the opportunity of a minimum of 2 x 1-1 meetings per year. • Support and deliver any key PCA academy initiatives with the county academies. (E.g.Natwest Moneysenses Education).

ACADEMIC RESEARCH

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

5. ACADEMIC RESEARCH INTRODUCTION A career in professional sport is often considered to be a privileged lifestyle but for the participants involved personal achievement and success can often be sporadic, turbulent and short-lived with much of this success set against moments of both physical and mental strain and duress. Nesti, 2006 It is fair to assume then that for some the relentless pursuit of performance comes at the detriment of developing other areas of what could be considered ‘normal life’. Douglas and Carless, 2005) The nature of sport at an elite level leaves athletes susceptible to becoming over-absorbed and engrossed in an often closeted and impractical lifestyle. Cockerill and Tribe, 2002 This over-narrowing of an athletes life-focus can have a significant effect on identity development leading to what Marcia 1966 termed ‘foreclosed identities’ where

the athlete over-identifies with the role of ‘athlete’ to the extent of it becoming detrimental to their psychological and sociological development and well-being. Baille and Danish, 1992, McKnight et al, 2009 Mcpherson, 1980, Ogilvie and Howe 1982 and Fortunate and Marchant 1999 highlight the danger of a lack of coping mechanisms amongst athletes leading to destructive behavior patterns such as, depression, eating disorders, divorce, substance abuse and suicide developing around stressful life-events in both pre, and post, athletic life’s. Many of these issues have had a significant presence in the sport of cricket and though a lack of considered research leaves the claim of cricket being a sport more susceptible to such destructive behavior patterns as unsubstantiated there is significant media enquiry, as well as anecdotal and undocumented evidence, to suggest that there is almost certainly some relevance to the claim. Cowan, 2011, Pryor, 2006

The following sections will attempt to lay out some causal factors behind the development of these issues amongst athletes and prompt consideration and discussion on what preventative measures could be available to implement.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

ATHLETIC IDENTITY Brewer et al 1993 define athletic identity as the level to which an individual identifies with their role as an athlete. Danish et al 1993 see a strong athletic identity as having considerable advantages for performance though this is seen as problematic when set alongside the position of Miller and Kerr 2002 who consider the challenges such an identity formation can cause when the athlete disengages from their sport. This narrowing of an athlete’s life-focus toward achieving sporting excellence can have a negative effect on the individual’s personal and psychological development. Brewer et al, 1993 This is supported by Chamilidis 1995 who found in studying retired French and Greek athletes that a narrow pursuit of athletic excellence had prevented them from engaging in the exploration of the various roles and behaviors associated with identity formation. This over commitment to the role of ‘athlete’ led to the formation of strong and narrow athletic identities putting the individual under greater risk of experiencing transitional issues upon career termination. Chamilidis, 1995

Following this, research suggests that coaches, managers and owners of teams and organisations encourage this level of focus from their athletes and can be unsupportive of anything which could be labeled as a distraction from their pursuit of sporting excellence O’Donoghue, 1999, Brown and Potrac, 2009 Miron 2010 considers that athletes who are over engaged in their athletic identities limit the opportunities available to them to explore alternative career paths, maximise educational opportunities and form rounded social identities. Similarly Lavallee and Robinson 2007 in looking at research over the last 15 years found that relentless pursuit of sporting excellence has led to a jeopardizing of an individual’s chances of achieving holistic personal contentment and future employment. This danger of focusing too much on one area to the detriment of others is regarded by Marcia 1966 as creating a foreclosed identity. Further to this, Krane et al, 1997 in studying American Gymnasts found that due to the early age at which the internalisation of their sporting identity occurred they struggled to tackle issues relating to their emotional, social, personal and psychological development Carr and Bauman, 1996. Lally 2007, later found similar issues: Retired gymnasts drifted in a `Nowhere Land` where they experienced feelings of disorientation, identity loss and confusion for years following their departure from elite gymnastics. Lally, 2007, pp.85-89

In relation to elite level sport Petitpas et al, 1992 suggest that the demands put upon athletes are increasing as the sports themselves pursue higher standards of performance. Potential star athletes are being identified at an increasingly early age and are required to sacrifice considerable amounts of time, energy and focus to hone their talents. Hughes and Coakley, 1991, Krane et al, 1997 This concern was previously noted by Erikson 1968 in highlighting the vulnerability of identity foreclosure developing through adolescence where identity development is at its most critical and malleable. These foreclosed identities can lead to athletes at all ranges of their career cycle abandoning academic qualifications, employment opportunities or emotional relationships in pursuit of sporting success. Murcia, 1966, Baille and Danish 1992, Brewer et al, 1993 Such a profound identification with the athletic role can leave the athlete unprepared for, and fearful of, a life away from their sport where the loss of their personal identity and premier life focus can be traumatic. Baille and Danish, 1992, McKnight et al, 2009, Heyman and Anderson, 1998

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

CAREER TERMINATION While the concept of career termination was once considered an overlooked area of research Baille and Danish 1992 the work of scholars such as Lavalee and Wylleman 2000, McKnight et al 2009 Wyleman et al 2004 and Strambulova et al 2009 during the last decade has brought it into focus as an emerging area of interest. Alfermann et al 2004 view career termination as being both normative and non-normative. Retirement freely taken as a considered option by an athlete would constitute a normative process, as would a career naturally expiring due to age. Non-normative reasons could consist of career termination through injury, deselection, decline in athletic performance, suspension or contract expiry. Fortunato and Marchant, 1999, Murphy 1999 The level of predictability of how an athlete’s career finishes has a significant impact on the ability to adapt to life after an athletic career. Alferman et al, 2004, Taylor and Ogilvie, 1994 The normative level of the termination allows for greater scope to prepare for this transition away from sport. While less predictable, non-normative causes,

have been highlighted to show a greater risk of athletes struggling to cope with the negative effects of nonvoluntary career termination. Mihovilovic, 1968, Svoboda and Vanek, 1982, Fortunado and Marchant, 1999 Studies show that the majority of athletes will finish their careers involuntarily before they consider themselves ready. This was highlighted by an early study by Mihovilovic 1968 who on studying former Yugoslavian footballers found that 95% finished their careers involuntarily. Non-voluntary career termination has been shown to lead to many psychological issues, including identity disruption, low self-esteem, anger issues, anxiety, depression and a loss of self-worth. Svoboda and Vanek, 1982 The development of such issues may not be surprising as the ending of a sporting career at any stage throws up a variety of issues to contend with. The age at which an athlete’s career may be terminated is often opposed with the position of their contempories outside of the sporting domain who may be at a stage where they are seeking to advance their careers. Blinde and Greendorfer, 1985 There is also a financial strain to be borne by athletes as many will experience a drop in income upon career termination. The Welsh Rugby Union (2010) identified that many of its players would not receive a wage at any stage of their post athletic career which would

