England Legends support Trust on Finals Day

The Professional Cricketers’ Trust is counting down the days until the 2022 Vitality Blast Finals Day on Saturday 16 July, which is supporting the players’ charity.

In the lead up to the biggest event in the county calendar, the Trust is looking at different ways the charity supports past and present cricketers in England and Wales with Wednesday’s focus being mental health.

In 2021 alone, the Trust supported 106 individuals with mental health problems, taking the total since 2015 to 526. The assistance for current and former players in England and Wales is all encompassing, whether it be for physical or mental needs including provision of specialist equipment, funding operations or specialist wellbeing support.

The Trust will collaborate with the ECB and Sky Sports to both highlight the work of, and raise funds for, the players’ charity at Finals Day. Ahead of the showpiece event at Edgbaston, the Trust has spoken to current PCA England Legends players Jonathan Trott and Nick Compton for their views on the charity and role it plays in the modern game.

“I think there are so many examples of players who either during their careers or after their careers need support and that is what the Trust does and it’s brilliant,” said Trott who took time out of his England career to focus on his mental health.

“There are so many stories where if it were not for the Trust, players would have really struggled, it is not just with ill health, it is with losses that players go through, such as family bereavements.

“Nothing is too big or too small, everything is looked after for its members and the Trust is very caring and something that I think cricket, certainly through the PCA, has led the way for all other sports and professional associations.

“It leads the way in what it provides for players during their careers and services after their careers.

“Everyone has their own sort of things and their own ideas on how they go about their business, everyone is unique and that is the great thing about team sports.

“It is about those people coming together and performing.

“Everyone has their own way, they see themselves as a player I suppose, and certainly in this day and age there’s a lot more awareness of people, not just the cricketer but also the human side of things which is fantastic and what the Trust stands for.”

Today’s game is faster, more competitive, more public, and more pressurised than ever before. Even the happiest professional career in cricket means long stretches away from home and financial uncertainty driven by short-term contracts.

Few careers carry so much uncertainty as that of a professional cricketer but thanks to the Professional Cricketers’ Trust, past and present players have a vital support network which helps them to prepare for and readjust in the world beyond cricket.

Whether you play for a men’s team or women’s team, for a week or a decade, every professional cricketer in England and Wales is a life-long member of the PCA; and that means they can count on the Professional Cricketers’ Trust for support.

Mental health is not a new topic for cricket to deal with, the likes of former England international and Trust director Marcus Trescothick and current England internationals Ben Stokes and Kate Cross spoken out about their struggles.

Former England opener Compton, believes mental health is a topic that needs continued awareness and Finals Day is a great platform to do so.

Compton admitted to suffering from anxiety and depression, revealing after being having his position axed from the England Test team, he struggled with his mental health for the next five or six years.

And that is why Compton thinks it is crucial that the work and role the Professional Cricketers’ Trust plays in helping current and former players suffering from depression must be spoken about.

“In many ways when you retire, you’re very quickly out of the game and something I’ve done for a good 20 years and always had the benefit of teammates and a structure around me and I think you’re out of it and you kind of miss that a little bit,” said Compton. “That is why the work the Professional Cricketers’ Trust does is important.

“I have had some support from them over the years as have many other cricketers, whether that’s injury or education, I think it is important.

“It makes you feel cared for and that there is somebody underneath you if things do not go that well.

“It also keeps me in touch with the game, it is nice to have that again and play in front of a few people.”

The Professional Cricketers’ Trust provides vital support to past and present cricketers in England and Wales and their immediate families when in desperate need. The charity’s work is all encompassing, whether it be for unforeseen physical or mental needs.  Vitality Blast Finals Day is supporting the players’ charity – to find out more about the Professional Cricketers’ Trust, visit professionalcricketerstrust.org