The Tom Maynard Trust has offered a second tranche of funding to help the Ladies European Tour (LET) to develop an innovative online learning resource that aims to encourage the LET members to invest in their own personal development. A grant of £4,000 from the Trust will go towards the development of a series of modules that will be accessed through a specially-designed portal. The resource will focus on the general business skills that will assist the players with a dual career or will help them to prepare for a second career.
LET Development Director, Mike Round, said, “We are extremely grateful to the Tom Maynard Trust for this additional grant. The Trust has previously helped to fund a research project which explored what a personal development programme might look like for the LET. This second award will enable us to move from aspiration to implementation.”
Mike continued, “There is a growing body of evidence which suggests that dual careers can improve the performance of professional sportspeople. Also, there is a drive within the sport to involve more women in the decision-making processes. We have a very experienced, golf-knowledgeable membership and our expectation is that this resource will give our players the skills and confidence they’ll need to be able to take on positions of responsibility in the sport when their playing days eventually come to an end.”
The project pairs the LET with global professional services company, KMPG, and will give the LET members who enrol on the programme access to high quality material. The connection between the LET and KPMG had been formally launched at the UK Sports Analytics Conference held at the KPMG offices in November last year with the help of former LET members Alison Nicholas and Kitrina Douglas, as well as current member Rosie Davies.
Mike Fatkin from the Tom Maynard Trust commented, “We’re really pleased to be continuing our support of the Ladies European Tour. Having undertaken the research project last year, it’s great to see them following through with their online learning resource, which we are sure will have a beneficial effect on the players in helping them develop business skills and improve their employability generally, be that alongside their golf or as a career after they finish playing.”
He added, “The Trust already works with governing bodies across rugby union, cricket and football helping young professionals with their career development and wider learning and awareness, and we’re delighted to be involved with ladies’ golf as well. The principle behind all of the careers and education programmes we support is broadly the same. All players making their way in professional sport want to do is play; perhaps understandably they aren’t thinking about anything like career development, they are only focused on playing. Any help they can get which enables them to consider life away from sport, and which doesn’t have a significant impact on their playing, has to be a good thing and the LET’s initiative should do exactly that. It fits perfectly with our objects and our ethos as a charity.”
For more information contact Mike Round at the Ladies European Tour: Mike.Round@dev-let.ocs-software.com
