Seven PCA members have been recognised for their ongoing commitment to personal development away from the cricket pitch at the Association’s 2020 Futures Awards.
The winners of this year’s prizes, formerly the PCA Scholarship Awards, have been split into three categories. Glamorgan’s Andrew Salter picked up the Overall prize, Nottinghamshire’s Lyndon James the Best Newcomer award, whilst each of Chris Liddle, Geraint Jones, Michael Bates, Michael Reed and Ryan Pringle were named Bursary Winners.
One of the key aims of the PCA’s multi-faceted Personal Development and Welfare Programme (PDWP) is to better prepare the Association’s members for life after professional cricket. Within that, the Futures Awards aims to highlight and promote some of the best examples of personal development from across the PCA membership on an annual basis.
The application process for the Futures Awards, which is open to all PCA members, invites current and ex-players to outline what personal development they have achieved over the past 12 months, why they should receive the reward and how they would invest the monetary prize.
Shortlisted candidates were then invited to Edgbaston on Monday 3 February to present to a panel consisting of the PCA’s two Lead Personal Development Managers – Charlie Mulraine and Lynsey Williams – and Martin Cropper, Personal Development Manager for the south west region of the UK.
Each was tasked with answering the question of “how can the PCA encourage more players to invest in personal development for the benefit of their playing and non-playing career?”, before going on to outline their own commitment to off-field progression.
Overall Winner - Andrew Salter (Glamorgan)
Glamorgan spinner Salter’s passion for motorcycling has led him to create Baffle Culture, a social media platform for like-minded enthusiasts, and Baffle Haus, a converted garage space which acts as a base for riding culture in Wales. The project has grown from solely being an Instagram account just three years ago, and now Salter plans on using his prize money to make improvements to the decor and functionality of Baffle Haus, which he plans to eventually convert into a cafe.
Lyndon James (Nottinghamshire) won the Best Newcomer prize. Other bursary winners include: Geraint Jones (former England, Kent, Gloucestershire), Chris Liddle (former Leicestershire, Sussex, Gloucestershire), Michael Bates (former Hampshire, Sussex), Ryan Pringle (former Durham)
Also amongst the bursary winners is former Glamorgan fast bowler Michael Reed. Alongside raising his two young sons, Reed has spent the past 12 months achieving Chartered Financial Planner status, whilst also passing on his financial expertise to year 10 students at a school in Kingston. The ex-Glamorgan man will put his bursary towards completing STEP qualifications, which will allow him to give legal as well as financial advice.
Overall Winner Salter reflected on his Futures Awards success: “The whole experience of preparing for the presentation and then delivering was just great and to come away with the main award is just fantastic.
“To have the support from the PCA to follow my venture with Baffle Culture is amazing, and to be able to work towards a life after cricket that is fuelled by my passion is something I’m very appreciative of.
“I really think this award not only motivates the players who are already preparing for their career after cricket but to also encourage players who haven’t given it quite as much thought.
“With the contacts and connections within the professional game there really is a great opportunity to explore options that are based around your interests and passions away from the cricket pitch.”
Charlie Mulraine, Lead Personal Development Manager at the PCA, said: “The Futures Awards has again provided a valuable opportunity for PCA members to showcase their outstanding work off the pitch over the course of the past 12 months.
“Each and every shortlisted candidate presented superbly on the day, and it’s been fantastic to see so much engagement with the Association’s Personal Development and Welfare Programme via the Futures Awards initiative.
“Ultimately, we are a members’ association and all of the work that we do is carried out for the benefit of our key stakeholders. I hope that this year’s Futures Awards winners will put their prize money to good use, and that this showcase will inspire more PCA members to consider the options that are available to them in terms of personal development.”