match that of the height of their playing days. While also identifying that only 2% of their players were likely to gain employment within the elite performance element of the sport after their playing careers ended. Lavallee and Robinson 2007 argue that athletes not only struggle to come to terms with the end of their role as an athlete but also in piecing together a new identity in the ‘real world’. Further to this they see career termination distress as a common phenomenon with large proportions of retiring athletes experiencing a degree of difficulty upon withdrawing from sport. Indeed athletes who have struggled to transition away from their sports upon career termination have fallen into alcohol and drug abuse, depression, criminal activities, eating disorders and even suicide. Ogilvie, 1987, Ogilvie and Howe, 1982, Sinclair and Orlick, 1993, Mcpherson, 1980, Svoboda and Vanek, 1982 Wylleman et al 2004 consider that early research focused on career termination as a singular event with the negative experiences being born out largely linked to the athlete no longer having a profession. These theoretical frameworks have since been considered inadequate by Taylor and Ogilvie 1994 who believe that a more holistic view be taken in order to provide a greater depth of analysis of the issues involved. This supports the shift in perspective that career termination is best planned for as a process rather than a singular event. Torregrosa et al, 2004, Wylleman et al 2004

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

CAREER TRANSITIONS In addition to career termination, transition has also been a focus area for research. Schlossberg 1981 defines a transition as: ‘An event or non-event which results in change in assumptions about oneself and the world, and thus requires a corresponding change in behavior and relationships’ (p.5). While it has been identified that are not all career terminations are problematic Koukouris,1991, 1994, Coakley,1983, there is a body of research that suggests that enough suffer from some degree of distress or difficulty upon career termination to consider it a widespread phenomenon. Lavalee and Robinson, 2007 This correlates with the findings of Werther and Orlick 1986 who discovered on studying a sample of former Canadian Olympic standard athletes that 78% had encountered problematic transitions from their sport while 32% considered their experience to be traumatic. Nesti 2006 identified that many of the issues facing athletes were removed from their athletic pursuits and were causal from more general difficulties in their lives. Over the past 20 years researchers have switched their attention from considering sporting transition as something triggered by the singular event of a career termination to view it from a more holistic, career-lifespan perspective. Wylleman et al, 2004, Orlick, 2009

This perspective allows athletes to be treated more as individuals and enables analysis and consideration to be given to the various stages of transition that occur while also considering their psycho-social development away from their athletic pursuits. Stambulova, 2010 To that end, figure one presents a developmental model forwarded by Wylleman et al, 2004, p.11 mapping out some potential career transitions faced by athletes over time. Cockerill and Tribe 2002 consider the nature of sport at an elite level to make athletes prone to becoming engrossed in an impractical lifestyle where performance is constantly expected regardless of any other issues. (Douglas and Carless, 2005. Svoboda and Vanek 1982 highlight those athletes who give more consideration to their lives as a whole and maintain a balanced outlook are more likely to be better equipped to cope with career termination. A large basis of this balanced outlook should be the acceptance of the inevitability of a post athletic existence and pro-active approach to preparing for that eventuality. Anderson and Morris, 2000 This is a view widely supported amongst scholars that investment in non-sporting pursuits such as alternative career paths, education, work experience, hobbies, financial planning and relationship development – will enable athletes to cultivate a more rounded identity better suited to a smoother transition out of sport.

North and Lavalee, 2004, Gordon, 1995, Crook and Robertson, 1991, Price et al, 2010, Stambulova et al, 2007, Petitpas et al, 1997. These views strongly support a study into former Belgian Olympic athletes by Wylleman et al, 1993 that found that a lack of pre-retirement planning was the most significant factor attributed to the quality of the athlete transition into a post sporting existence. Prior to competing in the 2008 Olympic Games, Romero 2008 writes:

From my perspective going into Beijing I had no life balance whatsoever, the danger is that doing sport becomes like being on a conveyor belt and you can’t get off. These issues had been earlier forwarded by Gordon 1995 who identified a weight of evidence that suggested the need for athletes to receive post career planning advice. This was taken up by Anderson and Morris 2000 in championing the need for such a support network to be implemented upon the commencement of an athletic career in order to help alleviate any anxiety an athlete may develop.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

AGE

10

Athletic Level

Initiation

Psychological Level

Psycho-Social Level Academic Vocational Level Figure 1 – Wylleman et al (2004, p.11)

Childhood

15

Development

20

25

Mastery

Adolescence

Parents Siblings Peers

Peers Coach Parents

Primary education

Secondary education

30

35

Discontinuation

(Young) Adulthood

Partner Coach

Higher education

Family (Coach)

Vocational training Professional occupation

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

ATHLETE TRANSITION Douglas and Careless 2005 identified an increasing awareness of the impact of personal, environmental and lifestyle factors on athletic performance. This supports Bryant and Glennon 2006:

By alleviating anxieties experienced outside of the field of play, athletes can focus better on the field of play. Athletes are scared to leave what they know (sport) for the unknown (real world, life and career). By assisting athletes in preparing for that transition to leave sport, they can stay in sport longer and perform without the baggage of worrying about what’s next. Bryant and Glennon, 2006, p.7

To this end, and in light of the issues faced by athletes transitioning away from sport, North and Lavalee 2004 noted that programmes began to be put in place to support athlete transitions towards the end of the last century. The Olympic Athlete Career Centre in Canada set up a programme in 1985 to help their athletes with retirement. This was followed in 1988 by the Career Assistance Programme, put in place by the United States Olympic Committee. Petitpas et al, 1992 However the most established was borne in Australia in 1990 when the Australian Athlete Career and Education (ACE) Program was set up to provide transitional support to elite Australian athletes. Anderson and Morris, 2000 The ACE programme established itself as World leading and forms the basis for the Lifestyle Support systems we see in place in sporting organisations today. Lavalee and Wylleman, 2000

This school of thought is echoed by Svoboda and Vanek 1982 and Murphy 1995 who suggest that a decrease in anxiety due to a more holistic life focus can actually lead to an improvement in athletic performance. Mckenzie et al, 2003 believe that athletes that engage in educational and personal development during their careers will benefit from the knowledge that they are prepared for life after sport and experience less stress and anxiety about their futures.

STATISTICS

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

6. STATISTICS As previously detailed, the programme since the early 2000’s has grown immensely and current cricketers have been continually surveyed and monitored for progression. In 2003 the utilisation rates of the support taken by players was only 15%. Statistics taken from independent surveys carried out by MRM Solutions and PDM collation.

