Sporting Wellness is proud to announce a new partnership with National Cricket Counties Association backed team, The Challengers.
The Challengers are a representative cricket team backed by the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA) in the UK. The side is made up of players drawn from the National Counties, formerly known as the Minor Counties, who are not contracted to first-class counties but compete at a high standard of cricket. The Challengers play fixtures in a range of formats against professional county opposition, giving players the opportunity to test themselves against stronger, often full-time professionals.
The team was created by the NCCA, led by Operations Director Richard Logan, with the aim of showcasing the talent that exists within National Counties cricket. Its purpose is to provide a platform for these players to compete at a higher level, build confidence, and demonstrate that they are capable of stepping into the professional game. By bridging the gap between National Counties cricket and the first-class structure, The Challengers also serve as a pathway for ambitious players to secure professional contracts.
Through this collaboration, all Challengers players will now have access to Sporting Wellness’s comprehensive support system, which includes:
– 24/7/365 confidential helpline for immediate assistance
– Structured counselling sessions available via phone, video call, or in person
– Access to the Health Assured platform, offering resources like self-help programmes, mini health checks, and the ‘Wisdom’ app
– Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) programmes to support emotional well-being
Callum Lea (Founder and CEO, Sporting Wellness):
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Challengers to ensure all their athletes have access to our free, professional support. As a charity, Sporting Wellness exists to create equality of access to professional mental healthcare for UK athletes and partnerships like these go a long way in helping us achieve this”.
Elliot Ponting (Commercial and Marketing Director, Challengers):
“This partnership underscores our commitment to supporting the holistic development of our players, ensuring they have the tools and resources to thrive both on and off the field. The nature of the high end of recreational sport consists of a lot of trialling and making your way around the country, we want to ensure that our players have access to the mental support they made as they look to make their way into the professional game.”
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