Ben Tew
WinWin Project & Mentoring
Can you introduce yourself and your involvement with the WinWin project?
My name is Ben Tew and I am working as a consultant for NYSA on the WinWin project. I have been a teacher for around 17 years as well as a football and cricket coach for a similar period alongside some consultancy work.
What is the primary mission of the WinWin project?
WinWin is about Dual Career student athletes “winning” – or being successful – on and off the pitch.
What are some of the key challenges young athletes face today, both on and off the field?
The challenges for young athletes, particularly those in Dual Career environments, are many and varied depending on a huge variety of factors. Those student athletes face huge challenges balancing their workload of playing sport and completing their studies. There can be a lot of stress attached to these young people too whether it be around performance, workload, lifestyle, social isolation or their finances.
How do you help keep young athletes motivated and engaged over time?
This is a key challenge across sporting environments where we’re seeing more young people leaving sport before they reach adulthood. The stress and pressure on both performance and commitment levels – particularly when combined with their studies – often proves to be too much. As coaches, mentors, educators, parents or role models my belief is that we must create environments that are challenging but safe, fun and engaging. Supporting these athletes not just in their sporting endeavors but holistically through their life journeys is a great way to foster these environments and create conditions for not just high performance but also longevity.
In what ways does WinWin support youth beyond just football?
WinWin is designed to give young athletes a stronger ability to navigate their studies, sport and lives with the skills they have acquired through the different disciplines and environments they have encountered. Understanding themselves and how the different soft skills they have already obtained as well as those that they can develop through sport and academia will hopefully lead them to building a strong toolbox to manage their lives in the best way possible.
In your experience, what qualities make a great mentor?
Honesty, openness, trust, good communication and the ability to listen. Being able to pivot quickly and ensure that each individual, environment and discussion is catered towards the mentee is important. It’s their journey!
How does WinWin collaborate with NYSA and similar organizations?
WinWin draws on both the expertise and needs of all of the partners involved in the project. Through the specialisms of the partner organizations and individuals within them, WinWin has a broad spectrum of knowledge to draw on from universities, sports clubs, sporting organizations and NGOs from different European contexts. Collaborating digitally and in person, this allows us to build a very strong set of modules through which to share this knowledge and expertise. NYSA is key to this with our strong background and track record in dual careers, sport and education.
What are your ambitions/goals for WinWin and its community?
The ambition, simply, is to try to improve the lives of dual career athletes to allow them to excel in sport, academia, employment and life.
How can someone get involved in the WinWin project?
Initially the modules will be offered in universities. However, I hope that these modules are going to be available for dual career athletes across Europe and the world. One can follow the soon-to-be live social media channels to watch our progress and see how one can join in with such an exciting, well-intentioned project.