News — Global Sports Partners

Team Up Basketball Academy

GSP Representative Travis Stark and Team Up KSA are celebrating the first anniversary of Team Up Basketball Academy. Over the past ten years, GSP has partnered and celebrated milestones with Team Up.

“The highlight of the academy for me is that coaching doesn't feel like work, but rather a chance to invest and impact kids through the vehicle of sports. I love seeing the joy and determination of kids learning and competing in a sports environment.” – Travis Stark, GSP Representative & Team Up Academy Director

The successful premiere season has been full of growth. The Basketball Academy developed two teams for boys and girls, ages 6-13, with 30 total players. Parents have witnessed growth as well, noting the positive development in their children both on and off the court.  

“I have heard from several parents that their kids are eager to get to the court early for practice since they love basketball and enjoy practicing by themselves. Learning a sport should be fun!” – Travis Stark, GSP Representative

The Football Academy continues to grow, as well. As the Academy Director, Travis coaches alongside two Team Up assistants, including GSP Intern Lianna Gates. Lianna has brought new energy to the football academy, while also playing for a local women’s football club.  

Lianna’s club recently played an exhibition match against the U13 boys she helps coach at Team Up. “It has been cool to see some of the boys have a mentality shift in regards to women playing football since I started working with the team. After losing the match against the women's team, one of the players came up and told me how well we played. Seeing young boys learn life lessons through football has been an honor for me and I am hoping to see some young girls out there, too, in the coming months!" – GSP Intern & Team Up Coach, Lianna Gates  

 
 

Training sessions focus on excellence in the young athletes’ lives both on and off the pitch. Each training session begins by going over the coach’s rules and discussing a specific word for the week. That word is specifically chosen for personal improvement and character growth. Many of the kids especially love this part of practice.  

As Team Up looks to the future, it is seeking a larger venue to conduct more sports programs and academy focuses. GSP looks forward to continuing its partnership with Team Up academies as they foster the personal and physical growth of young athletes.   

GSP Malaysia Leads Ultimate Training for Ministry of Education

GSP Malaysia taught the sport of ultimate frisbee to teachers and Ministry of Education officers recently as part of an effort to strengthen the partnership between the two groups. In addition, they aided in the creation of a Training for Trainers module for all secondary schools in Malaysia.

Some program highlights include the translation of rules and ultimate guidelines into the local language, Bahasa Malaysia; and the plan for State education departments to host clinics that increase participation among school students throughout Malaysia.

A success story is highlighted by the experience of participating officers from the ministry. The ministry team was enthusiastic and loved the sport, but they had never competed in a real game. They decided to join a tournament, losing the first game … and by a wide margin, too. Even though the loss could have been devastating to some, the opponent exemplified the Spirit of the Game, which is a defining characteristic of Ultimate. They offered advice to the ministry team to understand how to improve, promoting sportsmanship and collaboration. In response to this impacting example, the officers’ team finished third place at the tournament.

GSP Malaysia Regional Catalyst, Derrick Wilkerson, was excited to see how this impact was immediately made, “It is great to see how the Spirit of the Game sets ultimate apart from other sports. We all learned from the training, but it is our team at GSP that will take much more back with us by watching the participants engage with the game of Ultimate and embrace the overwhelming benefits.”

This is a continuation of ongoing training with all 16 states and territories of Malaysia represented at the workshop, over 40 total participants, while ten of those were previously trained by the GSP team. This continuation will go a long way to establish lasting roots of ultimate in Malaysia.

Wilkerson said, “We are very excited about what the future holds, and the partnership is strong with the Ministry. It is important for us to continue moving forward and get more opportunities out there for students around the country.”

Upcoming work could possibly include more collaboration as The Ministry of Education desires to host a similar workshop in 2023 to assess the development of the sport in secondary schools around the country.

GSP Meets with Cuban Basketball Federation

Pictured here are GSP Founder Steve DeVoss and GSP Basketball Representative Bruce Sider with Leonardo Pérez, known as “Mágia Negra” (“Black Magic”), who played professionally and on the Cuba Selection Team for 18 years; then coached the Cuban National Team for 12 years.  Now as Vice President of the Cuban Basketball Federation, Leonardo Pérez continues to provide leadership to Cuban Basketball development. 

Bruce and Leonardo first met when competing against each other in international basketball tournaments in the 1980s.

Friendship and respect last a lifetime in Sport. 

