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Somerset Women Planning for the Future
A number of the Somerset Women squad are working hard behind the scenes to combine life as a professional cricketer with studying to earn a degree.
We caught up with Emma Corney, Ellie Anderson, Jess Hazell and Bex Odgers at the Cooper Associates County Ground recently to discuss how they balance these two important elements of their lives.
We started off by finding out what subject each player is studying.
Ellie Anderson: “I’m studying Business Management with the intention of specialising in accountancy. It’s a part-time six-year course. I had quite a lot of free time during the summer a couple of years ago and I wanted to use that time to better myself. I decided to try the Open University, and I feel that it will potentially open doors for me after cricket.”
Bex Odgers: “I’m currently in my third and final year at University of Exeter studying Medical Sciences.”
Emma Corney: “I’m doing a part-time degree with the Open University in Environmental Science & Management. It allows me to do bits and bobs around my training schedule to help keep my brain ticking over.”
Jess Hazell: “I’m in my final year at University of Exeter where I’m studying Human Biosciences.”
Why did you decide to take on the challenge of trying to achieve your cricketing dreams whilst also seeking to further your education?
EC: “I think it’s always important to have a Plan B because you never know what might happen in the future. It’s also important to have a bit of a different focus away from cricket especially over the winter when we’ve got a bit more time to do something different and expand our horizons a bit.”
BO: “In the absolute best-case scenario, you will only be a professional cricketer for about 10 years, so having something that you enjoy ready for when that ends is really important. Education is so important. Not only does it give you something to fall back on when you finish your professional career, it gives you something that takes your mind off things and enables you to have a bit of a reset and think about something other than hitting that ball around.”
EA: “Planning for the future is really important. There isn’t really enough money in the women’s game at the moment to retire at 30, so you have to have something else in place for after your career is over. It’s also nice to have something else to focus on that enables you to take a few minutes away from the game. I think it’s important to keep your options open when your younger because you never know what’s going to happen. As an industry, sport can be very unpredictable, so it’s therefore good to have as many options as possible. You need to have something to fall back on because who knows what might happen in the next couple of years.”
JH: “It’s great to be able to have something to fall back on. Giving up university wasn’t an option for me. Sport can be a short career, so having a degree gives you a sense of security as such. It also gives you something to think about other than cricket and gives you a bit of a chance to refresh.”
How difficult has it been to balance the two?
EC: “It depends how organised you are! I feel like there is plenty of time to do both. There was a point last summer where it got a bit difficult but if you plan your time properly then it’s absolutely fine. You also need to remember that you need a bit of down time as well. You can’t be all cricket and all work; you need to look after yourself as well.”
JH: “It’s a challenge trying to balance life playing cricket in my final year but both Somerset and the university have been really accommodating. The goal is to play cricket and there was no way that I was ever going to turn down a contract, so I just had to make sure that I could do my cricket and my Uni as well as making sure that I get adequate rest as well. It can be quite a tough balancing act, but everyone has been really supportive.”
EA: “It’s not always easy to balance the two. Sometimes I have quite a lot of work to catch up on in the week leading up to an assignment due date. I tend to put things off a bit which means that I have the occasional stressful week!”
BO: “I found it quite hard to begin with, but I’ve got into a good routine now. There’s a lot of planning involved but once you get into a routine it’s quite easy. I’ll need to prioritise different things at different times. For example, at the start of the summer cricket will have to take priority but that might need to change for a couple of weeks when it comes to exam season.”
How supportive have the Club and the PCA been?
BO: “The Club have been really good. Trevor and I have a sit down every month to discuss what that month looks like from a cricket and studying perspective and that’s been really good.”
EC: “I’m really grateful to the PCA because they’ve helped with the funding for my degree, and I don’t think I would have been able to do it without that support.”
JH: “The Club have been really good. They’re still pushing me at training but they’re making sure that I still have plenty of time to get back to Exeter to be in the library or study in the evenings. They’ve also been really good about how my university timetable changes each week and have been very accommodating.”
EA: “The Club certainly encourage the players to make plans for the future and it’s nice that a few of us are doing the same kind of thing. It means that we can moan about the same things! It means that you can relate to the people who are in the same boat.”
Would you recommend studying alongside cricket to your teammates?
EA: “I would certainly recommend this kind of studying to other players because it’s a flexible course. Whilst Bex and Jess have to go into Uni as well as being at training, I can fit my work in wherever and whenever I like.”
EC: “Doing it part time makes it much more accessible and means that there’s time to do other things. I would certainly recommend doing it this way, especially if there’s something that you’re really interested in or enjoy doing. That can only benefit you if you manage your time well and find that balance.”
JH: “Bex and I are still at university, and it’s been good to see other players taking Open University courses. It wasn’t even a question for me. I felt that I had to have a degree to fall back on and I would push everybody to do it because it’s beneficial and it’s also manageable.”