2015

2014

81.77%

Current Professional cricketers have a Personal Development Plan

75.77%

Current Professional cricketers have a Personal Development Plan

33.15%

Current Professional cricketers took part in work experience

31.47%

Current Professional cricketers took part in work experience

35.35%

Current Professional cricketers took formal qualifications

21.73%

Current Professional cricketers took formal qualifications

55.25%

Current Professional cricketers attended a PCA development workshop

60.17%

Current Professional cricketers attended a PCA development workshop

29

PCA development workshops were delivered nationally

32

PCA development workshops were delivered nationally

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

6. STATISTICS

2013

59%

Of players have a started or completed written personal development plan

24%

Of players undertaking formal qualifications (Out of 388 players 95 players took formal qualifications)

27%

Of players engaged in a work placement/ experience opportunity (Out of 388 players 106 players engaged in a work placement / experience opportunity)

59%

Of players have found full time employment since September 2012

24

2PD courses were delivered to individual County Cricket Clubs (Nov 2012-April 2013)

92%

Of current players rated the PDWP excellent or of some use in players survey 2013

43%

Reported to have a written PDP and using it to good effect in the players survey April 2013

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

6. STATISTICS

General 2015 79%

Are concerned about retirement from playing professional cricket

69%

Believe that engaging in personal development can improve their playing performance.

62%

Rate the personal development and welfare programme as excellent

77

People accessed educational grants in 2014

65%

Believe engaging in personal development has added to their personal self confidence

64%

Believe engaging in personal development can provide a greater sense of perspective on performance based anxiety.

FEEDBACK

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

7i. FEEDBACK PLAYERS “Personal development is vitally important; you never know what’s around the corner. It could end at any point, through injury or release. It’s important you have a plan for the future.” Daryl Mitchell, Worcestershire CCC

“It’s a reminder that cricket is not going to last for ever.” Oliver Hannon–Dalby, Warwickshire CCC “It’s massively important to have a personal development plan. You don’t know what’s around the corner.” Will Porterfield, Warwickshire CCC and Ireland “It’s good to have a personal development manager working alongside you. Someone that is working on my behalf with me the person, and not just a cricketer.” Richard Coughtrie, Ex-Gloucestershire CCC

“Personal development makes you appreciate your cricketing opportunity.” Greg Smith, Leicestershire CCC

“It’s as important for players coming into cricket as it is to players leaving cricket.” Ian Saxelby, Ex-Gloucestershire CCC

“It’s important to engage and plan, it gives you confidence and skills whilst playing. The sooner you engage the better for your cricket and life after.” Paul Horton, Leicestershire CCC “Personal development is a great idea; it opens your eyes to trying new things outside of cricket.” Carl Brown, Lancashire CCC “I was released once before and I’ve now made sure when I retire I will have something in place and a clear idea what I’m going to do from engaging in personal development.” Wes Durston, Derbyshire CCC

“More and more funding into this area is great for our cricketers. One minute you’re at the top of your game and before you know it you are out of it. It can damage your self-esteem, and its important players understand this and have a plan. We get so caught up in cricket and 12 month contracts have increased this. So it’s vitally important that PDM’s are reminding us to plan and encouraging us to take part in work experience.” Steven Kirby, Ex-Leicester CCC, Yorkshire CCC, Gloucester CCC and Somerset CCC

“Having a personal development plan is a key issue as a cricketer. There is no reason you can’t plan from the beginning of your career. Plan, do courses, use the PCA resources. It’s a short career with a lot of life after it.” Graham Napier, Essex CCC “Sport is a short career, and you can leave with very little. So if you can plan early you can get experience and qualifications.” Steven Patterson, Yorkshire CCC “You can get an outlook on life outside of cricket from engaging. Preparing and broadening horizons helps take you away from that condensed focus on cricket which is only good for you.” Gareth Rees, Ex-Glamorgan CCC “You have to do it. Cricket does not last forever. Getting out in the real world for experience is hard graft. You soon appreciate your cricket. It makes you train harder and makes you want to get the most out of your cricket.” Mark Turner, Ex-Durham CCC, Somerset CCC and Derbyshire CCC “It is one of the fundamental parts of being a professional cricketer. It’s so important as it’s an ever present thought. It’s an invaluable service form the PCA and its there for the taking.“ David Balcombe, Ex-Hampshire CCC and Surrey CCC

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

“The PCA can be a massive help in getting players minds right, training them to think about their future at an early age.”

“I can’t emphasise enough how much players should use the Personal Development Managers. Thinking of that next step whilst playing isn’t always international cricket. It can be life after cricket.”

“Life after cricket can be a daunting prospect, especially when that’s all you have aspired to be is a professional cricketer. What you don’t realise, is that cricket, without you directly knowing has given you a number of tools to help you deal with the big wide world such as confidence, dealing with success and failure, being put under pressure and working as part of a team.” “Embrace the new chapter of your life with the same enthusiasm as you did with cricket and you won’t go far wrong.”

Geraint Jones, Kent CCC and England

Andrew Davies, Ex-Glamorgan CCC

“One bad winter has given me an eye opener and I have to have a safety net in place.”

“Even though I had worked hard with the PCA to plan for my future I was left uncertain and daunted when I was told that my contract was not being renewed. Despite not having the relevant qualifications or experience for a job I was offered I was able to transfer the skills I gained playing cricket to find a place within the administrative side of the game and now I thoroughly enjoy the challenges it presents every day.”

Chris Cowdrey, Ex-England and Kent CCC

Stuart Meaker, Surrey CCC “Even with a brief professional cricketing career it’s still a big transition. You have given your life playing cricket to get there.” Steve Sylvester, Ex-Nottinghamshire and Middlesex CCC “The 18 months following on from leaving the game proved to be the most important in my life to date. Appreciating the life professional sport gave me and then understanding the qualities it gave me, that I did not realise I had to take into the business world.” Gavin Hamilton, Ex-Yorkshire CCC and England

Daniel Cherry, Ex-Glamorgan CCC “The first 12 months of not being a professional player were to me one of the hardest periods of my working career. However, as my transition out of professional sport continued I made good personal progress and can now look back at this as a monumental period of self – discovery.” Ian Fisher, Ex-Yorkshire, Worcester and Gloucester CCC

“The reality is that you are now out of your comfort zone and can feel a loss of identity. There are difficult days, but to me this is part of the transition and I know you get through it.” James Cameron, Ex-Worcester CCC

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

UNATTRIBUTED PAST PLAYER QUOTES FROM SURVEYS: “Make sure you plan whilst you’re playing. Even this doesn’t guarantee that you settle into something straight away, but it will give you a fighting chance and help you improve your transferable skills. It’s never too early to plan.” “Think fully about it while you’re playing so that you have a direction and options when the time comes. It is too easy to get caught up in the excitement of professional sport.” “Plan! It’s a wonderful career but finite! Make sure you have a good idea of a career after cricket BEFORE you actually finish. This will take huge pressure off in the latter stages of your playing career. Remember, only a limited few have a ‘job for life’ in cricket – coaching, media etc.” “It’s too easy not to plan, so make sure you do. Cricket is a bubble which does not prepare you for life outside of it which can be enormously different so you need to be prepared.” “It’s mentally tough whenever you finish,

regardless of level of success or length of career. It is difficult to plan for life after cricket, but it is essential as it will and sometimes does occur when least expected. Your day in the limelight quickly disappears and it can be a lonely period past career ending – do not be afraid to lean on friends and family for support networks to get you through it.”

various subjects which you feel will help you. The two most important things in life are health and education. They are two things that you can do without outside help.”

