WorldStrides Sports is dedicated to delivering the best international sports tour experience possible. If you would like to learn more about how WorldStrides Sports can help you plan an international sports tour, please feel free to contact us at any time by filling out the form below or contacting us via email (sports@worldstrides.com) or phone (410-489-2287).
Meet Our Team
As former players, coaches and trainers, our team is committed to creating world-class soccer tours for you and your players. With over 50+ combined years of experience in the field, our seasoned experts work with you to ensure that all aspects of your tour, including competition, training, sightseeing and everything in between, meet your individual needs and expectations.
Our Tour Directors are all natives with deep local soccer and cultural connections. From the moment you arrive to the day you depart, they ensure that your team has a top-notch experience in all areas of your tour. Read on to learn about each of our dedicated team members…
Eric McAleer
Head of Sports Development
Since 1998, Eric has been the Managing Director of Excel International Sports, and he c...
Read MoreSince 1998, Eric has been the Managing Director of Excel International Sports, and he continues to oversee Excel programming in sports and active pursuits since the company’s acquisition by WorldStrides in January 2015. His decades-old skill and passion for sports makes him an apt overseer of Excel’s international soccer and sports travel for players and students of all skill levels. He also actively maintains and grows the group’s inside connections at all levels of play, empowering WorldStrides to put together the highest quality and most exciting travel programs available today.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Eric is a former pro soccer player and physical education teacher. Ask him what he finds most rewarding about his job—sports or education—and Eric will tell you unequivocally that it’s “both, actually!” His goal is to bring sports teams from around the world to compete against each other while breaking down barriers of language, culture, and geography. He is married to wife, Mignon, and has two teenage daughters.
Jamie Kent
Sales
Jamie joined the WorldStrides Excel team in January 2018. He brings a wealth of soccer ...
Read MoreJamie joined the WorldStrides Excel team in January 2018. He brings a wealth of soccer knowledge and experience on the West Coast from his 15 years working in the youth soccer camps and training market, where he developed fantastic relationships and respect from professionals in the soccer industry. Passionate about the game he loves most, Jamie is excited to be able to help clubs, colleges and high schools provide international travel for their players to help broaden their horizons.
An avid soccer player and multi-sport athlete, Jamie played first team soccer for the Nottingham Trent University and semi-professionally in Leicestershire, UK. Rugby, Cricket, Tennis and Golf are all sports Jamie participates in along with a huge love for Formula 1 and Motorsports. However, Liverpool FC is his biggest crush.
Born in Leicester, England (home of the EPL Champions in 2016), Jamie has lived & worked in 33 US states and has now settled in Sacramento, California with his wife Allison and 2 children, Maddie and Mason. Having played and travelled around Europe as a child in countries like Holland, Germany, France & Italy, Jamie has great memories of the experiences travel provides to a soccer player and wants to inspire others to experience that same feeling too.
Steven Macdonald
Sales
Steven joined the WorldStrides Sports team in January of 2017 as an Account Executive. ...
Read MoreSteven joined the WorldStrides Sports team in January of 2017 as an Account Executive. Steven has been involved in soccer for over 17 years, having coached in Scotland, his country of birth, before moving to continue coaching in America in 2006. Steven comes with great experience in the soccer industry, through coaching and managing a large soccer coaching company in Maryland.
Steven is an avid sports fan and loves all sports, with particular interests in soccer and golf. A lifelong Celtic who still tries his best never to miss a game. Steven is a former Club Champion golfer and still enjoys playing with colleagues and friends.
Steven grew up in Alva, a small town in central Scotland. He graduated with a BA degree in Sports Management from Glasgow Caledonian University. Steven calls home to Baltimore, where he has lived for the past 5 years and lives with his wife, Anna and daughter, Josephine.
Jonny Brown
Business Transformation
Jonny joined our Excel Sports team in the summer of 2017 after completing a two-year Gr...
Read MoreJonny joined our Excel Sports team in the summer of 2017 after completing a two-year Graduate Assistant coaching position at Southwest Baptist University, a NCAA Division II school in Bolivar, Missouri. Prior to this, he was Director of Operations for the Tony Glavin Soccer Club in St Charles, Missouri, and an assistant coach for the Men’s and Women’s Varsity soccer teams at Truman State University, located in Kirksville, Missouri.