KSA Women's Basketball Coaches Training Program

Global Sports Partners was awarded a public diplomacy grant as part of the U.S. Mission Saudi Arabia PAS Small Grants Program in the summer of 2021. In partnership with Jeddah United, The University of Business and Technology, and the Saudi Arabian Basketball Federation, GSP trained 10 Saudi female basketball coaches over the course of the five-month program, which recently concluded with their official coaching certification ceremony.

GSP Baseball Coach Leads Trials for 73rd Punjab Games

In preparation for the upcoming 73rd Punjab Games in Lahore, GSP Baseball coach Brian Furches led the Divisional Baseball Trials with Pakistan Federation Baseball. More than 30,000 athletes from across the province are expected to compete in the Games, scheduled January 24-27. The four-day mega event, organized by the Sports and Youth Affairs Department of Punjab, will feature baseball as part of its 24-sport showcase.

Basketball, Rugby, Teambuilding Project in Alexandria

Earlier this month, GSP International President, Dennis Chamberlain, GSP Rugby and Teambuilding coach, Jung Jung, and GSP Basketball coach, Bryan Spears, traveled to Egypt to once again join our partners at Reshape and lead in a week-long multifaceted project in the city of Alexandria.

The first phase of the project included a three-day basketball, touch rugby, and teambuilding program for all middle school and high school students at Schutz American School. The program took place each day during the school’s physical education class time. More than 160 students took part in the classes, learning the unique fundamental sport skills of each discipline, as well as character education. The life skill theme for the week was integrity, as students were taught the importance of understanding moral principles, always being honest, and showing honor to everyone.

Phase Two connected GSP to one of the most prestigious basketball clubs in the country, Sporting Club Alexandria. Sporting Club’s “mini-basket” academy coaches (U8, U10, U12) underwent GSP’s newly-developed Transformational Coaching clinic. The clinic included a one-hour classroom session, which focused on what it means to be a transformational coach, outlined key differences between Transactional Coaching and Transformational Coaching, and shifted the coaches’ attention onto the athletes who play the sport. Next, attendees were taught the basics of coaching progressions and the benefits of using small-sided games within a practice for individual and team development.

Finally, the action moved to the court, with two one-hour training sessions (first for the U12 Girls, then for U12 Boys), demonstrating practical examples of what these teaching and coaching progressions look like in action. Ninety players took part in the demonstration, with the girls working on general offensive basics like passing, cutting, and how to space the floor. The boys worked on skills related to scoring; converting layups at the rim and creating advantages in one-on-one situations.

"The academy coaches at Sporting Club showed a desire to learn and grow as coaches. They wanted to apply the lessons of Transformational Coaching to specific situations they are facing in their teams. I was encouraged to see the potential for growth in the relationship between GSP, Sporting, and Reshape."
- GSP International President, Dennis Chamberlain

It was a thrilling conclusion to another successful and excitement-filled project in Alexandria. Global Sports Partners would like to make a special note of thanks to our team at Reshape, Schutz American School, and Sporting Club Alexandria for hosting us and contributing to an awesome week.

Even more is on the way for our team in Alexandria, stay tuned!

Furches Named Senior Sports Advisor in Lahore

Forman College in Lahore, Pakistan has announced the hiring of GSP representative Brian Furches as its Senior Sports Advisor.

In his new role, Furches will oversee all facets of sports programming at Forman College; supervising FC coaches, aiding in the training and development of coaches and athletes, and managing all of the school’s sporting events. Furches plans to emphasize a “values-focused” coaching philosophy, a focal-point for GSP Coaches, and apply it to each program, coach, and player.

“My family and I are very excited to be here in Lahore and look forward to helping FC develop their sports programs while modeling character, instilling values, and building a strong work ethic within its members.”
- Brian Furches, FC Senior Sports Advisor

In addition to the Senior Sports Advisor role at Forman, Furches will also serve as a lead consultant and trainer for Pakistan Federation Baseball. As part of GSP Baseball’s continued presence in Pakistan — which has brought the donation of baseball equipment, introductory skill trainings, and development strategy meetings with the federation; all in this year alone — Furches will specifically contribute in the training of Federation baseball coaches, with an eye for national team placements.

“I hope to improve the caliber of play for the entire Pakistan Federation Baseball team. Overall, my goal is that every single player, coach, and staff member will feel supported, encouraged, and equipped to be the best they can be.”

