PCA Futures Series set for November launch

The PCA Futures Series launches on Monday 2 November, with the month-long initiative aiming to give PCA members a deep insight into the challenges involved with preparing for life after cricket.

The series of 11 webinars will provide current and former professional cricketers with the knowledge and skills they need to pursue a second career away from the game.

For current players, the focus will be around key early planning stages and developing identity away from the field, whilst recently retired or released players will have the opportunity to take practical action to begin a successful transition.

The launch on 2 November will feature a session with key note speaker Damian Hughes, co-founder of the High Performance Podcast. Hughes will be setting the scene with an insight into the behaviours of high performers both on and off the field.

Other highlights throughout the month will include a session on personal branding with Mark Pougatch of ITV Sport and BT Sport, as well as tailored webinars on building a digital presence on LinkedIn and entering the world of business development with PCA members from a variety of industries reflecting on their experiences.

The Futures Series takes place in the absence of the PCA’s annual Futures Conference, a two-day event which is usually based at St George’s Park, Burton-upon-Trent, however the recurring Futures Week will still go ahead and shine a light on the area of personal development and career transition.

It forms part of the PCA’s Personal Development and Welfare Programme (PDWP), a player-centred programme that supports players through key transitions in their lives, facilitates learning and personal development, helps players to maximise their potential as cricketers and prepares them for life after cricket.

PCA Director of Development and Welfare Ian Thomas said: “The average career in professional cricket comes to an end at the age of 26, so preparing professional cricketers for life after cricket has always been a key part of what we do here at the PCA.

“In a year when the job market is shrinking and the need for a second skillset has never been more apparent, we’re delighted to reaffirm our commitment to assisting players through career transition in the form of the Futures Series.”

For more information and to book a place on the PCA Futures Series, contact your regional Personal Development Manager (PDM).

To access any of the below webinars contact Tom Jones or your regional Personal Development and Welfare Manager.

An insight into high performance behaviours both on and off the sports field taken from Damian’s experience of working with elite athletes and collaborating with high performers when recording the High Performance Podcast.

An insight into career transition from a panel of ex professional athletes including Michael Vaughan and Neil Mellor.

In this practical workshop, Steve Johnson CEO of the Wellbeing Science Institute will provide you with a framework to enable value-based decisions and action for your elite sport transition but also for many other domains of life.

A practical workshop that will equip members with some key skills and knowledge in the subject of financial planning.

Sports Broadcaster Mark Pougatch partners with Reputation Advisor Andrew Baud to deliver a workshop that will advise members on personal brand awareness, media presence and handling difficult circumstances.

A practical workshop that will offer members career coaching advice including examples of models that and frameworks that can be used when career planning.

Networking and communication expert Rob Geraghty will take members through some of the key skills required to be successful when networking and building relationships in a digital world.

We will be joined by trainers from LinkedIn to talk us through building a LinkedIn profile and network that will assist in building a career path alongside or away from professional cricket.

A panel discussion PCA members that have progressed into coaching as a career. This session will give an insight into coaching roles in a number of environments.

An insight into the world of business development and sales from three PCA members who have huge experience in this area. Discussing their journey from transition to current roles there will be many stories and lessons to learn from these three business professionals.

Financial services is one of the leading exit routes for professional cricketers. In this session, current and former pros will discuss their experiences in the sector, helping you gain insight on the different entry routes and roles, progression within the various industries, skills and education required and how you can get started now.