Jones named Bursary Winner at PCA Futures Awards
Thursday 6th February 2020
Former Kent wicketkeeper Geraint Jones has been announced as a Bursary Winner at the Professional Cricketer’s Association (PCA)’s 2020 Futures Awards.
Seven PCA members, including the former right-hander, have been recognised for their ongoing commitment to personal development away from the cricket pitch at the Association’s 2020 Futures Awards.
The winners of this year’s prizes, formerly the PCA Scholarship Awards, have been split into three categories. Glamorgan’s Andrew Salter picked up the Overall prize, Nottinghamshire’s Lyndon James the Best Newcomer award, whilst each of Jones, Chris Liddle, Michael Bates, Michael Reed and Ryan Pringle were named Bursary Winners.
The 2005 Ashes winner was one of the headliners of the PCA’s 2019 Futures Week, appearing in an interview with the Association regarding his new career as an on-call firefighter.
Jones also teaches at a school in Ramsgate, Kent, and will put his bursary towards a BSc in Business and Sports Management from the University of Hertfordshire.
The application process for the Futures Awards, which is open to all PCA members, invites current and ex-players to outline what personal development they have achieved over the past 12 months, why they should receive the reward and how they would invest the monetary prize.
Shortlisted candidates were then invited to Edgbaston on Monday 3 February to present to a panel consisting of the PCA’s two Lead Personal Development Managers – Charlie Mulraine and Lynsey Williams – and Martin Cropper, Personal Development Manager for the south west region of the UK.
Each was tasked with answering the question of “how can the PCA encourage more players to invest in personal development for the benefit of their playing and non-playing career?”, before going on to outline their own commitment to off-field progression.
One of the key aims of the PCA’s multi-faceted Personal Development and Welfare Programme (PDWP) is to better prepare the Association’s members for life after professional cricket. Within that, the Futures Awards aims to highlight and promote some of the best examples of personal development from across the PCA membership on an annual basis.