“Have a clear idea as to what career you would like to take before your career has ended and plan accordingly, in terms of education and qualifications required. Also, try and get some experience in this field before finishing.”

“Start planning all aspects now. Use your free time to gain work experience and qualifications.”

“I’d advise players to make sure they have at least A-Levels before going pro. It helped me no end that I had a degree to get straight into work when my contract wasn’t renewed.” “Try as many occupations as you can to get a feel for what you might enjoy, then focus and qualify as much as you can!” “Take every opportunity that arises, which is of interest to you. If there are none, then get out and create your own opportunities. Keep on learning as much as you can about

“Make the most of the off-season. Get things in place for the future early on. Network, get qualifications and work experience. Live in the moment but plan for the future.”

“Look into the services on offer from the PCA and plan thoroughly with PDW well in advance of retirement. Use the services to become more qualified and employable for the years ahead.” “To prepare for it as early as possible and to make use of the fantastic support of the PCA. When leaving the professional game the whole pattern of your life changes but with good advice and support, the transition can be a relatively smooth one.” “Make use of the services of the PCA which were not available during my playing days as its support is invaluable.”

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

“Seek help early if you feel like your life is spiralling out of control. If it does, the PCA have access to skilled professionals that can turn it around.” “During your playing days, most people get so caught up in the ‘me’ and ‘now’ that they don’t plan for the future or realise the importance of building relationships with sponsors and companies who might be able to offer them work opportunities later in life. Take the opportunity to work in companies during the winter months and build relations with anyone and everyone.” “Try to make as many contacts in the business community as possible whilst playing, to open doors in the future.” “Network at every available opportunity, you never know what doors will open and help you after your career ends.” “Whatever you think it will be like to finish playing, there will be surprise emotions and challenges, talk to people about it, don’t bottle it all up and try to soldier on, on your own.”

“Talk to people; family and friends about how you feel. They sometimes don’t understand so talk to past players or the PCA to help you on your way. Financially it’s hard for players who haven’t been fortunate to have a benefit to help give them financial stability but you’re not on your own. Stick with it you’re not alone.” “Talk to someone you respect and trust about the importance of knowing and understanding yourself and the positive effect of the humility, personal confidence and moral courage that flow from that understanding. Getting a job is a full time job in itself – Monday to Friday – 9 to 5.” “I would encourage seeking a life outside of cricket for a fresh start. This allows volunteering in cricket to be fun and fulfilling.” “Prepare in advance so the transition happens naturally. Find some other things you are good at and enjoy so you have something to occupy your mind other than cricket. This also builds your overall confidence.”

“Be curious about life, engage in selfdevelopment, educate yourself, learn, expand your horizons culturally and intellectually; Pursue interests and outlets outside of cricket (it will not detract from your performance on the field – on the contrary, it will give you perspective, liberate you and actually help you perform better!).”

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

7ii. COUNTY COACHES THE COACHES’ VIEW OF THE PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WELFARE PROGRAMME This report is the result of an online consultation of first and second team coaches of English county cricket about the impact of the PCA’s Personal Development and Welfare programme. Report undertaken by MRM Solutions, December 2015 Sixty one coaches completed the survey of which: 21 were first team coaches 19 were second team coaches

13 were academy coaches 8 were other coaches

The consultation took place in February 2016. It sought the coaches’ views on: The value of each part of the PCA programme Their perceived impact of the programme Who should be responsible for the programme The impact of putting more time into the programme

Coaches were invited to suggest changes and improvements.

Please see appendix F for the verbatim feedback.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

CONCLUSIONS The survey shows strong support from the coaches for the PCA programme: The education elements are perceived as valuable or highly valuable by over 95% of coaches. The welfare elements are perceived as valuable or highly valuable by over 95% of coaches. Around three quarters or more coaches believe the programme has a positive impact on players’ performance, confidence, resilience and contribution. The impact of the PCA programme on each stage of a player’s career is viewed as positive (Brilliant or OK) by over 85% of coaches. The net promoter score for the PCA is 80; that significantly out performs the high performing retailer John Lewis. The improvements suggested by coaches are supportive of the current direction and focus mainly on increased time for the programme and targeting of its delivery.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

WHAT COACHES THINK ABOUT THE EDUCATION PROGRAMME The PCA programme helps cricketers acquire new skills that will serve them during and after their playing career. The consultation asked coaches to rate the value of each part of the education programme. See graph on next page.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

60

93.4% 86.9%

50 68.9%

65.6%

40

65.6%

30

31.1%

20

10

32.8%

31.1%

11.5% 6.6% 3.3%

1.6%

1.6%

0 Educational Suppport:

Career Development:

Making the right educational choices and ensuring they fit into cricketing demands

Exploration of career options and identification of training & development needs

Interpersonal Skills Development: Helping develop skills in areas like communication, effective networking, managing relationships and managing difficult situations

All aspects of the education programme are valued by almost all coaches (only 4 of a possible 305 responses questioned the value). Educational Support and Career Development received the greatest endorsement. 305 is the total number of data points represented on this chart. There were 5 questions in the section and 61 coaches answered all of them. Across all 5 questions we only received 4 “Questionable value” responses.

Experiential Learning:

Skills for the Elite Player:

Providing players with experience in community projects, problem solving, decision making and personal responsibility

Helping players deal with the reality & business of Professional/Elite Cricket, preparing for touring & travel, the culture of cricket and responsibilities to club and society

Highly valuable

Of some value

Questionable value

No value

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

WHAT COACHES THINK ABOUT THE WELFARE PROGRAMME The PCA programme helps cricketers make the right choices during and after their playing career. The consultation asked coaches to rate the value of each part of the welfare programme. See graph on next page.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

60 88.5%

85.2%

50

77.0% 68.9%

40 54.1%

30 42.6%

20

31.1%

21.3%

10

13.1%

1.6%

11.5% 1.6%

3.3%

0 Educational Suppport:

Wellbeing:

Welfare:

Experiential Learning:

Transitional skills:

Dealing with non-playing aspects of life as a cricketer for example sponsorship, financial planning, time management, relieving boredom (winter), nutritional and other aspects of personal welfare

Understanding, knowing & using support staff, guidance for Parents’/ Signifcant others

Avoiding and dealing with problems linked to complex issues like addictions: smoking, gambling, alcohol or drugs

Providing players with experience in community projects, problem solving, decision making and personal responsibility

Helping players move towards life after cricket

As with Education, the Welfare activities within the PCA programme receive strong support from all of the coaches. Helping players at transition at the end of their career and avoiding the pitfalls of gambling, alcohol and drugs during the playing career are seen as the most valuable. Again just four out of three hundred and one data point question the value.

