Independence Soccer Club Partners with WorldStrides Sports for International Sports Tours

October 21, 2022

Once-in-a-Lifetime International Experiences Provide Athletes Athletic and Cultural Exposure


Charlotte, N.C. (October 20th, 2022) — WorldStrides Sports is partnering with Independence Soccer Club to deliver international soccer tours to the club community.


Players taking part in trips the summer of 2023 will have the opportunity to emerse themselves in international soccer culture.


The Independence Soccer Club provides program opportunities throughout North and South Carolina communities for players of all ages, gender, skill, and ability. WorldStrides is the nation’s largest and trusted provider of educational sports travel & experiences and looks forward to providing the resources for Independence players to take travel abroad.


“We are delighted to announce our partnership with WorldStrides,” said Charlotte Independence Soccer Club Chief Executive Officer Thomas Finlay. “International travel is a complement to our overall programming. We firmly believe that it helps players develop on and off the field. WorldStrides will be able to provide opportunities to several countries which will certainly create trips of a lifetime.”


International competition allows athletes to test their development and see where they stack up with the rest of the world. The soccer centric events have been selected by the club and will be available to all programs. Players will also tour nearby cities and learn from WorldStrides’ expert guides when off the field. 


“We are absolutely thrilled to offer Independence Soccer Club the opportunity to travel abroad in 2023 and beyond,” said Eric McAleer, Senior Vice President of WorldStrides Sports Programs. “WorldStrides Sports has a longstanding belief that there is value within international travel. Helping the Independence community achieve their goals and take part in the development of their athletes both on and off the field is an incredible opportunity that we look forward too.”


Members will be receiving communications regarding the selected itineraries for summer 2023 as well as the dates of corresponding informational calls via PlayMetrics shortly. The informational calls will begin as early as Monday, October 24th for those seeking more information on international travel opportunities.



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ABOUT Charlotte Independence Soccer Club:

Charlotte Independence Soccer Club was formed in 2019 following the merger of Carolina Rapids, Discoveries Soccer Club and Lake Norman Soccer Club to form the Charlotte Independence Soccer Club. It is the youth affiliate club of the Charlotte Independence USL League One and USL W League teams, and one of the largest clubs in the country. The club serves communities throughout North and South Carolina with programming for players of all ages, gender, skill, and ability.


ABOUT WorldStrides Sports Programs:

Founded in 1967, WorldStrides provides educational travel and experiences to more than 530,000 students and athletes a year. Its sports division, WorldStrides Sports, was founded in 1998 by Eric McAleer, a former Scottish professional soccer player. In addition to international and domestic travel experiences for athletes, WorldStrides offers experiential learning programs in performing arts, language immersion, career exploration, service-learning, and study abroad. Each of these experiences helps students to see beyond the classroom and playing field to see the world – and themselves – in new ways. For more information on WorldStrides, visit worldstrides.com.

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