Interreg Basket Academy: Nadia succeeds Frank

21 October 2020

New face at Interreg Basket Academy: Nadia succeeds Frank as sport coordinator

As of October 1st, Nadia Mossong is the new sport coordinator in charge of the Interreg project “Interreg Basket Academy”. T71 Dudelange is the first basketball club to take part in such a transregional Interreg project, connecting partner organizations within the Greater Region. In her role, Nadia succeeds Frank Muller who was the coordinator of the project since its inception in January 2018. On this occasion, Nadia and Frank sat down together and had a chat about the project in general, Frank’s experiences and Nadia’s goals and expectations in her new role.

Nadia: Hi Frank, so my first question would be why you have decided to step down from your position as sport coordinator of the Interreg project?

Frank: Initially, the project was planned to finish at the end of 2020 and we could not have foreseen the impact of COVID-19 and the prolongation of the project, so for me it was clear from the onset that my Interreg adventure would end in 2020. Due to my work as an independent sport psychologist in addition to my duties as coordinator of the Interreg project, a new professional opportunity presented itself a couple of months ago. I decided that I couldn’t pass on this new professional challenge but that unfortunately also meant that I would have to leave the Interreg project a little earlier than planned. That being said, the Interreg project has a special place in my heart and that’s why it was important to me that I would leave the project in good hands so when you decided to take over, I was reassured that I could leave with a clean conscience (laughs).

Nadia: So, you are convinced the project is in good hands? (laughs)

Frank: Absolutely!

Nadia: After almost three years being involved in this project, how would you summarize your Interreg experience?

Frank: Good question! It was definitely a very enriching experience due to the fact that I have gotten to know so many different people: on the sport side of the project I came in contact with players and coaches from 4 different countries, some of which are professionals with decades of experience. On the social side of the project I had the pleasure to work with and learn from a lot of different people such as individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities, refugee children, senior citizens, but also a great number of volunteers, who invest a lot of energy and time in good causes. I was deeply impressed by all those people and being able to give something back to them was a cool and satisfying feeling. So yeah, in summary I would say the realization that sports can be so powerful in connecting people and giving them joy, is probably the biggest and most valuable take-away for me. No matter who you are or where you from, if I give you a basketball, you want to dribble and shoot it and if you manage to make that ball go through the net, you will smile, no matter if you are a small child or an 85-year old grandma (both laugh). And when I look at all the pictures we took since the beginning of the project and I see all those people with a basketball and their smiling faces, I think we have accomplished something really valuable - that makes me happy and also proud.

Nadia: Speaking of being happy and proud, what were your personal highlights during your time in the project?

Frank:In September 2018 we had a really cool weekend, where we organized a couple of events: the U16 team of Trier came to Dudelange for a couple of practice sessions and a game against the U16 team of Dudelange, we had a special practice session for Max who is T71s biggest fan but has a rare genetic disease which causes him to be wheelchair bound. On Sunday that weekend we organized a charity game between the Special Olympics and a group of Luxembourgish VIPs from sports, politics and media such as Gilles Muller, Mars di Bartolomeo and Raphaël Stacchiotti. The coolest thing was that the Special Olympics team won by a buzzer beater. Seeing their joy and the way they celebrated their victory was one of the most special moments of the project (laughs). Another great day was the “Journée d’inclusion” we organized last year, where we with the help of the “Service des Sports” of Dudelange and Esch, the Special Olympics, the LuxRollers and the Paralympic Committee, offered numerous inclusion-events throughout the day for people with and without disabilities. On the sports side of the project, a cool activity was an 8-week training program in mental techniques, which I organized together with a coach from Trier and which we delivered to the U16 of Trier. In general I really liked all of our activities, where the girls from all the different clubs got the opportunity to get to know coaches from clubs from other countries or even travel to these clubs for practice sessions or games. I think that is really beneficial for young players, not only in their development as players but also as people.

Nadia: And now my last and most important question: what is your most important piece of advice for me? (laughs)

Frank: Be yourself and try to implement your own ideas. I think you can offer a lot to the girls of the project and, in particular, advice which I could never give, because you are a woman and because you played professional basketball for so long. You know what it takes to be a professional female basketball player and I think sharing those experiences with the girls is priceless for them. Add to that your academic background in Leadership and Mentoring and I think you can be a great role model for the girls. So if you have a good idea, trust that idea and be resilient in trying to convince people of that idea and implementing it. And try to keep your motivation and enthusiasm high, especially when you face obstacles like the whole COVID-19 situation right now. I think it is important that, when the project is over, you can look back and say that you did things your way and that you are proud of what you have accomplished.