Highly valuable

Of some value

Questionable value

No value

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

WHAT COACHES THINK ABOUT OWNERSHIP OF THE PROGRAMME Coaches were asked who should be mainly responsible for personal development and welfare support. They could rate the strength of their opinion on a 100 point scale where 0 is strongly in favour of “The Club” and 100 is strongly in favour of “The PCA”. The chart on the next page shows the distribution of their answers across this scale.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

Who should be mainly responsible for personal development and welfare support? 20 18

The Club

The PCA

16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2

0

10

20

21 coaches (shown in red) tended towards the view that the club should be responsible for the programme

30

40

50

19 coaches were neutral (shown in grey)

60

70

80

90

100

21 coaches (shown in dark green) tended towards the view that the PCA should be responsible for the programme

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

OVERALL IMPACT The impact was measured in four ways: The effect the programme has on players. Attitudes towards interventions at the start, middle and end of a player’s career. Whether coaches would recommend the PCA programme to their squad. Whether players believe spending more time on the programme would increase its impact.

All measures showed a high regard for the programme with 82% rating the programme as nine or more out of ten.

THE EFFECT OF THE PROGRAMME ON PLAYERS We asked coaches whether or not the programme had a positive effect on players’ performance, confidence, resilience and contribution. See graph on next page.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

60

93.4%

50 75.4%

73.8%

72.1%

40

30

20 19.7%

10 8.2% 1.6%

0 Playing performance

21.3%

18.0%

4.9%

Self-confidence

Around three quarters or more coaches believe the programme has a positive impact on all four attributes of a player. Almost all coaches believe the programme drives up a player’s self-confidence. Even ‘Playing performance’, which is not a focus of the PCA programme, is seen by 72% of coaches as a beneficial intervention.

8.2% 3.3%

Resilience

Highly valuable

Contribution to the squad

Of some value

No opinion

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

THE EFFECT OF INTERVENING AT EACH STAGE OF A CAREER The PCA intervenes at four stages in a player’s career: Educating newly signed players at “Rookie Camp” Supporting academy players Working with senior players Helping players transition

The PCA impact at all stage of a player’s career is viewed as positive (Brilliant or OK) by over 85% of coaches. See chart on next page.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

Effectiveness of PCA support at four stages of a Player’s career Support for retiring players

54%

40%

Support for senior players

50%

40%

28%

Academy players

0%

The PCA impact at all stage of a player’s career is viewed as positive (Brilliant or OK) by over 85% of coaches.

20%

1%

7% 12%

57%

39%

Rookie camp

5%

12%

49% 40%

60%

80%

3%

3%

0%

100%

Brilliant

OK

Little Impact

Waste of time

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

DO COACHES RECOMMEND THE PCA PROGRAMME? • The final question in this section calculated the “net promoter” score for the PCA programme as 80. (As a benchmark, the retail store John Lewis published a net promoter score of 71 in 2014). • A Net Promoter Score® measures customer loyalty to a company, product, or service. The question asks coaches to rate their likelihood to recommend on a ten point scale and then categorises them as follows.

• Promoters (score 9-10) - Loyal enthusiasts.

82% of coaches are promoters.

• Passives (score 7-8) - Satisfied but unenthusiastic.

16% of coaches are “passives”.

• Detractors (score 0-6) - Unhappy coaches.

2% - 1 coach is a detractor.

WOULD MORE TIME FOR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT INCREASE ITS IMPACT? • Coaches were asked to rate the impact of spending more time on development. They could rate their opinion on a 100 point scale where 0 is no impact and 100 is significant impact. The chart over shows the distribution of their answers across this scale.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

Impact of giving more time 18

Significant impact

No impact

16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 0

10

Four coaches (shown in red) tended towards the view that more time would have no impact

20

30

40

50

Six coaches were neutral (shown in grey)

60

70

80

90

100

Fifty one coaches (shown in dark green) tended towards the view that more time would have significant impact

CONCLUSIONS

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

CONCLUSIONS It’s clear from the work over the last 15 years that this is an area of massive importance. Great progress has been made from the early days when we had just one person operating across the whole ‘current’ cricket population working for half a week. Six PDM’s directly reporting to PCA and two reporting to ECB is already a considerable resource and underscores the importance of this work by the respective bodies. Academic, professional surveying of players and coaches and anecdotal research across the cricketing population only enforces the importance of the work. Historical research from past players details the difficulties players have when finishing their careers over the first two years, but it goes further than that, in detailing that their time in the game and how their career goes can have a lasting impact on their future happiness.

Whilst we can’t directly influence a player’s performance on a day to day basis, which is largely down to inherent ability and the environments they encounter in the clubs, we can have a great impact mentally across this journey, which should ensure a player grows in confidence. Better people equals better cricketers and that can only be a good thing for English cricket performance and the health and wellbeing of the cricketers during and after their career. Personal development shouldn’t interfere with the core role as a professional cricketer, however, current and past players alike tell us that ‘working’ at something else whilst playing cricket has a positive effect on their cricket. Engagement in the PDW programme is encouragingly high and the weight of research about it is compelling, but we must do more. More time in the county environment and more resource made available for retiring players is imperative to ensure our overall cricketers become mentally stronger and more resilient, and as importantly, that our

overall duty of care extends long and deep into the following transitional stages of a players life, to do our very best to ensure that no player feels that life is not worth living without the confines of the dressing room environment. To this end, we must create more resources to continue the strong foundations which have been formed in the last fifteen years and with such a ringing endorsement from current directors of cricket and coaches, there must be greater cohesive working relationships between themselves, PDM’s and players to ensure each player gets appropriate and proportionate time, whilst also recognising and acknowledging that personal development is indeed unique and personal to each individual.

