Dal elected PCA Vice Chair

Anuj Dal has been elected by the PCA Players’ Committee as the Association’s new Vice Chair, replacing incoming Chair James Harris who previously held the position.

Dal, 24, will join fellow Vice Chair Heather Knight in supporting Harris’ activities as PCA Chair, voicing the views of players across England and Wales at an executive level. He will become one of four playing representatives on the PCA Board when he begins the role following the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday 25 February.

Dal moves into the role having been Derbyshire’s representative (rep) on the PCA Players’ Committee since January 2020, when he replaced the retiring Daryn Smit in the position.

The former England U19s and Nottinghamshire man has almost a half century of professional appearances to his name, and has continued his good work off the pitch through his coaching business, which led to a PCA Futures Award win in early 2019.

Dal also sits on the PCA’s newly established Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Working Group, an advisory group to the PCA Board which aims to challenge any form of discrimination within the game. Dal will continue his responsibilities with the group after he becomes Vice Chair.

Speaking to the PCA, all-rounder Dal expressed his excitement at the prospect of taking on his new role: “It’s an incredible honour to be voted in as Vice Chair by your fellow PCA reps from the professional game. It’s so pleasing to have the support from them in such a crucial role.

“Since I became the rep for Derbyshire, we’ve seen how important the PCA is and how vital the voices of the players are. It’s important that we’ve got the representation that we feel is necessary and that we are able to voice our opinions and views on the running of the game.

“Being a young player myself, one of my biggest aims will be to get the younger guys on the circuit to feel like they’re fairly represented within the game and that they have a voice.

“I’m over the moon and very excited to get going once I officially begin my duties on 25 February.”

Incoming PCA Chair Harris reflected on Dal’s election as Vice Chair: “I am delighted to welcome Anuj as a Vice Chair of the PCA. Anuj was the outstanding candidate taking into account his contributions to the PCA over the recent past. I’m sure he’ll represent the players brilliantly in his new position and I look forward to working with him.”

PCA Chief Executive, Rob Lynch, said: “Since meeting Anuj for the first time, I have been highly impressed by his contributions to the PCA, both as Derbyshire’s rep throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and as a key part of the newly formed EDI Working Group. Anuj is a highly respected figure at Derbyshire, and I am looking forward to seeing him bring his qualities as well as an additional perspective to the PCA Board.”