When college athletics ends, what's next?
Many young athletes dream of playing sports professionally. Growing up watching your favorite players on the television, rooting them on, and admiring their every move is an experience that most can relate to. The desire to become a collegiate or professional athlete is what gives many young athletes motivation to get better every day.
Sometimes these dreams may feel like a far reach from reality, but the truth is, it’s a lot closer than you might think. The current problem is that there isn’t a way to learn about what opportunities are available to you. The good news? You’re not alone. There is a company designed to help athletes around the world achieve their sports dreams through educating on what options are out there, connecting you with people who have been there before, and a way to connect directly to recruiters and teams.
Uru Sports is a global sports platform that provides league information, recruiting details, community, and additional information to educate athletes worldwide on the opportunities available to them. The bonus? While you may find opportunities in your local town, they can also connect you to teams and positions worldwide. Founded by a former professional field hockey player who struggled to find the best programs for her in England, Australia, and throughout Europe, Uru creates an equal opportunity for all athletes in pursuing their athletic careers. They provide information on sports leagues worldwide that operate differently than the US, with vast club structures, opportunities to work while playing, and even places where college leagues offer full scholarships for undergraduate and Master’s degrees.
The greatest benefit of creating a global sports platform like Uru is the opportunity to learn from amazing athletes and people from around the world. So many athletes have played globally, but often, their experiences go undocumented. Uru Sports has worked closely with many of these athletes in order to help share their story to gain knowledge and experience to help others wanting to do the same.
One of those athletes is professional basketball player Deveraux Peters. Peters played for four years at the University of Notre Dame and eventually was drafted to play in the WNBA. While playing in the WNBA she had the opportunity to play abroad in 8 different countries during her offseason. Her thoughts on playing overseas: “There is definitely a lot that you gain from the experiences, the people that you get to meet, relationships you get to build. Pretty much every close relationship I have, I built through basketball. It’s been really, extremely rewarding for me. I have been able to travel to countless countries and do a lot before 30 than most people will have done in their lifetime.”
Another athlete that Uru has collaborated with is professional soccer player Shelina Zadorsky. Zadorsky is a Canadian Soccer player who currently plays for the Canadian National Team and Tottenham Hotspurs after years on the Orlando Pride in the NWSL. Her collegiate career at the University of Michigan paved the way for her international journey that took off in Australia and then Sweden. She felt that: “playing abroad really helps you learn about yourself - you get to learn about things outside your comfort zone, you see amazing new places, you create great friendships…all the while you’re getting better at the sport you love!” And after playing abroad and learning new global styles of play, she made the Senior National Team and won a bronze medal at the Olympics.
Ruth Riley, a retired basketball star who played at the University of Notre Dame and most recently professionally for the WNBA: “I think just seeing the world changes you. I loved the opportunity to live in countries long enough where I actually got to experience a different culture and to feel connected to those countries, to learn honestly world history.” There are endless amounts of opportunities for athletes to play all over the world, and Uru has created a platform for these athletes to connect.
By learning from Peters, Zadorsky, Riley, and others, you come to find that while their global experiences are wonderful, each pro athlete has their own horror stories and mishaps that come from not knowing what their experience will really be like. There’s a need to connect the sports world to help athletes learn from athletes who have come before them, and make sure what they’re dedicating their life to through their time, living situation, travel, salaries, etc. is the best fit.
Through all the chaos in the world right now, life and sports have been looking extremely different. Seasons are canceled, sports are suspended, and travel has been put on pause, but that does not mean sports are done. The beauty of sports is its ability to bring people together, even through times of struggle. Although your season may have been canceled due to covid, that does not mean your career is over. Countries around the world are beginning to lift restrictions and teams are gathering again to start training. There are global opportunities for athletes to continue playing the sport that they love.
At Uru Sports, they are trying to help athletes connect to different people around the world in hopes of finding them amazing opportunities. From playing overseas to information on what it is like to be a professional athlete, to insight on recruiting, top athletes are able to give helpful wisdom that you cannot find otherwise. Uru is stepping in to create a space where young athletes can gain more of an understanding of what is possible. The world of athletics is much bigger than most athletes think. There are endless opportunities to play the sport you love, whether that be in your home country or abroad. So go find your next opportunity for your sport at any level of play. Visit www.urusports.com to pre-register for their new app coming out later in 2020.