WIPA launches players' fund

The West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) has announced the establishment of a fund aimed to help with the education, development and welfare of West Indies cricketers.

The West Indies Players' Benevolent Fund , which will benefit cricketers not only during their cricketing life but also after they have retired, is backed by First Citizens Bank, Prestige Holdings and Toyota. Any players who has represented the team at Test, A, Under-19 and Under-15 level will be eligible, as will anyone who has played in official regional competitions.

Dinanath Ramnarine, the WIPA's chief executive, said that the fund had become necessary to help cricketers in all aspects of their life. "Cricket is a very jealous and possessive wife," he said. "There are far too many examples of young men who have sacrificed education, career and family life in service of this great game, only to find that their time in the middle was short-lived...then to painfully discover there was no support system beyond the boundary. The establishment of this Players' Fund is the first step to change this unfortunate reality."