From junior squad to Essex performance sport staff

For one of our student athletes, the University of Essex isn’t just where he studies. Rather, his experience in performance sport evolved over the past decade. Originally from Mdina, Malta, Ben first arrived at Essex in 2016 as part of the Essex Blades junior basketball programme. Fast forward 10 years, and he’s now balancing an MSc Strength & Conditioning degree with multiple roles across the University’s volleyball performance programme.

Introducing … Ben Merry

Experience matters

After completing his undergraduate degree in Sport Science (2020–2024), Ben took a gap year working as a technical and statistical analyst within the volleyball programme.

That experience laid the groundwork for his current role as:

• Assistant coach

• Technical & statistical analyst

• Strength & Conditioning support

• Volleyball club player

“When I decided a postgraduate degree was best for me, I was already in the role,” Ben explains. “It made it easy to expand what I was doing and apply my learning in real-life situations.”

The ability to combine academic study with hands-on experience is what makes Essex’s performance sport environment stand out.

“Being able to go to an employer with not just a degree, but experience in the role is a big advantage. Not everyone has that at this stage.”

Describe performance sport in a week for you

No two weeks are the same! Across a typical week, it might look like this:

• 2 - 8 hours of match analysis and film preparation
• 8 - 10 hours supporting training sessions
• Strength & Conditioning support, including assisting lifts and monitoring jump data
• Travel across the UK for fixtures

“It can be 20 to 40 hours a week depending on fixtures,” he says. “It’s demanding alongside a postgraduate degree, but being part of the team behind the scenes is incredibly rewarding.”

His role also includes a strong focus on supporting first-year athletes, helping them with warm-ups, technical development, and adapting to performance sport demands.

Learning beyond lectures

One of the biggest benefits of Ben’s placement has been seeing theory come to life.

“There was a moment early on where I realised I was learning faster on placement than in lectures,” he says. “Understanding why training programmes are structured in a certain way, and seeing it applied, really brought everything together.”

Much of what Ben applies in exams comes directly from his placement experience, backed up by academic theory.

Collaboration

Working in performance sport means constant collaboration. Ben regularly works alongside:

• Strength & Conditioning coaches
• Physiotherapy students
• Coaches across other sports

“We often discuss how to adapt exercises for injured players or share coaching approaches,” he explains. “Understanding different perspectives really helps develop your own approach.”

Full circle moments

Being involved in sport often means you’ll cross paths. The performance sport world can be interconnected, making some experiences matter even more.  At Essex, we help students become part of that network.

“It’s funny…I actually met Josh [a colleague] years ago before Essex,” Ben says. “He was coaching Oxford Brookes while I was giving his players hell on the court!”

Up next

With experience spanning coaching, sport science, and performance analysis, Ben is keeping his future options open.

“I’d love to pursue a career in performance sport,” he says. “I enjoy working across different areas; from analysis and data to hands-on coaching and S&C.”

We’re hoping to see Ben take his skills to Europe, with ambitions to work in Greece or Malta.

Advice for future student-athletes

“Ask questions, especially to postgraduate students. They have loads of experience you can learn from.” And academically? “Learn how to reference properly early on - it really helps you stand out in your coursework.”

Discover how our Performance Sport programme at Essex can support your overall development.

Follow our student athletes’ journey on Instagram @uniessexperform

Sports scholarships and bursaries

We are committed to supporting and developing high performance athletes. Find out whether you could be eligible for a sports scholarship or bursary, plus a range of additional benefits too when you join the University of Essex.