Life after cricket
The launch of the West Indies Players Association Benevolent Fund, although it may have come too late for many of the earlier cricketers who wore West Indies caps in the days when our Test players were all amateurs, or as professionals received little monetary reward, will mean that former cricketers in need of help with medical or other expenses can now look forward to a measure of financial ease. In addition, to Test cricketers, the financial safety net has been widened at the outset with built-in provisions for the fund to be accessed by cricketers who played for the West Indies in One Day Internationals, "A" teams and in Under-19 and Under-15 teams. In announcing the fund which has already received a donation of $100,000 from its prime sponsor, First Citizens’ Bank, President of WIPA, Dinanath Ramnarine, noted that there were "far too many examples of young men, who sacrificed education, career and family life in service of this great game only to find that their time in the middle was short lived" as well as discover "there was no support system beyond the boundary." The WIPA Players Benevolent Fund will provide that long needed support system. Had a Players’ Benevolent Fund been around, say, a few decades ago, many West Indies Test players, who lived out their last days on meagre pensions and in relatively humble circumstance would have been, if not personally financially comfortable, at least able to access funding to meet day to day expenses, including monthly medical bills. Many were not able even to afford to attend Test matches played in their respective territories, and some were known to plead for complimentary tickets. Meanwhile, the WIPA Benevolent Fund will have a Board of Trustees comprising a representative from First Citizens’ Bank, and one each from Prestige Holdings/KFC and Toyota, and a business advisory council chaired by well known businessman, Tim Nafziger. Initially, disbursements of the benevolent fund will be limited to no more than ten per cent of the fund in any one calendar year until the fund reaches $3 million. Ramnarine has pointed out that this is being done to ensure viability of the fund. But the West Indies Players Association is not depending solely on the financial contribution of sponsors to swell the fund’s account. On Wednesday, April 27 there will be a Charity Shield Match between a National Invitational X1 headed by Trinidad and Tobago captain, Darren Ganga and a Regional Invitational X1, which will be played at Guaracara Park, Pointe-a-Pierre, and contested annually. The fund promises to offer a far better life after cricket for today’s cricketers playing at whatever level for the West Indies than it did for earlier generations of persons, who had earned West Indies Test caps, and had sacrificed much for the game, as well as others whether as "A" team, Under-19 and/or Under-15 players.
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"Life after cricket"