RECOMMENDATIONS

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

RECOMMENDATIONS • The programme should expand from 6 PDM’s to 9 (see appendix B), changing the ratio of 1 per 3 counties to 1 per 2 counties, thus increasing the time commitment at each county. This will allow for greater awareness, deeper relationships with both players and support staff and the resource to cater for players leaving the game or those who have left who still need ongoing support. Past player research demonstrates that many players find the first two seasons after finishing to be the hardest time in settling into a new career. • That 1st and 2nd team coaches take part in an Annual Coaches Dinner and 1 day seminar that forms part of the ECB criteria for clubs receiving a full grant. The Dinner will allow a relaxed environment for the coaches to gather and socialise with PCA staff with the one day seminar allowing the PCA to talk about the PDW Programme and go through the requirements of

the coaches over the next 12 months in order to meet the qualifications for this part of the ECB grant. • That all professional cricketers meet with their PDM face to face at least twice throughout the season (preseason and end of season). This to be written into player contracts by clubs as a pre-requisite. ECB Funding to be based on this taking place. • That all professional cricketers must sign up for an educational or vocational course on commencement of their first professional contract to allow them to obtain a qualification or skill from their time outside of cricket.

• That all Academy players undertake a Level 2 Course during their first season. • That a Level 2 Course be run at each County (or between the Counties in the PDM’s area) directly after the season with all players or staff who do not have the qualification to take part. • Continue to offer ‘match’ educational funding for educations courses, (both individual and group) and full or part funding for ECB coaching qualifications.

• That all players have a Personal Development Plan in place each season (pre-requisite of contract). • That all coaching and Academy staff have a PDP in place each season as part of an ‘over-arching’ plan for personal development, especially in the winter timetable, whether gaining additional experience overseas or at home.

Jason Ratcliffe PCA Assistant Chief Executive and Head of Membership Services.

APPENDICES

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

APPENDICES

MATTHEW WOOD

LYNSEY WILLIAMS

Yorkshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire Personal Development Manager

Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Personal Development Manager

Professional cricketer 1997 - 2008

A. CURRENT PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS IAN THOMAS Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Somerset National Personal Development Manager

07826 535 783 [email protected] ILM Level 5 Coaching and Mentoring Certified Practitioner in NLP for Sport. Certified NLP Master Practitioner, Certificate in Time Line Therapy and Hypnosis MBTI Step 1 Qualified Administrator

Professional cricketer 1997 - 2005

07990 883971 [email protected] Certificate for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education - SEDA MSc Sport & Exercise Science Post Graduate Certificate in Elite Performer Career Counselling (University of Victoria) BA (Hons) Sport & Human Movement Studies Certified Practitioner in NLP for Sport & Certificate in Time Line Therapy and Hypnosis

07920 575 578 [email protected]

DAVID TOWNSEND

ILM Level 5 Coaching and Mentoring

Middlesex, Essex, Kent Personal Development Manager

MBTI Step 1 Qualified Administrator

BSc Sports Development Post Graduate Certificate in Elite Performer Career Counselling (University of Victoria)

07867 459202 [email protected]

ILM Level 5 Coaching and Mentoring CIM Level 5 in Management

BSc Sports Science and Social Science

MBTI Step 1 Qualified Administrator

Post Graduate Certificate in Education

RPDPS Master Practitioner (Register of Personal Development Practitioner’s in Sport)

Level 3 Coach (Cricket Australia)

Over 10 Years’ experience in the field

Over 10 Years’ experience in the field

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

CHARLIE MULRAINE

NICK DENNING

Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Northants Personal Development Manager

Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, MCC YC Personal Development Manager

Professional cricketer 1993 - 1994 Professional rugby player 1994 - 1999

Professional cricketer 1999 - 2003

07867 459201 [email protected]

07785 619443 [email protected] BSC Sport and Exercise Science

ILM Level 5 Coaching and Mentoring Introductory Certificate in Counselling (Newman University) Certified Practitioner in NLP for Sport MBTI Step 1 Qualified Administrator

Advanced Diploma in Clinical Sports Therapy ILM Level 5 Coaching and Mentoring MBTI Step 1 qualified administrator ECB Level 3 Coach

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

B. PROPOSED PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER STRUCTURE (X 9)

Durham

Yorkshire

Lancashire

Nottinghamshire

The logic for going from 6 to 9 has 4 elements:

Derbyshire

Leicestershire

It will allow PDMs to offer more support to players in transition without reducing their support for current players;

Warwickshire

Worcestershire

We will be able to include Durham in the programme;

Glamorgan

Somerset

We can offer support to Counties (including Academies) in achieving the new objectives we are proposing.

Gloucestershire

Hampshire

Sussex

Kent

Essex

Northants

Surrey

Middlesex

PDMs will be able to spend more time at clubs, which players have told us they want/need;

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

CURRENT PDM STRUCTURE X 6

Glamorgan

Somerset

Gloucestershire

NB – Durham are currently not under PCA management but this will change in June 2016.

Middlesex

Kent

Essex

MCC YC’s have also been covered under the programme since 2010.

Derbyshire

Northamptonshire

Leicestershire

Worcestershire

Warwickshire

Hampshire

Sussex

Surrey

Lancashire

Yorkshire

Nottinghamshire

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

C. DELIVERABLE OBJECTIVES

PCA PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSES

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS

To actively seek course providers, speakers and experiential learning courses for players to utilise within a winter period (October-April).

Every registered professional player has the opportunity to construct a written PDP in consultation with their regional PDM. All PDP’s to be shared between PDM’s when a player moves clubs. Have all players PDP’s written up electronically using PCA PDP pro forma and printed for a file submission to PCA by end of October each year. Records of PDP numbers for each county are updated on the player status file in the PDWP Dropbox.

Organise key arrangements for the delivery of these PCA personnel development courses and liaise with coaches, PCA reps and key club personal to organise delivery. Where necessary deliver PD courses to playing squads within PDM’s regional clubs. Remain within PCA regional PD budget set by Jason Ratcliffe.

WORK PLACEMENT AND EXPERIENCE OPPORTUNITIES PDM’s are to actively search for work placement opportunities within their region. PDM’s to continually use and update work placement document in PDWP dropbox folder. Meet with key club personnel to gain County cricket club buy in for work placements/ experience opportunities using commercial partners. Use own network and initiative to engage with organisations and businesses to create work placement opportunities. PDM’s to engage and have a presence at PCA commercial events to develop work placement network.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

ACADEMY PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WELFARE PROVISIONS

ROOKIE CAMP

Deliver a minimum of 5 personal development educational sessions which could be individual or workshop based, experiential learning or a key theme to the club (Inc. anti-corruption) between October and April.

Deliver where necessary elements of the Rookie Camp.

Be on call all season on 1-1 basis for all players when additional support is required. Deliver a compulsory anti-corruption tutorial workshop. Provide each player with the opportunity of a minimum of 2 x 1-1 meetings. Support and deliver any key PCA academy initiatives with the county academies (E.g.NatwestMoneysenses Education).

Support and facilitate the PCA Annual Rookie Camp.

