The former Northamptonshire batter has already set his goals for the future following a valuable stint at Lodders.
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Hassan Azad is already on the path of personal development after attending the 2023 PCA Futures Conference.
Azad had a clear vision for his time after cricket and recently the 30-year-old started a new role as a Solution Engineer at ONYX Insight.
The left-handed batter previously spent two months at the Official Partner of the PCA Futures Awards, Lodders, from October to December in 2021. He had an all-round experience of working in the legal industry during his time with the award-winning law firm.
He performed various tasks, including drafting legal documents like wills and commercial licenses across multiple departments and researching precedents and legislation to assist senior solicitors with ongoing matters.
The 2024 PCA Futures Conference will take place on 6 and 7 November at St. George’s Park, the training base of the England football team, and will be open to all past and present players. The event is packed with workshops and seminars which are targeted towards building a player’s career on and off the field.
It allows past and present players to get together and network amongst themselves and several career experts which enables players to understand and fill in their skill sets.
In the weeks leading up to the PCA Futures Conference, the PCA will share stories from previous attendees and shed light on how the event benefitted them in their personal development.
This week read Azad’s in-depth knowledge of the Futures Conference. He explains the importance of attending as early as possible and to go in with an open mindset to grasp as much information as one can.
- What were your motivations behind attending the 2023 Futures Conference?
- Azad: I was out of contract and thinking about life after cricket. So, it was very useful for me to go to the Conference to start to get a plan in action and start to think about how I was going to make myself attractive to an employer that wasn’t based in the cricket world.
- What were some of your main takeaways from last year’s Futures Conference?
- Azad: My main takeaway was that during the course of the playing career as a professional cricketer, you do pick up a lot of skills that are quite desirable in the job market, even if it doesn’t feel like it. We are doing something that we love, but it doesn’t feel like work. It feels like we’re gaining professional skills, but actually in the course of a week, a month, there’s a lot of things that you pick up and just from working together as a team and being disciplined, you’re learning. These are the skills that are really in demand, and it opened my eyes to the fact that actually is not a completely different world. We are not starting from scratch, and we have somewhere to begin from.
- How was your experience of working with Lodders – the law firm?
- Azad: I had an amazing time at Lodders. It wasn’t just seeing what they did, it wasn’t just shadowing. I got to do some actual work. It was really useful to be able to live the life of a paralegal or a lawyer and see how it fits. Also, for me it was quite an important step because as a cricketer sometimes you get used to being a cricketer and you develop a fear of the real world or what happens after you finish. But going to Lodders and doing the nine to five and actually quite enjoying it, was challenging and rewarding. For me, it showed that it wasn’t so bad, when cricket ends that won’t be the end of life. Life carries on and you can still find new things that you can enjoy. And there’s a whole different world to explore and continue to challenge ourselves as we do on the cricket field.
- What advice would you give to players looking to attend the 2024 Futures Conference?
- Azad: My advice would be to go in with an open mind. You don’t know what’s out there, and it’s really good to just to be aware of what you bring. It’s not just comforting, it’s important to know because as a player, we feel like cricket is everything, but knowing that you do bring something to the table outside of cricket is really good for your own self-identity but also it empowers you to be yourself on the cricket pitch and play without fear.
- According to you, what is the ideal time for a player to start looking towards their second career?
- Azad: The right time is now – as early as possible. It just does not hurt and if you start early and you can go about it in an assured way, then that’s a real positive. I have always felt like I have been switched on about my career outside of cricket, but even so, I wish that I’d started earlier and given myself a head start. A very few cricketers have the privilege of choosing when they finish playing. Most of the time that decision is made for you, and you want to make sure that everything is ready for you when that happens so that you can go straight into the next chapter.
PCA Futures Conference is open to all past and present players.
Please register your interest by clicking the button below and filling in the form as there are limited places available.
