Dylan Cleaver: Hardship fund is welfare

In what is believed to be a first for New Zealand sport, the NZ Cricket Players' Association (NZCPA) has established a player welfare and hardship fund.

The aim of the fund is to provide assistance to cricketers who need support in times of difficulty.

The fund is principally designed to offer financial support but could extend to areas such as counselling.

Players' Association manager Heath Mills said he understood it to be the first of such initiatives in this country. He hopes the concept will spread to other sports, such as rugby and league, in time.

The fund account presently sits at the princely sum of $0 but Mills said that "from little things, big things grow".

Former international Lance Cairns said it provides a unique way to unite all those who have played first class cricket in NZ.

"It's nice to see today's players appreciate the cricketers that have gone before them. I'm sure it's also nice for the current crop of players to know this will be there if they fall on hard times down the track."

Cairns' son Chris, who also played a bit of cricket, said that current players would be generous in donating time and energy to assist with the Player Welfare and Hardship Fund: "We're lucky today that cricket is our job.

"Most of the guys in years gone by have given an enormous amount of time to cricket and may not have had the chance to benefit financially from the game. In fact many have done it at the expense of other careers.

"If any fellow first-class players find themselves in times of need then it's nice to have something in place to help them through it."

Fund distribution will remain confidential said Mills. "We don't want to make a hardship situation more difficult than it needs to be, so there won't be any announcements when grants are made.

"The most important thing is for the players and families to know the fund exists and that the current players will be actively involved in maximising its potential to assist those in need."

A panel comprised of NZCPA board members and chaired by David White will determine all distributions from the fund.

The first contributions to the NZCPA Player Hardship Fund will be made at a dinner at the Basin Reserve on Wednesday evening, with money to be raised from the sale of several items of memorabilia.

Further contributions are expected to be made through various functions and fund-raising activities in the future.