Photo Credit: Professional Cricketers’ Association
Griffiths on career transition and importance of Futures Week.
Former Lancashire and Leicestershire seamer Gavin Griffiths is enjoying his new career as a Trainee Financial Advisor less than a year after retiring from the professional game.
The 29-year-old who made 117 professional appearances and took 153 wickets helped Lancashire to the 2015 Vitality Blast title and represents another success story from the PCA Futures Conference.
The two-day event full of seminars and workshops is the centrepiece of PCA’s Futures Week and aims to promote and showcase the positive work being done by members to enhance their own personal development and career transitions.
Part of the PCA Personal Development and Welfare Programme, the Futures Conference, is an annual event aimed at supporting members with information, advice and guidance on continued personal development and opportunities available to supplement their playing career and prepare for future employment.
In the lead up to this year’s Futures Conference, which takes place on 1 and 2 November at the Loughborough Elite Athlete Centre, the PCA will be revealing member experiences of Futures Week. The Conference allows players to interact with one another as well as leading professionals, allowing them to network and grow their skills base.
This week read how former member of the PCA Players’ Committee Gavin Griffiths attended the Futures Conference in 2022 at the FA’s elite training centre, St George’s Park. His involvement was from the other side of the table and even though freshly retired, he was able to experience the Futures Conference as a PCA partner but also engage with the event as a player who was in the process of transitioning away from the game and into the world of work.
- What were your motivations behind attending Futures Conference?
- Griffiths: Rather by luck than design, and thanks to the PCA, I was fortunate enough to get offered a role as a Trainee Financial Advisor at Brooks MacDonald in August 2022 (just before I decided to retire from cricket) and given the mutual relationship between the two parties, I was invited along with a couple of colleagues to present to players on the importance of financial planning and wellbeing during our cricketing careers to help prepare for life afterwards.
- How was it to attend from the other side?
- Griffiths: In a way, quite liberating. I had spent so much of my latter cricketing career worrying about what was to come next, that to sit on the other side of the fence, with a solid plan ahead of me was quite nice. It did make me wonder how much more I would have enjoyed cricket and probably performed better had I known I had a plan for after.
- What did you learn from the experience/best takeaway?
- Griffiths: Given that I attended so shortly after my career had finished, I was able to join in (as a player) some of the activities and lectures that were provided over the course of the two days. Life in the big wide world outside of cricket can seem uncomfortable and for that exact reason, the PCA did an amazing job of setting up sessions which put you out of your comfort zone.
- Where are you currently with your career and personal development?
- Griffiths: I am living in London and have been with Brooks Macdonald now since October 2022, mainly working closely day to day with an adviser. As of writing, I have currently passed five out of six exams required for qualification and hope to start advising in early 2024.
- How are you finding that?
- Griffiths: On reflection, I should have been sitting these exams during my playing career. Not only would it have been making better use of my time in the long winter months, it would also have put my mind at ease that I would have known exactly what was next for me. Even now, when I speak to current players, most have concerns about what is to come next for them and most have no idea what it is they want to do.
- Any advice for those thinking about attending this year’s Futures Conference?
- Griffiths: Quite simply, just do it! As cricketers, unless playing overseas, there isn’t a great deal going on in October/November, and if nothing else, it’s a great chance to network and to get to know your peers better. It might just trigger something that you wouldn’t have originally thought of, no matter what age you are.
PCA Futures Conference is open to all past and present players.
Please register your interest by clicking the button below and filling in the form as there are limited places available.
Find out more about the PCA’s Personal Development and Welfare Programme.
