Currently, I play soccer overseas on a professional team.
One of the coolest aspects of playing professional soccer is the ability to experience the world. While I would love to be able to play in the NWSL in the United States, playing soccer overseas has been a powerful experience.
Ultimately, there are a lot of beneficial reasons to play your sport overseas.
Today, I’ll dive into the top benefits I’ve experienced while playing soccer in Europe.
Exposure to Different Skillsets
How sports vary around the world depends largely on the sport. In terms of women’s soccer, the game has quite a different emphasis in Europe than it does at home in the U.S.
Division I college soccer was incredibly physical (especially in the Big 10 conference). It relies heavily on athleticism, size, and brute force. Even teams that are more “technical” rarely play out of the back on set pieces and are fairly direct.
Playing in Europe, Romania specifically, has exposed me to different skillsets. By and large, players are not as athletic here. They do not pose as much of a physical challenge. However, the style is much more technical. Players can execute more difficult passes and skills at younger ages. We play out of the back, which means as a center back I have to be on the ball more.
Of course, the styles vary in other countries around Europe. Either way, the point is that you get exposure to different playing and coaching styles when playing your sport overseas. This in turn helps you develop your game in a new way, often helping you become a more well-rounded player.
Impact Young Players
The soccer systems throughout Europe do not work the same as in the U.S. There’s not nearly as much division by age. While there are still some “under 17” leagues and teams, there will be players as young as 16 on the top professional team.
About half of my team is under 18. This certainly took some adjusting, especially after college soccer. Here, it’s less about age and more about ability. It helps young, talented players develop a lot quicker, but it also means playing with much younger players.
This has pros and cons, but one of the biggest takeaways is that you can help impact young players. You can bring your expertise and experience from another system to help them. You can challenge them in training.
But even outside of sport, you can share your culture and experience. They have a lot of stereotypes about the U.S. from movies and TV, and you provide an outlet to help them learn (while also learning from them as well).
More Opportunities
Right now in the U.S., there is one professional women’s soccer league. With 10 teams. There are only 10 teams in the entire country where you can be a professional women’s soccer player. Overseas, there are so many more opportunities for a wide array of players.
There are many countries with professional leagues, and some of them even have multiple tiers of professional soccer. This provides a much better pathway for developing as a professional and moving up to more and more challenging environments. Or to find a good fit and simply stay there. Overall, there are just more opportunities to play and more pathways for women’s professional soccer.
Build Unique Relationships
When you play your sport in another country, you are exposed to people you would have never met otherwise. Not only can you form a strong bond with Americans or other foreigners in a similar position, but you can also make lasting friendships with people around the world.
Playing overseas really provides you with a unique opportunity to build relationships with a wide variety of people. I even know several people who have met their significant other while playing abroad (but that has yet to happen to me LOL).
Independence
I did not go to college in my home state, yet I have never experienced the same sense of independence as I do playing in another country. Family isn’t right around the corner (or even an 8-hour drive away). Things, even basic things, don’t always work like they do at home. You have to figure things out on your own. This has its downsides (more on that later), but it really forces you to gain a sense of independence.
See the World
My favorite part about playing soccer overseas is about the world experience it gives you. You have the opportunity to immerse yourself in another culture, to learn new languages, and to travel the world. We’ve traveled all over Romania for the league, to Hungary for a friendly, to Finland for the Champions League.
During my off time, I’ve explored Greece and Italy. In just six months, I went to the Acropolis, Greek islands, Colleseum, Trevi Fountain, and the Vatican. I’ve been able to visit places that people dream for years of going, all because of soccer.
Playing soccer in another country has allowed me to see so much of the world already, all while doing what I love. For that, I will be forever grateful.
Image by The World Seen Through the Eyes of ©gringojohnny