PCA PRESS RELEASE
Read about former Glamorgan all-rounder Joe Cooke's unique transition story from the game to the sustainability world.
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Having spent his professional cricketing life with bat in hand trying to avoid zero, Joe Cooke is now actively searching for it… Net Zero that is.
In the 2021 One Day Cup semi-final, Cooke produced a phenomenal match winning performance with figures of 5-61 and an unbeaten 66 to help his side beat Essex and progress in the competition.
The final at Trent Bridge against Durham when Glamorgan lifted the trophy was Cooke’s “favourite day on a cricket pitch” but in just a couple of years he would be out of the professional game and fully engaged in following his other passion: sustainability.
The 27-year-old realised his enthusiasm for sustainability whilst doing his Natural Sciences degree at Durham University and then explored the impact that climate change could have on cricket for his dissertation.
“I was fascinated by how climate could affect results around the world, such as England doing well in cloudy conditions and the financial impact on the sport with the more erratic weather conditions affecting play. I developed a realisation that we should be doing more as a sport because I love cricket and want it to continue but climate change could seriously harm it.”
"Players should ensure they’re using ethical banks and not ones that use their money to invest in fossil fuels."
JOE COOKE
Whilst still a player at Glamorgan, Cooke undertook multiple opportunities to explore this new passion working with Friends of the Earth on campaigns to help supermarkets become more efficient, Sport Wales on helping local clubs save energy, alongside developing Glamorgan’s own sustainability strategy. Cooke was even invited to speak at COP26 in Glasgow.
“I featured on two panels at COP26 which was a great experience. I sat on an athlete panel with Sky Sports about how sport can kick carbon and then spoke with the British Association for Sustainability in Sport about how sport can be a good tool for influencing change in society.”
The Climate Change Committee recently declared cricket as the summer sport most affected by the weather and Cooke wants governing bodies to think of the impact on player welfare and make smarter environmental decisions to help cricket reduce its global carbon footprint.
“There’s places in Asia where cricket is played that the World Health Organisation have deemed unsafe to do outdoor exercise. Recently an Australian amateur player sadly died in the heat, and we saw Joe Root go to hospital after a game a few years ago. The ICC and ECB need to think about player safety. Another frustration is when the schedules don’t make sense and cause extra unnecessary flying like the T20 World Cup in America and the Caribbean and the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE, there should be smarter planning involved here.”
The all-rounders’ transition from cricket into his new role was a gradual one and after trialling to get back into the game didn’t go to plan, he landed a job with Net Zero Group as a Carbon Consultant in October 2023.
“It’s quite a new job and it’s constantly evolving with regulation changes. I was interested in Net Zero Group because they had been working with the MCC. The Premier League has released a sustainability strategy, and all clubs have to have a carbon reduction plan, I think cricket should follow suit considering our reliance on the climate. Ultimately the more erratic the weather, the less cricket will be played.”
“The PCA can have a massive impact on educating players on sustainability and climate change."
JOE COOKE
Cooke is thankful to the PCA and his Personal Development Manager, Martin Cropper, for helping provide support and assistance during the transition period out of cricket and into his new job. “It’s a difficult time when you’re leaving the game, Martin was fantastic at teaching me how to utilise LinkedIn, how to network professionally and ultimately, he helped me get the job that I wanted. That support you get is vital while you’re transitioning and the Cricketers’ Trust are there to support your mental health as well which is fantastic.”
In his role as a Carbon Consultant, Cooke has been giving back to the Players’ Association by helping to develop the union’s sustainability strategy and working out how to reduce the company’s carbon footprint with the PCA’s Director of People, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Donna Fraser OBE.
“The PCA can have a massive impact on educating players on sustainability and climate change. The working group has been great to get involved in alongside current players like Maia Bouchier and Emma Corney and hopefully we can get more players to talk about it and promote messages about environmental issues.”
Admitting he’s not suggesting players stop flying around the world to play in tournaments, that comes with the current cricketing landscape, Cooke has however suggested a few ways that players can reduce their carbon footprint by making small changes in their daily lives to help benefit the planet and be more sustainability friendly.
“Making meat a treat is a big thing, it shouldn’t be in every meal as it’s environmentally damaging. Travelling greener by taking trains and sharing lifts is another positive change to make but the most topical is ensuring that your money is in the right place. Players should ensure they’re using ethical banks and not ones that use their money to invest in fossil fuels, you can reduce your overall environmental impact significantly by banking ethically.”
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