With player welfare to the forefront of debate across a number of sports after the death of footballing great Sir Bobby Charlton and the class action being faced by both rugby codes over head injury, former player and RepComms co-founder Patrick Barrow was delighted to lend his expertise to chairing the efforts of the Harlequin Players Association in addressing many of the challenges posed by life after professional sport.
Looking at key areas including post-playing careers, education, mental health and social interaction, the group aims to put in a complementary support structure for Harlequins players from academy to retirement in tandem with measures already being put in place by the Premiership club.
The group includes Premiership winner George Robson and European Challenge Cup winner Steve White-Cooper as well as prominent names from the pro-am era.
“Sport is at a crossroads on these issue and rugby’s reputation hinges on being able to prove it looks after players at all stages of their journey through a sporting career and not just as 80-minute assets. It’s great to see a world famous club name actively engaged in this area.” said Barrow.
