HEADING into the Sport Pembrokeshire spotlight this month is manager Ben Field.

A talented sportsman, particularly in football and cricket, Ben has worked his way through the ranks with Sport Pembrokeshire.

Having first taken up a part-time role as a cricket development officer, Ben progressed to a 5x60 Officer at Sir Thomas Picton School before taking a sports development officer position and finally being appointed as manager.

Ben now oversees the day to day running of the sports development service, including strategy, service planning, staff, finance and relationship management.

The service is funded significantly from external sources so working closely with partners and stakeholders is a necessity.

Having played football for both Bristol City Centre of Excellence and Swansea City, and represented Pembrokeshire and Dyfed for both football and cricket, Ben has played alongside the likes of Simon Jones (former Glamorgan and England fast bowler) and Simon Davies, the Wales international footballer who has played for Spurs, Everton and Fulham.

Having played as a youngster and progressed to a high level of sport, it is no surprise that Ben sees sport as absolutely pivotal in the development of children and young people.

Ben said: “Not only does sport and music develop a child’s physical wellbeing but also their mental health and skills such as communication, confidence and personal resilience.

“It’s also no coincidence that any school that places sport and music at its core is generally a high performing school.

“Grass roots community sport is so important not just for the health and social benefits but also in providing those opportunities for talented performers to progress within their chosen field. Community club sport is the starting point for all of our national sporting heroes.”

Enabling and supporting school and youth sport in the community is a key theme for Ben.

He added: “It’s my hope that school sport and physical activity will continue to be a high priority for Pembrokeshire Schools, particularly during the recovery from the pandemic, placing a huge emphasis on the importance of physical and mental health.

“There’s also no doubt that the inclusion of ‘Health and Wellbeing’ as a one sixth of the new curriculum for Wales is a significant boost for sport and Physical Education and places a statutory emphasis on all of our schools to focus on the subject.”