The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) held a rookie camp, which saw a record number of attendees.
67 rookie-contracted players from the First Class Counties and women’s regions descended upon Edgbaston for a day of panel interviews and educational workshops.
Nathan Fernandes and Daniel O’Driscoll represented Middlesex and heard a keynote speech from Nottinghamshire Head Coach, Peter Moores, England Men’s Performance Director, Mo Bobat and PCA members Arul Suppiah, Dom Bess, Eve Jones, Alice Davidson-Richards and Fi Morris, who all shared valuable insights.
Seminars presented by B5 Consultancy focused on healthy relationships and social media, while PCA partners AllSport Insurance and Brooks Macdonald shared their expertise.
Speaking of the event, Daniel O’Driscoll, said: “It was great to be at Edgbaston yesterday.
“To learn about what support the PCA can offer was extremely helpful and it was good to go through this with fellow rookies from the first-class counties and women’s regions.
“The insights were interesting and it was nice to be able to hear the thoughts, ideas and concerns of fellow young players."
Director of Cricket for Middlesex and Sunrisers, Alan Coleman, added: “The PCA give all of your players exceptional support, and it is great that they specifically invest time and resources into our youngest professionals to help them become accustomed to professional cricket.”
PCA Director of Member Services, Ian Thomas, commented: “It was inspiring to see so many young professional players being inducted into their dream job.
“It is testament to the work that has been achieved in recent years to see a record amount of players in attendance at Rookie Camp. Having 67 new members in the room is a direct result of the implementation of rookie contracts and rapid growth of the women’s game.
“The aim has been to educate those players on what life is like as a professional, to mitigate the pitfalls whilst inspiring every individual to be the best cricketer and person they can be.
“The day is not possible without the support of our valued partners and a special thanks to Graham Gooch who has led on financial support through the Graham Gooch Scholarship / Essex Cricket Foundation.”
