PCA LAUNCH 50th ANNIVERSARY LEGACY APPEAL The Professional Cricketers’ Association has launched a 50th Anniversary Legacy Appeal, a major fund-raising initiative ahead of the Association’s Golden Jubilee next year. The PCA – originally the Cricketers’ Association – was formed in November 1967 after a meeting of visionaries, which included Fred Rumsey and the late Jack Bannister, at the Press Club in London’s Fleet Street and will reach its landmark Golden Jubilee in 2017. The organisation has developed from humble beginnings into one that has led the way in player representation, Personal Development and Welfare, mental health awareness and extensive education programmes for anti-corruption and gambling addiction in sport. To mark this historic occasion the PCA aims to raise £ 250,000 for the PCA Professional Cricketers’ Trust by encouraging all its 3,500 members – past and present professional cricketers in England and Wales – to donate an item of memorabilia or pledge a service that they can provide which will be auctioned online throughout the Golden Jubilee year. Geoffrey Boycott, the former England and Yorkshire opening batsman, has already set the ball rolling by donating a printed cloth commemorating his 100th first-class century which he scored against Australia in the 1977 Headingley Test. Other early donations include autographed bats from former England batsman Chris Tavare, a framed and signed scorecard from the first Benson and Hedges Cup final in 1972 from former Leicestershire all-rounder John Steele and a John Player League winners’ medal and other memorabilia from former Worcestershire and Gloucestershire seamer Brian Brain. The family of David Green, the former Lancashire and Gloucestershire batsman who passed away earlier this year, have also donated his collection of cricket books to support the fund-raising for the PCA Professional Cricketers’ Trust. Bob Stephenson, the former Derbyshire and Hampshire wicketkeeper, has also generously donated an autographed programme and other valuable football memorabilia from the 1947 FA Cup final between Charlton Athletic and Burnley. Stephenson’s father was Charlton’s assistant manager at the time. For more information on the Professional Cricketers’ Trust: https://www.thepca.co.uk/benevolent_fund.html The fund-raising initiative, generously supported by Royal London, has been launched with a letter to all PCA members from the Association’s recently-elected President Andrew Flintoff. ” Few careers carry so much uncertainty as that of a professional cricketer but thanks to the PCA Professional Cricketers’ Trust, past and present players have a vital support network which helps them to prepare for and readjust in the world beyond cricket,” Flintoff said. ” The Professional Cricketers’ Trust, which is generously supported by Royal London, helps former and current cricketers and their immediate family members in times of hardship and upheaval by providing vital funding for operations, helping those who are having difficulty adjusting to life after cricket find an alternative career and helping current players with professional support and expert advice. ” The support provided by the Professional Cricketers’ Trust is wide-ranging and, in some cases has been ground-breaking. ” We know many of our members have established successful businesses away from cricket but there are also current players who are developing new skills whilst playing – barbering, plumbing and plastering courses for example – through our Personal Development programme so we’d love to hear from any of them. ” We are setting a goal of raising £ 250,000 from our 50th anniversary year to support the outstanding work that the Professional Cricketers’ Trust does in supporting PCA members and their families in their hour of need and we hope that the auction is something that all PCA Members can be involved in and it crosses the generations from the pioneers who established the PCA in 1967 to first year rookies on county staffs.” Although the online auction will not go live until January 2017 the PCA is already collecting items of memorabilia in readiness for the start of 2017, which can be made to Ali Prosser at aprosser@thepca.co.uk, PCA, RES Wyatt Stand, Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham, B5 7QU Direct pledges can also be made on our website: https://www.thepca.co.uk/benevolent-fund-donations.html About Royal London: Royal London is the largest mutual life, pensions and investment company in the UK with Group funds under management of £ 78.4 billion. Group businesses serve around 5.3 million customers and employs 2,823 people (figures quoted are as at 30 September 2014). The Group is currently moving all of it UK Life, pension and investment businesses under a new version of the Royal London brand. The Group’s independent wrap platform will remain branded Ascentric. Royal London are valued partners of English cricket as title sponsors of both international 50 over cricket and the domestic 50 over trophy, The Royal London One-Day Cup (for both men and women). Royal London’s sponsorship of the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) Professional Cricketers’ Trust, represents an important development in the existing sponsorship and reflects, among other things, one of the core business functions of Royal London of helping those planning for their financial future. The sponsorship will extend through to the end of 2017. {{ak_sharing}}
