A New Era for Sports Performance

Last year, UK Sport transferred all responsibility for its Performance Lifestyle programme to the Home Country Sports Institutes. This has given professional sport a great opportunity to look at the function of the support they offer and make a deliberate move to align the service and provision. We have looked at examples of best practice around the world including Cricket Australia, other sports worldwide and the business world.

The newly named ECB/PCA Personal Development and Welfare Programme aims to best enable players to excel and develop sustainable performance with and outside cricket. This is offered through authentic and independent support where players can offload within a non-judgemental relationship that is detached from performance but understands its context.

As you are aware, it is crucial that elite players are able to manage the competing demands in their life both on and off the pitch, so they can perform at the highest level possible. In order to maintain a managed and sustainable lifestyle which supports performance, you have to fit many aspects of your lives into and around your commitment to your careers. Over the last few years, the ECB/PCA Personal Development and Welfare Programme has been able to provide different personal development roles within the first class County Cricket set-up, supporting Academy players, professional players, former players and coaches with group support and one-two-ones.

There are six areas that the ECB/PCA Personal Development and Welfare Programme offers support in:

1. Self Awareness and Management
2. Professional Player Preparation
3. Interpersonal Skills and Experiences
4. Personal Welfare Support
5. Experiential Learning
6. Dual Aspirations Support

To find out more about the ECB/PCA Personal Development and Welfare Programme click here.

ECB/PCA Personal Development and Welfare Coaches

The ECB and PCA employ 8 regional Personal Development and Welfare Coaches to service the programme and provide valuable support to all 18 first class counties and all the England teams.

Click here for a full list of contacts.

To find out more about the Personal Development Programme, we have produced an updated video which you can view here.

Get a New Career Off the Ground!

The correlation between player performance and pitch surface quality in cricket is like no other sport. From the initial selection of the starting XI, right through the entire direction and determination of the game, the pitch and its reaction to play through wear and prevailing weather conditions plays an integral role in the end result. Little wonder that reams of newsprint and conversations between players, officials and spectators often centre more on the pitch at times than what actually happened on it. The role of the groundsman is absolutely critical in enabling players to perform to their full potential.

As professional sportsman you are reliant on the qualities of the playing surface to best display your skills, yet surprisingly very few cricketers, once their full time careers have concluded, enter groundsmanship. Surely this would bring an appreciation and deeper understanding of the requirements necessary to the role. Coaches, captain and players are not known for their reticence when advising the groundsman on pitch preparation.

There are many opportunities for retiring players to work within the game such as becoming a coach, an umpire, or to work in administration, media and marketing to name but a few, once their playing days are over. However, becoming a cricket groundsman is rarely considered. You may decide to give groundsmanship a go, remembering those formative years on staff when it was the norm for young contracted players to muck in on the grounds, albeit as cover movers and erecting and dismantling nets.

The Institute of Groundsmanship in conjunction with the ECB run courses in the maintenance, management and practices of cricket groundsmanship from foundation level for those first entering the profession, right through to an advanced course for existing head groundsman and supervisors. These courses cover all the practical aspects of the job and progress through to a deep understanding of the science and technical aspects of effective cricket facility management. This is backed up with an extensive online distance learning programme that will provide a high quality underpinning of the practical knowledge and skills that are acquired from working on a ground and learning from experienced senior staff. The courses don’t make you a great groundsman but allied with ongoing ‘hands on’ experience, they provide a degree of insight into the role that no other organisation can provide.

The IOG Foundation A and B practical courses are split into covering spring/summer preparation and maintenance of the square/pitches and the autumn/winter renovations and management, each run over one day. Intermediate and advanced are also one day courses but usually held within a week of each other as delegates are expected to conduct some home study prior to the second day. For the majority of candidates entry at foundation level is the preferred option. Even if a career in groundsmanship is not a consideration at the time, the courses provide a useful insight into the complexities and plethora of skills required of the modern cricket groundsman.

For further details about the role of the Institute of Groundsmanship, the courses offered and how the organisation can assist you if considering a career in cricket groundsmanship, contact Mr Andrew Clarke on 07754 532545 or email aclarke@iog.org

Andrew is a groundsman with over 30 years’ experience at all levels of the game, both in the UK and overseas. He is a qualified ECB/IOG trainer and assessor and recently appointed Regional Advisor for the East region and a member of the IOG/ECB Regional advisory team with colleagues:

Len Smith (West and Wales) lsmith@iog.org
Ian Mather-Brewster (North) Mather-Brewster@iog.org
Alan Moore (Midlands) AMoore@iog.org 

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