Global Football and Wabash College will continue their trusted travel partnership when the Little Giants football team visits Europe for a fourth time next week.
As regular travelers with Global Football, Wabash College has taken its student athletes to Panama (2013 and 2006) and Austria and Germany (2003). This year, the Little Giants head to Spain for the first time and will face local club team Barcelona Uroloki on Saturday, May 21 as part of the visit.
Taking advantage of NCAA rules that allow D-III colleges to travel every three years, Wabash College will experience the cultural sights of the Catalan city of Barcelona, taking in the Montjuic Olympic sites, Gothic Quarter and Las Ramblas. They will visit the beach town of Sitges, explore Montserrat, Tarragona and Cambrils, while integrating practices ahead of the May 21 game day.
“This will be an absolutely incredible learning experience,” said Wabash College head coach Don Morel, who was appointed last month having been the team’s offensive coordinator. “We have some kids going on this trip who haven’t traveled outside of the state of Indiana, or the only air travel they’ve experienced has been on the Wabash football trips to Hampden-Sydney and Minneapolis last year. To be a 19-, 20-, or 21-year-old young man and get to go to Europe is pretty amazing. Our guys are really excited about it. I think it’s going to be a spectacular trip.
“This trip will be a tremendous mix of an educational trip, an opportunity to be immersed in the Spanish culture. We will see La Sagrada Familia, for instance. We will visit places that some people wait their whole life to see. All of these Wabash students will get to enjoy this experience.
“We’re excited because this is a similar model to the spring break immersion trips that Wabash students get the opportunity to experience. The biggest difference is there will be a football game to play on Saturday.”
That game will be against a Barcelona Uroloki team that won the 2003, 2004, and 2005 Liga Nacional de Fútbol Americano 2 (LFNA 2) championships in Spain and is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2016. Formed by one-time Barcelona Dragons (NFL Europe) national team coach Marcos Guirles, who has organized the upcoming match in partnership with Global Football, the Uroloki has posted a 5-2 record so far this season in the Catalan League of American football (LCFA).
The teams met at the Estadi Joan Serrahima at 11.30am local time / 5.30am ET on Saturday.
“It is hard to imagine that we have been taking curious student athletes and dedicated coaches to very special places in the world for two decades now, and it is heartening to see schools such as Wabash College returning, which means we must be doing something right,” said Global Football President Patrick Steenberge. “We have been able to impact so many lives, broaden their views of the world, and help players worldwide enjoy the sport of American football.”
Travelers and followers of Global Football events are now able to download the Global Football App for iPhone and Android devices from the iTunes Store and Google Play. Developed by TouchBase, the App features information, news and itineraries related to the teams traveling overseas to multiple destinations with Global Football this spring.