Nadia: Thank you for that input. Yeah, I think that change in general can sometimes be interesting: bringing in different backgrounds and perspectives and adding additional layers to projects can be beneficial so I hope I can do the same for Interreg.

Frank: Absolutely. I had my way of running the project, but now you are in charge, so you do you! (both laugh) And now it’s my turn to ask you some questions. My first one is the following: did you know the project before you were offered the position as sport coordinator and if yes, what did you think of it?

Nadia: Yes, I actually knew about the project from the very beginning. Hermann Paar told me about the project and the fact that you would be in charge. Obviously I thought it was a great opportunity for girls’ basketball and I also followed the project on Facebook, so I knew about all the events that you organized.

Frank: Ok, and why did you decide that you wanted to take over the project as sport coordinator?

Nadia: When I decided to come back to Luxembourg after my professional basketball career, I definitely wanted to work in sports. And then Marcel Wagener told me that you were likely to leave the project and asked if I was interested in maybe taking over and also playing here in Dudelange. I think being a T71 player and sport coordinator at the same time, is a very good combination at this point of my career. It enables me to keep playing and competing at the highest level here in Luxembourg, but at the same I can gain professional experiences in a project where I can show a lot of personal initiative, which will definitely help me along the way.

Frank: What are experiences, both academically and as player, that you want to use within the project?

Nadia: Due to my continuing education with FIBA I have a well developed basketball network and it is definitely an idea to use those connections and maybe bring in some people for a couple of events. I also want to use my experiences in Mentoring to set up a way in which some high potential players in the different clubs can be mentored and supported more individually. So my focus is really the continued effort to bring forward women’s basketball and I definitely want to play my part in that.

Frank: That’s a good transition to my next question. Equal opportunity is the main theme of the project: what are your impressions and personal experiences with equal or maybe not equal opportunities in basketball?

Nadia: This is a great question and it is definitely something that is still an issue. Very often when new rule or format changes are discussed in Luxembourg, the concern is around the impact it would have on men’s basketball while, the impact on women’s basketball is rarely talked about. Also the media coverage of women’s basketball is very sparse, whether it be on TV, social media or in newspapers. If we’re honest, how often is women’s basketball part of the highlight reels? This is not only an issue in Luxembourg: it is a common issue internationally and something that is starting to gain traction. Different organizations like the FIBA and the IOC are developing different projects to try and change this and promote equal opportunities for female athletes, coaches and referees.

Frank: Ok, and on a more personal level? Have you faced unequal opportunities as a female player?

Nadia: Definitely. There is a huge pay gap between men and women, even if often the female performances are equal or sometimes even better than the ones of men. No matter the country, if a club has a men’s and women’s team, you can be sure that the men’s team has better opportunities, whether it be salary, support team and so on.

Frank: In this respect, what would you wish to happen in the future? How should equal opportunities in basketball look like in 5, 10 or 15 years?

Nadia: Actually my wish is not one which can be realized through materialistic means. It has more to do with the perception of women’s basketball. I would love if people would stop perceiving women’s basketball just in connection with men’s basketball. It is the same sport, but there are so many facets of the game that are different, that it doesn’t really make sense to compare them. Admittedly, men’s basketball might be more spectacular due to different levels of athleticism but women’s basketball also has its own individual beauty and unique facets such as well developed tactical schemes of teams or the polished fundamentals of a lot of female players. So yeah, this is something I would definitely want to see change in the future.

Frank: Very interesting point. I have one last question: with all your experiences as a professional player, what would your most important piece of advice be for young ambitious female basketball players?

Nadia: I think it is really important to set yourself high goals and really believe in them. Don’t let yourself think that you can’t make it, just because you are from a small country like Luxembourg. So set yourself high goals, work hard for them and make your decisions based on your goals. That would be my first piece of advice. My second one would be to realize that the reality of life as a professional basketball player may be different than what is perceived from the outside. A lot of people think that it is a dream job: you get paid for your hobby and all you need to do is practice. In reality it is very challenging, both physically and mentally and it might not be for everyone. Especially because the fact of being paid to play adds a whole lot of pressure to the equation and often professional players lose their lightheartedness. So if your goal is to become a professional player, you have to be aware of those things.

Frank: This is really valuable advice. Thank you for that and thank you for the whole interview. This was fun. I wish you good luck for your new challenge and obviously you can count on my help, if it is ever needed.

Nadia: Yeah, this was fun and thank you.