A native of Perth, Scotland, Jonny came to the United States in the summer of 2008 to attend Truman State University on a soccer scholarship. As a four-year varsity starter, he helped his team to an NCAA National Tournament Appearance in 2010 and a top 10 ranking in the national polls at the conclusion of the regular season. While being part of a Truman team ranked nationally for two and a half years, he also twice earned Daktronics South Central All-Region First Team honors while finishing in the top ten list for career assists as a Bulldog. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Communication from Truman.
Jonny currently resides in Kansas City, Missouri with his wife, Sally, also a former Truman State soccer player.
Ashley Herbst
Sales & Account Management
Ashley joined WorldStrides Excel as an Account Manager in May 2015, having previously w...
Read MoreAshley joined WorldStrides Excel as an Account Manager in May 2015, having previously worked for Adidas. Sports have always played a role in Ashley’s life and she strongly believes in the opportunities that a game can create for a passionate and determined individual.
Ashley graduated from the University of Louisville as a member of the women’s lacrosse team with a Bachelor’s degree in Sport Administration and a minor in Communication. In her senior year, she helped lead the Cardinals to their first ever Big East Championship and NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
Ashley was born and raised in Upstate New York. In 2014, she made the move down South and settled in the Baltimore, Maryland area. Outside of work, Ashley is still actively involved in the lacrosse community and coaches a local youth club.
Morgan O'Donnell
Account Management
Morgan joined WorldStrides Excel in June 2015 as a Marketing Coordinator and later tran...
Read MoreMorgan joined WorldStrides Excel in June 2015 as a Marketing Coordinator and later transitioned into an Account Manager in 2016. She previously worked in the professional sports industry where she was a Community Relations intern for the Baltimore Orioles during the 2014 season.
Morgan graduated from Towson University in 2015, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management and minor is Business Administration.
Morgan experienced international travel first hand when she toured with her soccer team to England in 2007.
Sam York
Account Management
Sam joined WorldStrides as an Account Manager in January 2022. He previously served as ...
Read MoreSam joined WorldStrides as an Account Manager in January 2022. He previously served as the Missouri ODP Coordinator and coached for local Club and High School soccer teams in St. Louis. These experiences reinforced his commitment to using youth sports as a vehicle for developing young people.
Sam is from Minnesota, but now lives with his wife and dog outside of Washington, D.C. They are avid rock climbers, so you’ll likely find them hanging off a cliff in their free time!
Robin "Woody" Wood
Product Delivery
Woody has been with Excel since our first trip in 1998! From Scotland, has looked after...
Read MoreWoody has been with Excel since our first trip in 1998! From Scotland, has looked after teams in all parts of Europe and is a season ticket holder at St. Johnstone FC! He holds a UEFA ‘B’ level coaching license and has coached numerous football clubs in Scotland, including a semi-professional club based near his hometown of Perth, Scotland. He was also a semi-professional player for sixteen years, scoring numerous goals as a striker with various clubs. Woody is by far our most experienced staff member. He has led youth, ODP and college teams through Scotland, England, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Holland and Sweden.
Adam Caldwell
Product Delivery
Born and raised in Liverpool, England, Adam graduated from University in Manchester and...
Read MoreBorn and raised in Liverpool, England, Adam graduated from University in Manchester and has years of experience within the travel industry with a passion for soccer. Adam coordinates operations for US teams traveling to the UK and Ireland.
Matt Veasey
Sales
Matt joined the WorldStrides Sports team in August 2021. He has spent 16 years working ...
Read MoreMatt joined the WorldStrides Sports team in August 2021. He has spent 16 years working in the youth soccer camps and coaching market throughout the Midwest, California and Texas where he’s developed extensive relationships. After starting to play at an early age, Matt played 1st team soccer while completing a Sport Science & Management degree at Nottingham Trent University. He has always played soccer, but competed in rugby, cricket and badminton as a youth athlete. A lifelong Arsenal supporter, Matt is also passionate about Formula 1, golf and is a big Dallas Mavericks basketball fan. Matt called a small village in central England home until he moved to the USA in 2005. He currently lives near Dallas, TX with his wife and 2 children. He was lucky to travel Europe extensively as a child, and has visited a huge number of states through his university years, which has lead him to want to provide those same experiences for others through his position at WorldStrides.