Encourage and organise attendance of players at Rookie Camp. Review and reflect on each rookie camp and utilise attendees feedback

BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES MAGAZINE Provide ideas and content for BTB magazine twice a year. Work to deadlines to help delivery of timelines.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

REPORTING AND DIARY MAINTENANCE Provide monthly reports and updates to national PDM in line with the PDM reporting policy. Maintain and share online calendar to document meetings and events. Provide statistical updates from county clubs when required. Maintain all online Dropbox files in the PDWP drop box folder.

TRANSITIONING PLAYERS Provide players with 1-1 support during transitional periods and supply PCA transition manual. Initiate contact with released or retiring players and maintain contact over 2 year period. Record and track released and retiring players using PDWP file in Dropbox.

COMMUNICATIONS AND PROMOTION Generate and provide good story content on the PDWP and player cases to document stories. Engage with PCA communications to promote stories and cases using numerous mediums. Engage local and national media to promote the support and work with players from the PCA PDWP programme. Regular links, content, and promotions via social media (Twitter and Facebook).

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

D. SUCCESS MEASURES

TRANSITIONING PLAYERS

PCA PLAYER SURVEY RESULTS

PDP’S

75% of retired or released players to be actively engaged in transition process with regional PDM.

75% to give the PCA an overall effectiveness rating of, 8, 9 or 10.

80% of players to have started or completed written Personal Development Plan

EDUCATIONAL FUNDING 25% of players undertaking or completed formal qualifications.

WORK PLACEMENTS 25% of players at a club to have engaged in a work placement/experience opportunity per year. 3 work experience/placements created per club a year.

100% of players to be supplied with a PCA transition manual.

PCA PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSES Minimum of 2 PD courses to be organised per club during a winter period (October to April).

75% of player’s home and training with club to attend PD Workshops.

60% of players reported working on, or having completed a PDP with regional PDM. 25% of players reported doing a work placement or experience.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

E. PAST PLAYER RESEARCH 2013 – PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS FEDERATION – FINDINGS FROM A STUDY OF THE MENTAL, PHYSICAL AND FINANCIAL WELLBEING OF RETIRED PROFESSIONAL SPORTSMEN

THE STUDY In 2013 we examined the lives of more than 1000 professional sportsmen, asking them about their playing career, their transition to a second career and how they felt about that career. We identified what those who are now thriving did whilst they were playing to create that success and what the warning signs are in players that suggest they will struggle in their second career.

Andrew Gibbons, MRM solutions August 2013

PLAYING

TRANSITIONING

SECOND CAREER

WELL BEING

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

THE METHODOLOGY AND SAMPLE • On-line confidential survey

Cricket

507

Rugby League

131

Rugby Union

248

Football

197

Horse Racing

118

TOTAL

1199

• Identical structure for all sports • 1199 respondents in total • Sample size was sufficiently large to allow us to look at: the total picture individual sports different cohorts

• Caveat: whilst the methodology is sound, certain groups (e.g. those struggling the most) may well be under-represented

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

RESPONDENTS • The oldest respondent was 95, and the youngest 22

THE GOOD NEWS: MOST EX-PROS ARE IN GOOD SHAPE

• Responses cover the full range of playing experience:

• 79% are satisfied with their lives, compared with 76% for the adult

• 15% in team sports have played more than 10 internationals

• 14% have played fewer than 10 club first team matches

• 97% are extremely (80%) or somewhat (17%) proud of having been a professional sportsman

• 49% retain some kind of paid involvement in their sport

population as a whole • Contrary to popular myth, 90% need to work after retirement from sport, and most are in “normal” jobs, earning an average of between £30-40k a year

• 90% regard themselves as being as/more healthy than other people of the same age • They have the same worries as everyone else – finances, families, relationships etc. • Survey data compared with response to an identical question in the ONS national wellbeing survey • The range of salaries is quite wide, but the overall average is above the UK average of £24,600 (source ONS Labour Market Statistics).

HOWEVER: MANY STRUGGLE TO ADAPT • 32% did not feel in control of their lives two years after they finished playing

• 24% admit to on-going physical health, mental health, addiction or financial problems (we suspect others have problems but aren’t prepared to admit it) • Problems in the first year after retirement from sport are common:

17% admit to high levels of anxiety and stress



16% admit to loss of self esteem and confidence



16% admit to depression and feelings of despair

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

FIVE KEY FACTORS INFLUENCE HOW WELL SPORTS PEOPLE ADAPT TO LIFE AFTER SPORT 1. Satisfaction with their playing career 2. Preparation for the future while playing 3. Retiring on their own terms 4. Quality of transition 5. Regaining control of their life

SATISFACTION WITH PLAYING CAREER

PREPARATION FOR THE FUTURE WHILE PLAYING

• 1 in 10 of all players report that they were disappointed with their playing career, but this increases to 1 in 5 amongst those who have experienced health, addiction or financial problems

• 46% of players say they were satisfied with how they prepared for life after sport, increasing to 56% amongst those that retired from sport since 2000 • Amongst those who said they didn’t feel in control two years after finishing playing, this figure is just 38%

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

RETIRING ON THEIR OWN TERMS • 43% of players retired on their own terms. 57% were forced out of the sport through injury or failure to get a contract

• 50% of those who retired on their own terms are satisfied with the quality of transition compared with 44% of those who are “made redundant”

• 23% of those who retired on their own terms took more than 2 years to settle whilst 42% of those made redundant took more than 2 years to settle

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

Scorecard 2 Satisfaction with preparation for life after sport All players (Sample = 1113)

11%

Retired after 2000 (Sample = 615) Retired before 2000 (Sample = 491) Not in control after 2 years (Sample = 377)

35%

16% 5%

17% 40%

29%

10%

19%

14%

28%

19%

43%

13%

32%

14%

Are forced to retire (Sample = 656)

12%

32%

18%

10% 0%

10%

40% 20%

Surpassed expectations

25% 52%

Have health, addiction or financial problems (Sample = 146)

Choose to retire (Sample = 457)

37%

30%

40% 38%

15% 40%

50%

Satisfied expectations

60%

35% 70%

Less than expected

80% Poor

90%

100%

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

DATA ON TIME TO SETTLE

Time to settle

Slow

Quick

Very Quick

All

All

34%

26%

40%

100%

Forced

42%

27%

32%

59%

My Choice

23%

24%

53%

41%

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

QUALITY OF TRANSITION • A good transition has long term benefits.

