Courtney Awe

Ben Sigmund is a former New Zealand international footballer, Certified Life Coach, mentor, entrepreneur, and player development professional. After building a career competing at the highest levels of international and professional football, Ben now uses his experiences to help athletes, professionals, and teams successfully navigate performance, identity, change, and life transitions.

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Ben represented New Zealand at the U-17, U-20, and senior levels, earning more than 30 appearances for the All Whites. His professional club career included Football Kingz, Canterbury United, Fawkner Blues, Auckland City, and Wellington Phoenix, where he became a long-standing member of the club and competed professionally in Australia’s A-League.

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As an international athlete, professional, coach, and mentor, Ben’s accomplishments include:

• Represented New Zealand at the U-17, U-20, and senior international levels

• Earned more than 30 appearances for the New Zealand All Whites

• Selected to New Zealand’s 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup

• Represented New Zealand at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa

• Member of the New Zealand team that defeated Bahrain to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup

• Professional football career with Football Kingz, Canterbury United, Fawkner Blues, Auckland City, and Wellington Phoenix

• Long-standing player with Wellington Phoenix in Australia’s A-League

• Retired from international football in 2014 and professional football in 2016

• Certified Sports Life Coach®

• Personal Development Manager, Wellington Rugby Football Union

• Phoenix Ambassador and Development Mentor, Wellington Phoenix

• Entrepreneur, mentor, and advocate for athlete development and successful transition beyond sport

 

Personally, Ben understands that an athlete’s identity can become deeply connected to performance, competition, teammates, and the sport they have spent years mastering. His own journey from professional football into life after sport taught him that transition is not simply about deciding what to do next – it is about discovering who you are next. Ben is committed to continuing his own personal growth, living with purpose, and helping others recognize that their identity and value extend far beyond what they accomplish on the field.

 

Professionally, Ben is passionate about helping athletes prepare for and successfully navigate change. Through his various mentorship and coaching roles, he supports athletes in developing personally and professionally while preparing for the transition from sport to life. Grounded in his own journey from professional athlete to life after sport, Ben brings a practical and individualized approach to coaching. He helps athletes, professionals, business leaders, and teams gain clarity, navigate identity shifts, manage uncertainty, develop leadership skills, and turn periods of change into meaningful action and forward momentum. For Ben, transition should not begin when an athlete’s career ends. Developing the person behind the player while they are still competing creates a stronger foundation for both performance today and purpose tomorrow.

 

Philanthropically, Ben is committed to Live It 2 Give It by using the lessons, opportunities, challenges, and experiences from his own journey to help those coming behind him. He believes the value of an athletic career extends beyond personal accomplishments when those experiences are used to mentor, develop, and G.I.V.E.H.O.P.E. to others. His work is an opportunity to help athletes recognize that the end of one chapter can become the beginning of another meaningful contribution.

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Ben’s life and work reflect the Life Training Academy 3D Model:

PERSONALLY — BE ME.
Know who you are beyond the uniform, the performance, and the profession.

PROFESSIONALLY — BUILD WE.
Use experience, coaching, mentoring, and relationships to help athletes successfully navigate performance, change, and transition.

PHILANTHROPICALLY — G.I.V.E. H.O.P.E.
Live It 2 Give It by using your journey to prepare and support the people coming behind you.

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Ben brings the perspective of a World Cup footballer, professional athlete, Certified Life Coach, mentor, and player development professional to the Life Training Academy mission of training people to win their lives as intentionally as they train to win in sport.