Elite Squad players have a choice of 10 different training slots per week that they can chose from to be able to fit in their cricket and their studies. The TuksCricket coaches know exactly what the goals of each player are and make it their priority to ensure that each player receives the attention that he needs to continuously improve his game and to ‘fast track’ every individual in their overall development.

TuksCricket has an academic advisor/mentor available for the players and this service allows them to plan their studies and have a person available to them that will help them balance their time between cricket and studies. The Club is continuously growing their relationships with the academic departments to ensure that both the Club and the Faculties work together to lessen the pressure that the players experience and help them get their degrees with a plan that works for them.

It is vital for us at TuksCricket that our players receive a good education while pursuing their cricket as there is no guarantee that every player will make it as a professional cricketer. Therefore we ensure that we have all the services and resources available to the players to eliminate any additional pressure and therefore have a full, balanced, student life while pursuing their dreams.

Gerhard Linde started playing for TuksCricket as a first year student in 2007. He completed his BCom Accounting and his BCom Honours degree in Taxation. Now, he is a final year MCom (Taxation) student at the University of Pretoria and is still playing for TuksCricket.

“Everything in life needs to be planned and balanced. If you plan well enough there is time for both cricket and studies. The coaches at TuksCricket allowed me off time to study when I needed it and were available to help me with coaching when it suited my time table.

Don’t base your whole future on just cricket, have backup plans in place like your studies. Lead a balanced life and if you decide to pursue cricket do everything you can to get where you want to go, because if you don’t do it someone else will do it.”

-          Gerhard Linde

David Mogotlane started at TuksCricket as a Senior Academy player at the same time as he started his BA Psychology and Criminology. He completed this degree at the end of 2013 and started his BSportSci degree this year.

“Since I joined TuksCricket, I have found that time management is extremely important in order to balance my studies and cricket effectively. In a normal day I need to plan for lectures, practice, studying and some down time. Too much focus in one area leads to another area being neglected and this is what one needs to try to avoid as a student athlete. 

 

We are very fortunate to have a group of committed coaches who work tirelessly and ensure that we get an opportunity to train around our university schedule. Our coaches make themselves available throughout the day for individuals to train when they can – before, after, or even in between classes. With good commitment, planning and some sacrifices, it is very possible to study and complete a degree whilst taking your cricket seriously at the same time.”

-          David Mogotlane