Global Players: Prague Study Abroad for Student-Athletes

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.

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.