- Brian Furches, PFB Consultant/Trainer

GSP Builds Turkey's First Portable Pitching Mound

As part of a commitment to accelerate baseball development in Turkey, GSP Coach Brad Mayes handmade a portable mound to serve and train local athletes, as well as those interested in learning the art of pitching. Its unique portability will allow the mound to move easily around its home in Bandirma and into the local community, where it can conveniently and effectively perform training sessions on-the-go. Though the mound is the first of its kind in the area, there are ongoing plans to build several more to serve even more athletes and increase the scope of available baseball training across Turkey.

GSP + Reshape 10-Day Summer Project in Alexandria

Global Sports Partners teamed up with Reshape Egypt in Alexandria to facilitate a 10-day, multi-faceted summer project in early July. The project focused on four main pillars: basketball skills development, team building, coaches education, and transformational leadership training. The GSP team was led by Director of International Operations, Dennis Chamberlain, and included American basketball coaching experts.

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The first three days in Alexandria were spent serving as leaders for Reshape’s team-building camp for youth in the city. Using Reshape’s unique activity-based, problem-solving curriculum, participants learned valuable lessons in how to grow as a person, set attainable individual goals, and persevere through challenges. Each day, GSP conducted one-hour basketball training sessions as part of the camp schedule — fusing together themes from the camp and skill development exercises.

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Following the conclusion of the team-building camp, GSP and Reshape traveled to Schutz American School for a three-day basketball camp. More than 20 kids gathered every day at the school’s brilliant outdoor basketball facility to learn and develop basic basketball skills. Participants who displayed an advanced skill set were able to receive a more individualized training experience, challenging them to push beyond their current level and further sharpening their skills. Camp concluded with a brief ceremony, during which participants were awarded medals and certificates of achievement.

From there, the group traveled to San Gabriel School to hold a special training session for the school’s U16 basketball team. Our coaches put together a fun but demanding multi-dimensional practice session for the team, determined to get the very best out of the players and teaching them to always give their best effort. After the team practice, San Gabriel coaches gathered to undergo a special coaches education session directed by Chamberlain and GSP coaching experts. Attendees included the club’s first team head coach, the U16 head coach, and coaches from the academy levels.

The summer project concluded with GSP leading Reshape’s main staff, volunteers, and football academy staff members in leadership development sessions. More than 35 emerging young leaders underwent a total of six hours of training, which focused on transformational coaching, effective and healthy communication, and interpersonal relationships. Understanding the importance of each facet is vital to becoming strong leaders individually and crucial to the long-term goals of Reshape, collectively.

“We remain committed to growing with Reshape and contributing to sport and leadership development in Alexandria.” - Dennis Chamberlain, Director of International Operations

Spears Trains Youth Clubs at SB Sportif Basketball Camps

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At the invitation of SB Sportif, GSP Turkey Basketball Coach Bryan Spears traveled to Marmaris to perform basketball training sessions as part of the club’s summer camp series. Coaches and executives in attendance represented numerous basketball entities across Turkey, including those in Canakkale, Efes, Istanbul, Izmir, and Samsun. Interested clubs in attendance were able to request Coach Spears to lead training sessions for their youth teams.

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During the first camp, Spears led eight training sessions — coaching more than 120 young athletes from Istanbul and Izmir. The second camp consisted of five training sessions with more than 75 players from a variety of clubs scattered across the country.

In addition to the on-court player development, and in accordance with GSP’s Transformational Coaching approach, Spears emphasized essential character traits of good teammates and players. One of the main focuses throughout the camps was humility, or a player’s willingness to accept coaching and learn from others.

“I had a great time leading and getting to know these teams from all over the country,” Spears remarked. “All sides came away very pleased. Everyone learned. I am looking forward to more camps with SB Sportif and hopefully getting to visit with each of these clubs in the days ahead.”

GSP Baseball Visits Pakistan

Last month, GSP President Steve DeVoss and GSP Baseball expert Brian Furches traveled to Lahore as part of a shared vision to accelerate baseball development within Pakistan.

During the course of the nine-day visit, Furches conducted seven introductory baseball trainings for young people interested in learning more about the game. Due to the intense summer heat in the region, the trainings had to take place during early morning hours — but that did not deter any of the trainees. Instead, the young people showed up even earlier each day, eager to learn and develop their baseball skills. All of the prospective players were full of energy, seeking every opportunity to receive further instruction and get personalized feedback on their performance.

“It was so exciting to see all of these young people have such a passion and desire to learn more about baseball,” Furches said. “They really energized the entire camp, not only each other but the trainers, too. They were constantly motivated to grow in their understanding of the game. Each player wanted to be challenged more and more, and were so coachable with no hesitation. It was exciting to see.”

