Cricket Wales WSA Membership Testimonial
Leshia Hawkins has been CEO at Cricket Wales since February 2020, and cited the Welsh Sports Association as an important factor in maintaining clarity throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Speaking to the WSA, Leshia remarked:
I arrived at Cricket Wales just three weeks before the COVID-19 Pandemic really struck, so I got to know the WSA very well, very quickly!
I think, like the whole industry and all of my colleagues at my level, we have heavily relied on the WSA over the past couple of years – the leading role that WSA personnel have played in sport’s response to the Pandemic and its safe return has easily been worth our membership fee.
They did a brilliant job of galvanising and supporting, as well as encouraging collaboration and a collective voice for the sector. Considering some of the challenges we heard our peers in England face in negotiating sport’s safe return with government, our situation in Wales has consistently been very organised; we’ve had one voice, we’ve always received – and been able to disseminate – new information at the same time, and we’ve had the ear of important people during the decision-making processes; the WSA does a great job on that front line, and have been quick to interpret what’s going on in Welsh Government.
Leshia continued to praise the member-focused work that the WSA carry out.
The WSA has always been on the other end of the phone and have always been extremely responsive. For example, I recently put in an SOS around trying to build an intranet as well as requesting help with HR issues. Once again, they were quick to respond and were really proactive, coming up with ideas of professionals that could help us.
I can’t really ask for more, either in terms of what has been provided or indeed how it’s been provided. The WSA has always been very understanding of our position while offering an extremely courteous, customer-led and service-orientated service; if I have a problem, it feels like it becomes their problem, too.
No matter the issue, my experience has always been so personalised and responsive. To have that level of support makes me very grateful.
With what have been unprecedented times in recent years, the WSA can be a vital support to sporting organisations, as Leshia states.
You never quite know what life’s going to throw your way but, in my experience, the WSA has always found a solution for us – across a whole spectrum of challenges or emergencies.
The WSA has operated on behalf of not just us, Criced Cymru/Cricket Wales, but also on behalf of the whole industry and brought the sector together over what has been a tough two years.
To find out more about the benefits of WSA membership, click here.
To find out how to apply to become a member, click here.
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