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The Countdown Begins: 199 Days Until WWC

Women's World Cup, France 2019

The Women’s World Cup is 199 days away, and I’m excited! France is a fantastic soccer country, has a wonderful and unique culture – and they will do a fantastic job of hosting the event. USA have qualified, they will be one of the strong favorites, and have some of the best female players in the world hitting the prime of their career. Selfishly, I’m also excited as my home country – Scotland- has qualified for their first ever major women’s tournament and has some awesome young players playing at the best clubs in the world. They also have a very impressive head coach, Shelly Kerr, who is a fantastic leader and I fully expect her to push her team to great heights. We have many teams visiting the 2019 World Cup and I’m sure they will all leave with lasting life-long memories of a beautiful country and a wonderful event. I will be there with my tartan scarf and my “Braveheart” painted face! I hope to see you there!

 

Who will you be rooting for? We asked our office staff who they want to win. Check out their thoughts.

2019 Womens World Cup

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Discovering international sports travel: How I found my “why”

The first time I traveled, I was in my 3rd year (10th grade) at Clydebank High School, just outside of Glasgow, Scotland. It was 1982 and an opportunity arose for me to travel with our high school soccer team to Switzerland for a week-long soccer and cultural experience. It was my first time outside of the UK and I was beyond excited.

The 24-hour bus journey was a novelty. We entertained ourselves and got to know our teammates. We sang, slept, ate, played games and made the journey fly by quickly. We played many soccer games against local Swiss high schools, enjoyed post-match social gatherings, did some daily sightseeing and enjoyed the beauty of Switzerland.

Endless games of table tennis were played at night, we were busy during the day, and we embraced all that their culture had to offer. I ate my first piece of rare meat there and vividly remember that first sight of blood squirting from my food. We took hikes and daily walks and discovered the beautiful little town of “Les Arses”.

My eyes had been opened and my curiosity levels kick-started. With soccer being the world’s global sport, a common “language” spoken in every country in the world, my journey had begun. It continues to this day, and my curiosity factor – and my “why” – just keeps going.

The varying levels of passion for the game intertwined with the cultural differences throughout the world make this journey nothing short of fascinating. Soccer breaks down the barriers of language, race, creed and color. Soccer gives hope to millions and brings people together like no other sport.

Since then, I have called this my “why” moment. This is the moment that inspired my love for travel and reinforced my passion for competitive sports. This is the moment when my friendship with my teammates became a brotherhood.

Find your “why”, and enjoy the journey.

What is your why?