PCA holds 10th Futures Conference

PCA Futures Conference in association with GEDU Global Education has provided the platform for players to advance their personal development and explore transitioning into their next career.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary, the two-day event held at the England football team’s training base, St George’s Park, took place on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 November as players gained essential workplace skills from expert guest speakers.

November marks PCA Futures Month, which launched with an exclusive interview from former Derbyshire all-rounder and PCA Vice Chair Anuj Dal as he explored his transition into life with Ryley Wealth Management. You can read the article and watch the interview here.

The first flagship event of PCA Futures Month, the Futures Conference enables players to learn from industry experts and test out their newfound skill sets.

Personal development and planning for their post-playing career is vital for professional cricketers, in 2026 alone 71 players across the men’s and women’s game were released or retired from cricket with an average age of just 27-years-old.

Players from across England and Wales converged on PCA Futures Conference in varying stages of their careers and personal development with 22-year-old Olivia Bell learning alongside 35-year-old Jack Leach.

Attendees took part in 15 sessions during the Conference which varied between thoughtful discussions, workshops, dynamic activities and interview preparation aimed at helping them prepare for life after playing cricket.

On day one Laura Blair from Centrica addressed the players on ‘Why Cricketers Make Great Employees’ with help from retired skeleton athlete Jacob Salisbury, Olympic rower Sam Nunn, former GB sprinter Lukesha Morris and former GB netballer Ama Agbeze MBE who all work for Centrica.

PDM Lynsey Williams then hosted a Q&A from ‘The Employer’s Perspective’ with Blair, Geoff Collings of Hays and Greg Cork from Advania UK before PDM Charlie Mulraine ran a session on ‘How To Make A Successful Career Change’.

The PDM team of Tom Jones and Matt Footman then explored how to ‘Thrive Through Transition By Adapting Your Mindset’ and Chris Budd from Ovation Finance spoke about ‘Financial Wellbeing’ and how to plan for life beyond cricket.

PCA Official Recruitment Partner Hays then delivered a session on ‘How To Communicate Your Skills And Sell Yourself’, before PDM Martin Cropper ran a ‘Former Player Panel’ featuring Darren Bicknell, Gareth Rees, Tom Lace and Cork to finish day one.

Day two commenced with a session on ‘How To Approach Artificial Intelligence’ from LinkedIn’s Tim Clancy.

Rob Geraghty of Presenting Virtually then ran a dynamic session on the importance of ‘Presenting Yourself and Building Powerful Connections’.

Clancy returned to support the players with a session on building the best profile possible on LinkedIn and Steve Barker from title partner of Futures Conference GEDU discussed how the global education giant can help the players find their next career.

Applying the skills they had learnt from the past two days, the players then had a chance to use their knowledge through mock interviews enabling them to practice their technique.

The two-day event concluded with PDMs Laura Piekarski and Mulraine taking attendees through their actions plans.

PCA Managing Director, Ian Thomas, said: “It’s fantastic to have run this event for ten years, it’s a great opportunity to pull players from the past and present together and improve their transferable skills. It’s good for the players to know that they’re not on their own and the PCA is here to support them every step of the way. The PCA has a responsibility to help transition players out of the game successfully and we can pride ourselves in how we do that.”

Sussex all-rounder, Jack Leaning, said: “I should have come to Futures Conference sooner, I always thought it was something that I would do when I finish playing but I’m glad I’ve come now as it’s a brilliant event. Knowing that we have lots of skills is refreshing to hear and a lot of businesses specifically want to hire ex-sportspeople. There’s players of all different stages of their careers gaining something from the conference and that’s what the PCA are there to help us with.”

Former England international and Nottinghamshire women batter, Tammy Beaumont, said: “It’s been really enjoyable and thought provoking, the only certain thing for cricketers is that it will come to an end and so learning how we can transmit our skills and experiences into the job market has been good to hear. I think the whole group has taken a lot from these two days, it’s been brilliant and I hope more players get involved in years to come. I feel a lot more confident in myself thanks to Futures Conference, it’s given me a much wider perspective to look into.”

MetaGedu Chief Executive, Steve Barker, said: “We’re very proud to be involved with the PCA Futures Conference, supporting the Association and the people involved as a whole, we really believe in what they do. I hope the players take away from here that there are so many different opportunities for them going forward.”

PCA Futures Conference 2026 attendees: Olivia Bell, Tammy Beaumont, Ethan Brookes, Steven Cheetham, Michael Cohen, Ariana Dowse, Tom Hinley, Lyndon James, Jack Leach, Jack Leaning, Connor McKerr, Ben Morris, Ed Pollock, Billy Root.

PCA Futures Month shines a light on the area of personal development and career transition among PCA members. The two-day Futures Conference forms the centrepiece of the initiative alongside the PCA Futures Awards and both are part of the PCA’s Personal Development and Welfare Programme (PDWP). Click here to find out more.