FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/CRICKETCLUBMAG
Global Payments
Global Payments, one of the world’s leading card
payment processors, has a longstanding commitment
to the local community in Leicester. Our headquarters
have been based here since we acquired HSBC
Merchant Services six years ago, and since then
we have looked for ways we can help support local
activity.
A fundamental part of this has been our relationship
with Leicestershire County Cricket Club (LCCC),
which began five years ago, in 2010, with Global
Payments’ sponsorship of the Family Stand at Grace
Road, the home of the club. Global Payments provided
funding for the club’s Indoor Cricket School, helping
to develop a new generation of cricketing talent.
After seeing the positive impact that the club was
having on young people first hand, Global Payments
decided to become principal sponsors of the club in
2012. Since then, we have found new ways to work
together to try and use the club’s profile as well as
Global Payments’ business to support the local
community.
One issue we have worked together to tackle is the
often ignored employment problems that some
sportspeople face when they retire from their
profession with little or no work experience. Global
Payments has for a number of years welcomed young
cricketing professionals into its offices to give them
experience, to help provide the professional and
vocational skills that are essential to a career beyond
life as a sportsmen.
This ties into a wider joint scheme between the
Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) and
the English Cricket Board (ECB) which is part of
their Personal Development Programme. It helps to
prepare sports professionals for their life beyond their
cricketing career, as most professional sportspeople
retire in their mid-thirties.
As part of the initiative, Global Payments hosted
Matthew Hoggard MBE, former captain of LCCC and
England international cricketer, for work experience
with their sales team. At the time, Hoggard emphasised
that retiring sportspeople could have 30 years or more
of their professional lives ahead of them, have lots to
offer an employer and want to build a second career,
28 Issue 39
but find it hard to know where to start when it comes
to getting the necessary skills and training.
Hoggard explained that working with Global Payments
had provided him with a great introduction to the
business world and hoped more young athletes
would follow the example of adding more strings to
their bow to plan for a future beyond their athletic
success. Greg Smith, who also played for LCCC, and
has formerly represented England at under 19 level,
also participated in the initiative by visiting Global
Payments’ offices. As the 25th largest employer in
Leicester by turnover, Global Payments takes its role
in the community seriously, and this commitment has
extended beyond our sponsorship of LCCC.
We are equally committed to the ongoing development
of our employees, and work in conjunction with
Leicester College to offer employees the opportunity
to attain foundation skills and externally recognised
qualifications.
We have a nominated charity that we support with
money raising activities throughout the year, which
changes annually to ensure that funds are distributed
fairly. The nomination process is undertaken by staff
vote, and our nominated charity for 2014/2015 was
Macmillan. We also support Children in Need through
various fund raising activities.
In addition, we try to support our customers’ charitable
initiatives where we can. We recently attended a
Travelodge Charity Cricket Day, held in the village
local to their Head Office, which raised over £10,000
in donations.
We try to coordinate this activity with our UK network
of offices. After a strong year of fundraising activities,
as the finale in May 2014, a group of employees cycled
the 200 miles between Global Payments’ offices in
Sheffield, Leicester and London to raise funds for
Macmillan.
We look forward to continuing our work with LCCC
to underpin our commitment to the community in
Leicester, as well as helping the club move from
strength to strength.