Since 1991, Global Sports Academy (GSA) has been arranging tours for college and youth teams from the United States and countries around the world to promote international competition and goodwill. Not only do athletes learn valuable lessons through participating in their respective sports in other countries, but they also enjoy the experiences of a lifetime by being exposed to different cultures, languages, and environments and performing community service while abroad.

Coaches who travel with GSA equally benefit from participating in such international competition, honing their coaching skills and learning about international play, as well as having an opportunity to work with new talent or share valuable additional playing time to learn the assets and challenges of their teams. For athletes and coaches alike, the opportunity to engage in dynamic, international competition is professionally and personally enriching. And Coaches go for FREE.

Northwestern assistant coach Patrick Baldwin shared his thoughts on his time overseas with Global Sports Academy:

1. How did you come in contact with Global Sports Academy? I came in contact with Roy Blumenthal and Global Sports Academy at a Final Four several years ago.
2. What was the primary reasons(s) for your choosing to travel with Global Sports Academy, such as for professional development, international recruitment opportunities, etc.? I heard about the opportunity to coach a select team of college student-athletes abroad and thought it was another way to develop as a coach.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do it for 2 years after being in contact with Global Sports Academy.  However, a great opportunity became available to me after accepting the assistants job at Northwestern and having a head coach that encouraged this type of development.  In addition, we had a couple of our own players who needed some seasoning and were coming off injuries.  Therefore, this was the perfect opportunity.
3. How were the players selected for your team? The players were selecting individually by me and with the help of Global Sports Academy.  After being in coaching for so long, I had numerous coaching contacts who wanted their players to experience the same thing.
4. What countries did you visit and what was your daily activity schedule? In the 2 years that I went, I traveled to Belgium, England, The Netherlands and Germany.  During the stops in those different countries, our schedule consisted of sightseeing, clinics and games.  We would sightsee during the earlier part of the day and have games in the evening.
5. How competitive were the games, and how do you think that the players benefited from the experience? The games were pretty competitive and tough at times.  The difficult part was the unfamiliarity of each opponent and not having a typical scouting report to guide you through games.  It forced me as a coach to adjust on the fly and make our players perform in environments and situations they have not seen.  I truly believe the players benefited from the experience because most of them had not played as much with their college teams because of their youth or injuries.  Therefore, they used this experience to sharpen their skills, see increased live playing time or return from an injury and get their confidence back.  Some of the players came because their roles were going to change with their college team.  Thus, they also needed make a jump in their development as a player from that standpoint.
6. What challenges did you face having players from different universities as well as with international play? As with any all star team or select team, it was imperative that I see the strength of each individual player and apply it to this team.  In addition, each player came from different systems so it was important to help them play together, still utilize their individual skills and grow from the experience as well.
7. What were some of the highlights for you as a cultural experience? The highlights for me was seeing kids from different varying backgrounds and universities share the experience of being in another country.  I played in Europe so the cultural experience is always beneficial for me.  However, I loved seeing the amazement on the player’s faces when they see the Palace, the Changing of the Guard in England or have a Belgian waffle or fries on the streets of Brugge, Belgium.
8. How did you benefit professionally and/or personally from this experience? I’m learning everyday how to be a better coach.  The experience of coaching this select team was another achievement in my development and growth as a coach.  The experience taught me how to manage different personalities, manage different game situations and lead from a different seat.  The experience made me consciously think about how I want to coach and the style I want to utilize when given the opportunity to lead a program.  In the meantime, it has also helped me be a better assistant coach for my current head coach.
9. Would you travel again with Global Sports Academy and recommend this program to other coaches? I would travel again with Global Sports Academy any day of the week.  The people associated with the group are first class and are very well organized.  The program from start to finish was well managed and the guides were terrific.  I would certainly recommend this program to other coaches.  It is a 10 or 11 days well spent of honing your craft, meeting great people and seeing interesting and beautiful places.

For more information, please visit: Global Sports Academy