Program Reviews

I came to Prague to do an internship right after I graduated from college. I bought only one flight ticket because I knew that I was going to want to stay! I worked hard during my internship and was offered a job, and have been in Prague since! I loved the program, you get to make new lifelong friends and travel around Europe together, basically it's everyone's dream! I definitely recommend this to all student athletes. Like when you are at school it is basically a summer of traveling, training, and competing, along with a lot of cool experiences!

For too long study abroad has been unavailable to Student-Athletes in need of year round training. Global Players has bridged the gap and offers Student-Athletes the complete study-abroad experience: Academics, Culture, and Athletics. The Prague program begins in Berlin where students are immediately immersed in the culture via tournaments and practices in their respective sports. From there students move to Prague to begin the academic focus while continuing to train with local clubs continuing their cultural immersion via sports. Accommodation in both cities is high quality and promotes interaction between participating Student-Athletes. Additionally students take part in several other non - sports related cultural activities including local cuisine meals and various tours. Free time is also scheduled for students to explore their individual interests. Taken together, the program is well - designed, well - run, and truly a life changing experience.

Global Players was an incredible mix of fun, lacrosse, life, and learning! I was able to advance my international business skills in the classroom and on field trips, while enjoying every single minute outside the classroom. The playing and coaching aspect alone formed memories worth savoring but the latter half of the trip advanced me as a professional. Summer 2010 has helped me in so many job interviews...little do they know I had an incredible social life that summer as well!

This program was absolutely amazing and was by far my most memorable experience from college. It was well worth the money and in my opinion I got way more than I paid for. The experience was incredible and everything was taken care in a way that I could just soak in and enjoy the entire experience without having to worry about anything. The opportunity to see the growth of lacrosse on the other side of the world was such a humbling experience to see that language barriers can be bridged by sports. And the opportunity to study in a foreign country was amazing too. That really made the learning experience so much more enjoyable to mix it up with a new college and see the different styles of teaching and academic set ups in other countries.

Traveling, Playing, & Coaching abroad with Global Players was an extremely influential trip in my life and career. With Global Players you learn you to be an informed and global traveler (not a tourist), and you are challenged to break out of your comfort zone to open your mind, communicate with those from new cultures & languages, and experience different ways of life by immersing yourself in each location's culture as you travel. Playing in the Berlin Open and WINNING the Prague Cup were a complete privilege and meeting & playing with or against lacrosse players from around the world was an amazing & fun learning experience. Planning, and leading coaching clinics for various schools & lacrosse clubs throughout Germany & Austria really challenged us to explore the way we communicate and teach the game when explaining drills and concepts to players of different languages and cultural backgrounds. This really helped me think about my communication methods when coaching the game and pushed me to be a better teacher and communicator. This experience was pivotal and influential in convincing me to pursue my passion of coaching as a career which I continue to do at the Division I level. Through leading & navigating us across different countries, providing the opportunity to play lacrosse with players from around the world, and growing the game by teaching and coaching lacrosse clinics for school students & lacrosse clubs, Global Players totally fulfills their mission of Learn, Play, Travel, & Serve, and I had the time of my life traveling with them and meeting all sorts of great people and new friends along the way. Furthermore, Global Players inspires you to continue your journey of traveling the world, as I was moved to go back to Europe a few years later to travel other parts of the world with my wife!

Global Players was the opportunity of a lifetime where I was able to combine two of my favorite things, travel and lacrosse. Seeing a different culture and helping expand a sport that has been such a large part of my life was amazing. Not only was it a great experience, but the Coaching Abroad Program caused a lot of personal growth. You develop interpersonal skills, along with public speaking and you become more open minded. The program also was a great addition to my resume, and has been a focal point of every interview I've been on. Not many people get the chance to spend a summer abroad, and even fewer are able to live abroad for a prolonged period of time. Global players allowed me to do both.

The trip overall was the best experience I've ever had the opportunity of doing. I made endless amount of friends both internationally and from the states. I learned more about Germany in 2 weeks of just living there than I did in years and years of social studies class because Jess and Tara really focus on being "travelers not tourist" so you really get yourself immersed in their culture. It was unreal and you'd be silly to pass up a one in a lifetime chance!

The program has an organized schedule of weekly classes, practices, and tournaments but also leaves plenty of free time to explore the amazing cities you spend time in. I would recommend this program for any college student athlete looking for a fun, but productive summer while exploring everything Prague (and surrounding cities) has to offer. Train travel and cheaper plane tickets makes spontaneous weekend trip convenient and easy. I even learned to speak some of the language in every city we went to. As the GP staff always says, even the simple phrases like "please" and "thank you" can go a long way with the locals. One of the best things about Prague is the tram system and how simple it is to go from your dorm, to school, and to the city center. For practices and tournament play, athletes are able to experience playing abroad with different teams. You meet players from Prague/Berlin/Amsterdam/etc (wherever your journey takes you) and experience the way they play the game. It is incredible to get to learn and play from others while teaching them what YOU love about the sport. We also got to coach while in Prague. The whole group met up with an after school program a few times to teach little kids field hockey and lacrosse. None of them new english, so it was a challenge to get our points across but it was a lot of fun....The dorms we stayed in were huge (at least compared to the ones I'VE seen in America) and the professors are enjoyable to be around and great teachers. The city center has everything you need from great views, shops, bars, and clubs. Of course we found our favorite go-to restaurants and clubs, but there are always new places to explore and have fun. I never once felt lost or unsafe with the advice and good directions that the staff has to offer. They have fun with the participants while keeping in mind our safety and goals to become better travelers, students, and athletes while on our excursion abroad. I can't thank each one of them enough for such an incredible experience and I know I will be staying in touch.