Hometown: Hamilton
Education: University of the West of Scotland- Sports Development (Year 3)
Sport: Football
Club: Coach at Hamilton Accies Womens, Glasgow City Girls
Hobbies: Although I dedicate most of my time to sports I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I also enjoy exploring Scotland.
Proudest achievement: My proudest achievement to date would be getting the call up to the SYFA national team.
Future aspirations: I hope I will be able to continue my journey within sports and positively impact as many people's lives as possible either within sport or by using sport to help them with their general life.
Interesting fact: I have rode a horse as my transport to play a game of football in the middle of the South African bush on an airfield.
Q&A with Ben
What sport are you involved in and what is it that you love about it?
The sport which plays the most important part within my life is football. I have played with a team since the age of 5. Currently I am undergoing rehab following knee surgery, but I am hoping to get back into playing in the not-too-distant future. I am currently coaching with Hamilton Accies Girls Under 16’s National Performance team. I started coaching after an injury set back seen me missing out and I wanted to remain involved within the sport that I loved.
The reason I have a love for football is because it allows individuals from all backgrounds to showcase their skills. Individuals working together, it’s a sense of community. Football is friendship and family. It allows for rivalries, passion, an escape. There are so many reasons of why we love sports in general, but the love I have for football is unbeatable, and you can see why!
What motivated you to be part of the Young People’s Sport Panel?
When I first started coaching at 16, I thought that it was teaching kids how to play football. But it’s so much more than that, it’s something that you become addicted too. Yes, you want to see them become successful in sports, but it’s equally as important that they become successful through the use of sports, it’s not just developing players, its developing people. I was motivated to become a member of the Young People’s Sports Panel for the same reason that I became a member of the Hamilton sports council, South Lanarkshire Young People’s Sports Panel, and an ambassador for the Year Of The Young People. that reason was because I wanted to make a difference. The Sports panel not only offers me and my fellow panel member a platform for the young people to be listened to, but it also allows us to learn on the job and develop ourselves as individuals in order to give us the best tools possible for us to ensure a better future for all.
What do you think of the YPSP so far and what work are you involved in?
It’s clear to see the passion, ambition, and variety of ideas, all with the same hope of progressing sport as much as possible. However due to the ongoing pandemic it has made an already challenging task that bit harder, which has been frustrating. With restrictions starting to lift it allows us to develop our ideas. There is an upcoming residential which will be my first face to face encounter with the panel. and will give us a chance to progress our plans and showcase our ideas.
What do you think are (some of) the big challenges facing young people in Scotland today?
Some of the challenges in which young people face is participation and access to sports. I feel that this comes fundamentally down to the price it is to be involved within sports. Due to the price of facilities, it forces teams to charge fees which may not be affordable. Not only that but access to sport, particularly due to the dark nights in the winter months, individuals can’t work on their skills out with their training.
How do you think sport can help support young people in Scotland?
Sport can support young people in so many ways. Sports can be seen as something which benefits only the sport; however, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Sport can be used as a tool to develop individuals. It teaches fundamentals which encourages individuals to take forward into their future endeavours. Key skills such as teamwork, ambition, communication, resilience and so much more.
If you could change one thing about sport in Scotland, what would it be?
I would change the future of sport within Scotland from the grassroots level. I think that there should be a sports education, in which incorporates how we should be treating our bodies, what we should be eating, a proper warm up/cool down, recovery etc. In Scotland we are all aware of the dropout rates, however, if we could educate all on how to treat our bodies the number of dropouts may be reduced. Not only that but it would see us potentially be healthier as a nation
Is there a role model who inspires you? What is it about them that you admire?
Sir Alex Ferguson. He came from very little, to in my eyes the greatest manager of all time. Someone who had so much respect, admiration, and consistency for years. He was someone who inspired, moulded and progressed not only footballers but also individuals. He was the elite of man management who knew how to get the best to get out of his players. Knew when to put his arms round a player to console them, or to be brutal and give players the kick that they needed. The decline of the football club since his managerial departure is only a commandment to the job in which he conducted