REGAINING CONTROL OF THEIR LIFE

• 25% of those dissatisfied with their

• 79% of respondents are happy with their

transition to life after sport admit to being unhappy with their current wellbeing, compared with just 11% amongst those who were satisfied with their transition.

lives nowadays. • However, this figure is just 62% amongst those who took more than 2 years before they felt in control at the end of their sporting career.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

ADVICE FROM PAST PLAYERS “Think ahead, plan and prepare: it’s never too early to start” “Gain experience and qualifications : work experience is invaluable” “Use your Player Association: you don’t know how lucky you are” “Appreciate your playing days: come away from your sport with no regrets” “Make contacts and take advice: there is no shame in asking for help” “Treat people well: you never know when you might need their help” “You are a long time retired: make as much of your second career as your first” “Use your experience: recognise the value of the skills sport has given you” “Look after your money: it won’t last forever” “Broaden your horizons beyond sport: it helps bring perspective”

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

KEY CONCLUSIONS FOR THOSE OF US TRYING TO HELP • Cultivate a culture which reinforces the benefits of asking for help. • Continue to build support networks to help players prepare for life after sport. • Understand the importance of players feeling fulfilled by the sporting career. Encourage them to focus on their achievements, not their failures • Recognise the particular issues faced by players whose careers end prematurely/abruptly • Support players after they retire – especially through the crucial transition stage (1-2 years)

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

F. COACH VERBATIM FEEDBACK WHAT COULD WE DO MORE TO IMPROVE THE PROGRAMME? Though my responses may be on the negative side, I would like to say that David Townsend has been a breath of fresh air and I’ve already started to see his impact at Academy level with my players. It would be great to have more of his time moving forward, delivering workshops to not only players but parents also. Specifically around university decisions, agents and other qualifications alongside a professional career, where he really could add massive value to our programme. Essex academy realise the importance of all the players who come through the program need a similar amount of support to the professionals in the 1,2 or 3 years they are with us and we need to be able to offer them the very best pathway of learning, planning and personal development before they either move onto a career in the pro game, university or work.

Whilst we embrace the PDWP’s involvement we have been aware that their time is limited in supporting our players so have in place our own Lifestyle Mentor who is able to offer regular key advice and support to the player throughout their time with us and beyond. This said, we would of course, appreciate more time from the PDWP, but see the combination of both the PDWP and LM offering each player high quality advice and learning in this area. No. David Townsend gives us every opportunity to grow us and our players as professionals. I personally think there should be more PDM’s employed across the 18 counties. Ideally 1 PDM to cover 2 counties would aid in developing all of the above questions in the survey. In an ideal world I would like to see one PCA PDWP representative at each county. I think some would argue that this isn’t necessary at this stage but I think with more contact time the job could really develop to help the players even more.

Honestly think you guys are doing a great job Currently do not use the PCA player development resources. We should and I would like us to. It is important to offer support where possible but also the players need to find a way of doing things themselves. Most of our players are so used to people doing everything for them, to find the balance is important. You’re doing a great job guys, keep up the hard work! The programme is very good and as with things that are good you would like more of them. From the time we have I am very impressed with what gets delivered. Increased availability time for players and support staff alike, including ones who are not PCA members due to not being professional players earlier in their careers.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

F. COACH VERBATIM FEEDBACK WHAT COULD WE DO MORE TO IMPROVE THE PROGRAMME? Allow the welfare staff to spend more time with players face to face. There is absolutely no doubt that the work of the PCA has a very positive impact on the people they work with. The only thing I would look into would be the contact time the players have with the Welfare practitioners and whether there should be more available. The timings of meeting with players during the year and the impact it can have should always be looked at and can it be improved on. The support given to players is heavily dependent on the quality of the PDW Managers. The programme itself has much benefit and use in areas of welfare etc, however the contact / relationship of the PDW in our region needs to have greater knowledge and understanding of our academy players etc.

It is hard because the PCA want the best deal each player can have with a county. I think there needs to be a reality that there is only so much money in the pot. If I have to do more for him it means I have to release him. Getting that balance right can be an issue. The player needs to take more individual responsibility for PDW. You guys do a great job in providing support but it needs self-driven players to engage with you. A downside of 12 month contracts and increased salaries, neither of which are wrong by the way, has led to players being more comfortable in there positions and not looking to the future as much. That is my gut feel anyway, your info may say otherwise. Durham Acadmy are outside the PDW provision provided by the PCA and ECB. I do not feel our PDW programme is comprehensive and could be a lot better. I am a great supporter of a comprehensive PDW programme. It is fundamental to developing players. The more that can be provided for players from a ‘neutral’ stand point externally from the club but supported by the club the better.

I would welcome a chance to get back in to the ECB / PCA provision. I was unable to fill out all of the questions but tried to give a good idea of my position. More one on one time available for Academy players. Currently I think you do a brilliant job in supporting players. The off-season is the best time that is available to personal development, however many of the players go abroad and do not commit to developing themselves. The season is very busy thus not easy to commit time to personal development, the Winter is the key! More contact time As a new DOC I want to work more closely with the PL advisor, so it’s a more pro active and targeted support programme, which I do not think has been like that up to now. No significant additional support, just more of what is already being offered. Greater contact time.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

F. COACH VERBATIM FEEDBACK

I think it works very well. Matthew Wood does an excellent job and is often visible to players and coaches.

WHAT COULD WE DO MORE TO IMPROVE THE PROGRAMME?

No change really - Continued advertisement of support available.

The support the players get by the PCA is amazing and the time they give to everyone that would like it is spot on. This is for past and present. Keep it going. At the time of writing this I can’t think of any - you guys are doing a great job. No changes. Doing a fantastic job. If possible, more face to face meetings with the players. I understand that it is very hard to get around to all counties and see each player individually. I think its an amazing service for players and ex players to use and should be encouraged to use the PCA. Spend time on identified players that maybe most vulnerable but also least willing to come forward. Coach can help but a thoughtful plan needed - rewarding results attainable.

No, it’s a fantastic programme as it is. It’s up to the individual to get what he needs out if the programme. It’s all there for them to access. I would get funding to employ someone full time at Sussex in this area as I believe it has a massive impact to the welfare and performance of both young and senior players. Always like more time to be available to work with Academy / Young Professionals so we are being pro active rather than reactive with any potential issues. More current players supporting the programme at academy level. Particularly current players who have benefitted from PCA support and players that the academy players would know.

I would like to see the PCA engage the Clubs even more in helping players with their careers and interests outside of cricket. If we worked even closer together then I believe the message would be even more powerful. Often players make full use of the PCA support when they panic at the end of their playing careers. I believe stronger relationships with the clubs and an enhanced working relationship would help players develop as people and help them understand the journey that they’re embarking on, this will help them prepare and transition from the game they love. Clubs have to look beyond performance of the individuals. No. I think we are well supported but are always open to new suggestions & progression. The Academy programmes have got to have support, this is where education and support should start.

PCA Personal Development & Welfare Programme May 2016

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