The excitement did not stop there. GSP Baseball received an opportunity to introduce baseball to a local school. After another lively experience there, the team was able to donate equipment to the school so that the students could continue to practice.

President DeVoss and Furches met with Pakistan Federation Baseball (PFB) President Mr. Syed Fakhar Ali Shah to further discuss the federation’s vision for baseball development throughout the country. As baseball’s popularity continues to grow in Pakistan, GSP Baseball will have many unique opportunities to train and develop players, coaches, and administrators at every level of the game.

Throughout the visit, the GSP team met with government officials, federation members, sports manufacturers, school personnel, and many community members. President DeVoss and Coach Furches were invited to speak with members of the media at a baseball federation press conference, and were featured in several national news broadcasts!

Take a look at stills from the broadcast below and look forward to more exciting developments from Pakistan very soon!

Arab Rugby 7s Championship Held in Alexandria

The 6th Arab Rugby 7s Championship was hosted by the Egypt Rugby Federation in Alexandria from 12 to 14 February 2021. It was a privilege for GSP to have our Rugby and PE Trainer, Jung Jung, attend this great tournament as an invited guest and observer. He watched 8 men’s teams from Egypt, UAE, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Lebanon and Syria compete, with Egypt defeating Lebanon in the championship game.

The inauguration of the first women’s Arab Rugby 7s tournament featured 4 teams from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Lebanon. Again Egypt kept the championship at home by going undefeated and not conceding a single point. Egyptian captain Farida Elzakzouk said, “More people are talking about rugby in Egypt right now. A lot of people are coming to me [and asking:] 'How can I come?' 'How can I play?'“

Congratulations to all of the participating teams, and to the Egyptian men and women’s teams for their tournament victory!

Jung Jung stated GSP’s perspective from observing the tournament:

"Definitely we are seeing a huge interest and potential to develop rugby in the Arab nations for both men and women!"

GSP looks forward to future collaboration and partnership with the Egypt Rugby Federation and Arab Rugby for future development of rugby in the Arab nations.

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GSP Teaches Coaching and Leadership to Reshape Staff in Egypt

Jung Jung, GSP’s Physical Education and Team-building Trainer, had the privilege to be part of the Reshape leadership and coaching program. During his month-long stay in Egypt, Jung taught several important sessions on leadership and coaching. 

Over the last several years, Reshape has developed a growing number of staff and volunteers. A key element of their strategy is to transform the staff and volunteers into Coaches and Leaders. 

The leadership sessions were taught with the young assistant coaches and head coaches from the Reshape sports program.  Sessions included once a week for classroom sessions and then twice a week for on the field sessions, examining topics such as leadership, communication, and coaching. 

The five core or DNA values of Reshape are Excellence, Service, Integrity, Teamwork and Passion. Each of these was incorporated into the trainings sessions, building a foundation of solid principles of leadership, communication, and coaching. 

GSP Tunis Organizes Baseball and Basketball Camps

GSP Tunis successfully completed their Summer 2020 Baseball and Basketball Camps at the American Cooperative School of Tunis. Despite reduced participation due to concerns related to the pandemic, 24 children and 6 coaches – 3 of whom are Tunisian – participated in the baseball camp (3-7 August) and 30 children and 9 coaches – 7 of whom are Tunisian – participated in the basketball camp (10-14 August). According to GSP Tunis Country Coordinator Jared Morgan, “the GSP Tunis Summer 2020 Baseball and Basketball Camps were a great success because the participants learned many new skills as well as character traits that will benefit them throughout their lives.”

A parent of two of the baseball camp participants expressed gratitude saying,

“Thank you … to the dedicated GSP team who made the baseball camp so enjoyable. Both [of my children] were thrilled with the experience and learn[ed] many new skills.”

GSP staff saw major improvements in the performance of the young athletes throughout the course of the camp. Players with little to no prior experience were excelling in form and execution by the end of the week. Morgan noted that “children who had never played the game were understanding concepts and skill development, and they showed the ability to hit, catch, field and throw with good technique.”

When asked about the basketball camp, Jared Morgan made this observation:

“All week long, we were working on shooting and layups with the players. On the last two days, we saw multiple players make layups with incredible form. It was very exciting to see these improvements and the excitement of all involved was obvious as all of the coaches were celebrating these victories.”

In addition to investing in young athletes during these camps, GSP Project Coordinator for Algeria, Libya and Tunisia Marc Neie noted,

“We’re definitely excited about the development of the athletes, but we’re equally excited about our partnership with and investment in several Tunisian coaches.“

GSP’s camps provide us with the opportunity to expand sport involvement and character development beyond our own programs as we invest in the future of sport in Tunisia and around the world.

