The annual Players’ Conference serves as an essential tool for the organisation and its members, providing players with the opportunity to review, discuss and debate key matters within the cricketing landscape, as well as developing greater depth of understanding of the wider cricket environment and issues collectively important to players.
Held on April 9 and 10 in Auckland, the two-day workshop style conference enabled the 30 attending players from all 14 male and female playing groups to interact and discuss topics in detail, before presenting their thoughts back to the group. NZCPA staff were on hand to facilitate and lead this process which ensured that all players were able to contribute fully over the course of the two days.
For Player Services Manager, Evan Jones, the conference stands as a cornerstone event for member engagement. "For us, it's a great opportunity to get a range of players in the room together talking about what's going well, what's not going well, but almost more importantly they're able to bounce off each other and find out what one MA is doing well, what another MA could pick up, or where there's issues across the system collectively."
White Ferns bowler Hannah Rowe echoed the sentiment, "I think it's really important that we all get together. Often you can have your own views but when you get together and get to talk to players from other associations, both the men and the women, it's really cool that we can work together and start to figure everything out on a much larger scale."
Given the diverse cricketing backgrounds of players, their input holds immense value in shaping the future of the game. The conference, which builds upon the NZCPA’s strong engagement with the playing groups throughout the summer, aims to reinforce solidarity among members while addressing crucial issues.
MAJOR FOCUS AREAS
Reviewing and discussing the results
of the annual Player Survey.
Evaluating the international and
domestic high-performance
environments and domestic competition structure. (and
presenting the player’s views back
to NZC and Major Association representatives.)
Updating and identifying key
priorities for the Personal
Development Programme.
Discussing FICA and the global
cricketing landscape.
Discussing the formation of the
NZCPA Health and Wellbeing
Initiative.
Key insights gleaned from the Annual Player Survey laid the foundation for discussions during the conference, shaping strategies to address players' concerns effectively.
One of the major topics of discussion was high performance environments and domestic competitions and what areas require continued refinement to enhance the development of players for international cricket. Another area of discussion centred around the key skills and attributes that should be focused on and developed in our coaching cohorts.
A NZCPA Health and Wellbeing Initiative was also discussed amongst the group to ensure we continue to meet the changing needs of our members, both in the short and medium term. We also updated our members on the launch of the FICA Leagues Hub. The Leagues Hub consolidates key information across each major league, including the status of each league and reported issues within them.
NZCPA Board Member and Blackcaps bowler Kyle Jamieson commended the collaborative spirit of the conference, emphasising its role in driving positive outcomes for the sport. "To come together, put the time aside in the calendar to discuss these things, and to have a chat with NZC, I think it's a great collaborative approach. This is a good forum to get a lot of voices in one room and to have those discussions so we can as a partnership move the game forward in the right direction."
Overall, the 2024 Players’ Conference achieved remarkable success in fostering a deeper understanding of the professional cricket landscape in New Zealand, underscoring the importance of collective effort in advancing the sport.