New West Indies “Rookie Camp” offers young players tools for development

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – As part of Cricket West Indies (CWI) ongoing commitment to player development, the inaugural “West Indies Personal Development Rookie Camp” – was successfully held to serve both as an induction process and an information-sharing exercise for all players who were awarded regional franchise contracts for the first time.

Addressing the players at the event were experts in the field of Sports Nutrition, Personal Finance, Player Agency and Representation, Social Media and Personal Branding, along with representatives of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA). There was also a question and answer session with former West Indies Test captain Denesh Ramdin, which gave the players the opportunity to discuss a wide range of topics.

Ayana Cooper, CWI’s Player Development Manager, who was responsible for the construct and delivery of the event, was pleased with the response from the players and said: “Our intent in hosting the Personal Development Rookie Camp was to provide first-time contracted players with critical information that would support their transition into the world of professional cricket.”

Cooper added: “At the camp, vital insights about various aspects of the professional game were discussed and I would like to thank everyone who presented at the event for sharing their time and expertise with the guys. I have been receiving some really positive and fantastic feedback from the cricketers who attended the event; this is definitely an initiative that the organisation intends to continue on an annual basis as we are always trying to find new avenues in which to support our region’s professional cricketers both on and off the field.”

Jimmy Adams, CWI’s Director of Cricket, also noted that the event would be an annual one and that it aligned with the organization’s strategic objective of producing world class players. He added: “We are pleased to have delivered our first ever Rookie Camp to our ‘Rookie’ players heading into the 2021-22 season. The event will become an annual fixture where we share information with each yearly cohort to assist them in adjusting to life as professional athletes. The topics that were covered were all relevant to their careers now, and for life after cricket, as we continue to focus on a holistic approach to player development.”

The players were very receptive and spoke highly of the benefits form the day-long event, which was executed via Zoom meeting.

Kirstan Kallicharan of Trinidad and Tobago Red Force said: “It was a really great presentation and I know most of the stuff I heard and saw I can apply it in my daily lifestyle. Everything was well organized and it’s always a great pleasure being able to gain knowledge from persons with such an experienced background in all different aspects of life.”

Kofi James of Leeward Islands Hurricanes said: “The key thing for me was the impact. I listened carefully and everything said was very impactful for me and I know I will use the information wisely throughout the rest of my career. Hopefully we can have other sessions similar to this where we can learn more and ask more question as we grow in our careers.”

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