PCA PRESS RELEASE
Get to know your new Personal Development Manager for the northern region.
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We are very excited to welcome Jas Singh to the PCA team, as he becomes our new Personal Development Manager (PDM) for the northern region.
Jas will be helping players at Durham, Lancashire, Northern Diamonds and Yorkshire to fulfil their potential both on and off the cricket pitch, in his new role as a key part of the PCA Personal Development and Welfare team.
During his first week on the job, we sat down with Jas at the PCA’s annual Rookie Camp to find out a little bit more about his background, motivations and start to life at the PCA…
- Tell us a little bit about yourself.
- My name is Jas Singh, I’m 30 years old and I was born and bred in Sunderland. I’ve always stayed local, so I went to school, college and university in the north east. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I left college, so I mixed together two of my biggest passions, sport and business, and decided to study a BA Sports Management at the University of Sunderland, graduating in 2014.
- What is your professional background?
- I’m joining the PCA from Sunderland AFC’s registered charity, the Foundation of Light. As part of my undergraduate degree, I did a year-long placement with the charity in 2013, and I was very lucky to be offered a job with the same organisation upon graduation. I worked in both the commercial and education departments, but as time went on I found out that it was the education side of things that I really enjoyed. I went on to qualify as a teacher, achieving a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in 2017, and my career transitioned from there as I worked my way up to become a Secondary Education Co-ordinator before joining the PCA.
- Are you a cricket fan?
- I played a lot when I was younger – my dad, my brother and I absolutely loved our cricket. The interest grew from there, and even though I’ve been focussed primarily on football during the last few years, I’ve always kept an eye on the cricket scores. I’m really excited to improve my knowledge of the game further through working at the PCA.
- What drew you to apply to become a PDM at the PCA?
- It’s very much a people-based role, I’m really interested in the player care element and supporting elite athletes on a day-to-day basis. I enjoyed what I was doing in my last role, but I’m relishing the opportunity to move that into an elite environment with all the challenges that it will bring.
- What are you most looking forward to about the role?
- Working with elite performers is the biggest thing for me. Understanding and supporting their lifestyles away from the field of play will be a new challenge for me, but I think I will use the same skills and qualities that I have honed over time, and I’m really looking forward to developing them further.
- Are you anticipating any challenges?
- Everybody’s different, and I’ll be working alongside people who are facing many different challenges in their day-to-day lives, but I find that aspect of the PDM job more exciting than daunting. It’s up to me to react to those situations, manage them and offer the best support that I possibly can. Professional cricketers are highly motivated and successful individuals, so working in that area is a very exciting thing to be a part of.
"I’m a people person and I get huge enjoyment from learning about people’s backgrounds, natures and motivations."
JAS SINGH, PCA PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
- Which attributes do you think are key to becoming a successful PDM?
- It always comes back to people. I’m a people person and I get huge enjoyment from learning about people’s backgrounds, natures and motivations. I think I’m someone who’s really good at giving people a helping hand to help them get to where they want to go. Whether it’s education or mental wellbeing, I think I’m well-versed in providing guidance and support to move forward in a positive manner.
- How have the first few days been?
- It’s been great. I was lucky enough to be at Rookie Camp at Edgbaston for my second day in the job on Tuesday, and having that opportunity to meet a lot of individuals in the same space was brilliant. I’ve also attended a couple of the PCA’s pre-season meetings with professional squads, which was also really beneficial in getting to know the inner workings of the PCA. It’s not often you get to meet so many people within a few days of starting a new job, so I feel very fortunate in that respect.
- Why is the work that the PCA does important to you?
- It’s all about supporting a community of elite performers. The PCA gives people a platform and an opportunity to ask for help and support, as much as we go out there and proactively offer that to current and former players. Having that holistic approach and welcoming people in is massively helpful to anyone that takes advantage of this service. Being a part of that is really exciting.
- What do you like to do away from work?
- I spend a lot of time with my partner, my family and friends. I’m getting on a bit now so I don’t do too many nights out, I prefer chilling out at home! I’m a huge Sunderland fan, so I get to as many games as I possibly can on the weekend and generally watch a lot of sport. I used to play sport and was even a pretty good kickboxer, but now I focus on following cricket, football, Formula 1 and combat sports.
You can contact Jas at jas.singh@thepca.co.uk or on 07826 535 783.
Find out more about the work of the PCA’s Personal Development and Welfare team.
