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PCA - 29th August 2024 - PCA partners with OFX

PCA - 29th August 2024 - PCA partners with OFX

August 29

The PCA has announced a new partnership with OFX.  From 2025, OFX, a specialist in foreign exchange for businesses and individuals, will become the title partner of the PCA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Rankings.  As the new Foreign Exchange Partner, OFX will offer expert guidance and support to professional cricketers in England and Wales on maximising their overseas earnings.

Educating players is a key function of the PCA, with 94 individuals gaining 175 overseas contracts in different T20 franchise competitions across the 2023/24 winter. The new long-term partnership will see all members and fellow PCA commercial partners benefit through access to industry-leading support.

As of 1 January 2025, the MVP will be known as the PCA MVP, powered by OFX. The ever-evolving MVP saw the PCA partner with cricket’s leading analytics specialists CricViz in 2021 to produce the most accurate MVP algorithm to-date.

The ranking system takes into account expected performance on every ball according to CricViz’s extensive database and also considers the historic performances of the venue each fixture is being played at, therefore providing a more accurate reflection of the top performers in the game, opposed to traditional batting and bowling averages.

Cricket fans can immerse themselves in the MVP Rankings via the PCA website with tables able to be viewed by team or discipline. Supporters can also track the Match MVP for every international and domestic fixture in England and Wales, providing unprecedented access to MVP statistics and information.

The winner of each domestic competition MVP wins £2,500 across the men’s and women’s game, with the winner of the Overall PCA Men’s Domestic MVP awarded £10,000 which is based on all four domestic competitions. In the ever-growing women’s game, the winner is based on the three professional competitions, with the winner transferred £7,500 for the Overall PCA Women’s Domestic MVP.

Much like the MVP provides valuable insights for its members and fans, OFX provides international foreign exchange services for individuals and businesses, helping them navigate the global landscape effectively. Operating across eight offices worldwide, OFX has been moving money globally for over 25 years, with over one million customers trusting them, helping move in excess of £154 billion around the world.

PCA members will be amongst those able to access the currency specialists for personal investments such as prize money, property, stocks and shares in over 50 currencies. Meanwhile, OFX will work with the PCA to engage their partners by offering their services, including paying overseas suppliers and protecting businesses from the impact of volatile exchange rates.

OFX will have opportunities to collaborate with MVP winners throughout the season and communicating their services to cricket supporters as the statistical synergy between the brands will see professional cricketers benefit.

PCA Commercial Director, Rob Smyth, said: “We are delighted to welcome OFX as our newest partner of the PCA. It is always imperative that we work with partners who understand the PCA’s role and are committed to educating players, for mutual benefit.

“Career choices for players have never been as diverse, with 175 overseas contracts gained by our members last winter alone. Therefore, working with such a well-respected global foreign exchange partner is particularly important for our members.”

OFX EMEA President, Maeve McMahon, said: “We are delighted to announce our partnership with the PCA and become the title sponsors for the MVP. This partnership aligns us with an association that supports and showcases some of the most exceptional talent in the world of cricket.

“Just as cricket connects players and fans worldwide, our services connect people and businesses across borders. This alignment with the PCA underscores our commitment to fostering strong, lasting relationships and supporting excellence for the PCA and their members as they compete on the domestic and international stage.”