The WIT Vikings Sport Scholarship Programme is an athlete-led development programme supporting high-performance athletes in a wide range of sports
Ben Kirwan is a first year Marketing and Digital Media student and is a past student of St Declan’s Community College, Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford
Ben is a 2020/21 WIT Vikings Sport Scholarship recipient.
Sport: Soccer
County: Co Waterford
Club: Waterford FC
Highest achievements: Winning U19 League of Ireland 2019.
What is your personal aim this year? Hopefully to keep progressing and a goalkeeper and win the League again this year with the 19s. With the way the year has gone it has been difficult to play and train, but we can go all the way
Who was your idol growing up? Always liked watching Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given as well as Gigi Buffon and Iker Casillas.
How do you prepare for each event? I usually try keep preparation the same before every game. I would normally get up and eat breakfast, watch TV, and listen to music.
What is your favourite memory from your sporting career so far? Winning the League of Ireland in 2019. It was a great moment with an incredible bunch of players and staff. We knew we had a lot of quality in the side and had a lot of belief to go far.
How do you balance work/college/sport? I have had the same routine for a couple of years now training Tuesday, Thursday, and a match on the weekend. I work college around soccer then each week, so it is easy to stay on top of.
Do you get nervous before competitions/games and if so how do you deal with it? Sometimes I do but I think it is a good thing to keep you focused on the start of a game. As the game goes on you settle into it and kind of forget about the nerves.
What advice would you give to athletes wanting to improve? Try get the basics done very well and work on your weaknesses as much as you can in training. Once you have the basics done well, they come more natural to you and you can do them without even thinking.
Find out more about the WIT Vikings Sport Scholarship Programme at https://www.wit.ie/vikingsportscholarship.
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SETU Waterford, Cork Road, Waterford City, 
