The PCA joined player associations from around the world for the inaugural Player Health + Safety Summit organised by the World Players’ Association (WPA).
The two-day event was held at the Tecno Campus in Mataro, Spain on 29 and 30 January 2025.
The main focus of the summit was to bring leading voices and experts from different player associations to discuss the wellness of athletes, both on and off the field. It included seminars and talks on some of the best practices to counteract the ever-increasing workload on the athletes as well as protecting them from online abuse amongst further pertinent issues surrounding sports.
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WPA Health & Safety Summit
The PCA joined player associations from around the world for the inaugural Player Health + Safety Summit organised by the WPA.
The PCA played an active role in discussing issues affecting the wellbeing of athletes across the sporting fraternity during the summit. PCA Managing Director of Member Services, Ian Thomas formed part of the panel to deliberate players’ online safety along with experts from the WPA, organisations and consultancies.
With online abuse increasing exponentially with the rise of social media, Thomas and other panellists discussed various strategies and measures to protect players from harassment, to allow athletes to focus on their roles on the field.
The PCA, along with South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) and New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA) also joined forces with the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) for a player operations meeting ahead of the two-day conference.
The PCA has been vocal when it comes to the extreme workload due to the scheduling. Association Chair James Harris recently expressed his concerns surrounding the 2025 domestic schedule, particularly in the women’s game. With the introduction of the Tier 1 structure this year, there is now a 60% increase in back-to-back Blast games compared to the 2024 Charlotte Edwards Cup.
According to PCA’s research from 2024 covering all 18 First-Class counties, 81% of the players admitted that the schedule is not optimum for their physical wellbeing while two-thirds believe that it hinders their performance.
The World Players Association represents more than 85,000 athletes from over 100 countries. The 2025 Player Health + Safety Summit was also attended by other leading sporting associations like International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO), European Athletes and Players Association (EAPA), Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), amongst others.
PCA Director of Player Rights and Women’s Cricket, Emma Reid, said: “Workload is increasingly more of a challenge within cricket. It was really interesting to hear from other sports who have been through this before and how they worked with and influenced decision makers to find solutions.
“The PCA always strives to remain on the front foot when it comes to player workload management, particularly in the game’s current climate. Discussions surrounding the importance of getting the balance right from both a performance and player welfare perspective with other player associations at a global summit was hugely thought-provoking.”
PCA Managing Director of Member Services, Ian Thomas, said: “I had the privilege to contribute towards the betterment of athletes by offering strategies to combat online abuse.
“Online harassment is becoming a big monster in the modern world and the PCA is utilising all its education and resources to support our members in every way possible.”
WCA Chief Executive, Tom Moffat, said: “It is incumbent on the game’s leadership to ensure that players are provided with safe workplaces that promote their physical and mental wellbeing in all environments, and in all parts of the world.
“History tells us that ensuring players’ associations are around the table to negotiate enforceable minimum standards is the key to achieving that.”