Excited with the positive developments in both skill and participant character, GSP Tunis also is hoping to use these camps as a springboard into the upcoming Fall 2020 GSP Tunis Baseball and Winter 2020 Basketball programs where they expect to see increased participation from athletes and additional opportunities to invest in the development of athletes and Tunisian coaches.

GSP Malaysia Partners with IPG for Ultimate Frisbee Championship

It is often said that teachers make great students, so why not make them great Ultimate Frisbee players, too?! On February 25, 2020, GSP Malaysia partnered with Insitut Pendidikan Malaysia (IPG) schools to organize the Ultimate Frisbee Championship for the IPG Carnival Games between Staff 2020 (KAPAS – Karniaval Permainan Antara Staf) at the Campus Pendidikan Islam just outside of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Male and female teachers competed in separate divisions and in 3on3, 5on5, and 7on7 competitions. Time on the field with these educators produced a lot of laughs, sweat, and fun! It was an enjoyable experience for all. Current teachers had the opportunity to model teamwork and athleticism to future teachers, who were either spectators or volunteers at the event. The fun-filled day concluded with a disc golf challenge.

GSP Malaysia is honored to partner with great schools and organizations in Malaysia, such as IPG, to develop the sport of Ultimate Frisbee.

GSP and Malaysia Ministry of Education Partner on Nutrition Initiative

Over the last five years, the Ministry of Health of Malaysia has held nutrition programs in both primary and secondary schools. The physical activities portion of the programs has focused on soccer for males and net ball for females. Through GSP Malaysia’s relationship with the Ministry of Education, we were invited to introduce the sport Ultimate Frisbee as an alternative to the traditional sports.

On March 5, 2020, we held a clinic for both teachers and students. The clinic was designed to be a “training for trainers” clinic.  GSP Malaysia representatives taught basic skills and drills such as throwing the disc, movement during the game, and rules for playing. Clinic day hosted 19 schools (49 total participants) who thoroughly enjoyed learning and playing Ultimate Frisbee.

Teachers and students alike had a great time and were excited to return to their respective schools to teach their friends and fellow program participants. In addition, we agreed to send a GSP Representative or an ambassador of the Malaysia Flying Disc Association (MFDA) to each school for two separate training sessions prior to the November tournament. 

On March 18th, due to Covid-19, Malaysia went on lockdown. As a result, schools and social activities were canceled. Therefore, the students and teachers who attended the clinic have not had the opportunity to train their fellow participants. Once the lockdown is over and school resumes, we are hopeful that the budget for this program will remain in place and the students will be able to continue to practice and learn this great game of Ultimate.

What an exciting way to allow the sport of Ultimate to grow among students who do not have a sport to truly call their own!   

GSP Ethiopia Hosts Football Coaches Clinic

Global Sports Partners Ethiopia, in association with BisratSport, hosted a Coaching Football Seminar in Addis Ababa on 1 and 2 January, 2020.  This introduction to the new year was a huge success for the overall development of Coaching Principles and Theory of Football.

Two instructors, René Marić (Assistant Manager) and Patrick Eibenberger (Athletic Coach) from Borussia Monchengladbach of the German Bundesliga, taught with great insight on the following topics: 

  • Coach Rene taught on “Principles of Football Theory,” and “Applying Football Theory to Practice”; both of which offered specific and reproducible concepts for training.

  • Coach Patrick taught on “Balancing Physical and Tactical Load in Football” and “Injury Prevention and Recovery Mechanisms”.

The participants of the training consisted primarily of elite level coaches, including the coaches from both the Ethiopian Men’s and Women’s national teams. The curricula and theory discussed will help the football community expand on practice and team development to better prepare for competition and excellence.

GSP Ethiopia looks forward to on-going cooperation with football and sport development in Ethiopia.

GSP Leads Youth Basketball Coaches Clinic in Tunisia

GSP Director of Basketball Operations, Bobby Quayle, traveled to Tunis, Tunisia in December 2019 to lead a Level 1 Coaches Course for four Tunisian basketball coaches.

The emphasis of the coaching clinic was coaching youth basketball. Coach Quayle led the Tunisian coaches through classroom sessions and on-court demonstrations. In order to successfully complete the Level 1 Coaches Course, the coaches will apply what they learned by coaching in the GSP Tunis Basketball Program in January and February 2020.