Study abroad gives you the chance to experience daily life in a new place, instead of simply visiting. As you attend class, explore, and meet new people, you begin to understand your host culture through the routines, conversations, and small moments that shape everyday life.
Joining a sports team, club, or recreational group is a great way to deepen your experience.
Depending on your program location, host university, schedule, and interests, you can find opportunities through university athletic teams, campus clubs, intramural teams, recreational leagues, local community teams, pickup games, and fitness groups.
The benefits of joining a sports team while you study abroad
Joining a sports team while you study abroad can help you meet people, build a routine, stay active, and feel more connected to your new community. You don’t have to play a varsity sport. Recreational sports, local clubs, intramural teams, and casual activity groups can all give you a meaningful way to engage with life abroad.
Joining a sports team or activity group gives you a regular place to show up, and that consistency can be grounding. Whether you attend weekly practice, join a casual game, or participate in a student recreation league, you are creating a routine that connects you to other people and your new city or town.
Sports can also make new conversations easier, through shared experiences and goals. Over time, this can help you form friendships with classmates, local students, community members, or other students studying abroad.
Being part of a team can also help you build confidence. Each time you attend a practice, learn a local rule, ask a question, or try something unfamiliar, you are practicing the same skills that shape personal growth during study abroad: flexibility, curiosity, communication, and willingness to participate.
Study abroad sports opportunities
Opportunities will naturally vary by location, university, season, availability, and program structure. You might not find the exact same activities in every 91ÖÆƬ³§ location, but many students can explore different ways to participate in sports or movement while abroad.
Some options may include:
Campus-based clubs. Student-led groups organized around a specific sport or activity through the host university.
Intramural or recreational leagues. Lower-pressure teams often focused on involvement, community, and fun rather than high-level competition.
University or ‘varsity’ teams.*University or varsity team sports allow students to participate in organized competitions while training and competing as part of a structured team. These typically involve tryouts.
Local community clubs. Teams or groups organized through community centers, recreational facilities, local sports associations, gyms, or neighborhood groups.
Pickup games and informal groups. Casual opportunities such as weekend running, park workouts, football games, or beach volleyball.
Fitness-based alternative. Running clubs, hiking groups, climbing gyms, yoga classes, cycling groups, dance classes, martial arts studios, and other activity-based communities.
The goal is not to find one perfect option. Explore what’s available, what feels comfortable, and what fits into your academic and personal schedule.
*NCAA bylaws prohibit student-athletes from participating on outside, non-collegiate teams during the academic year. Doing so without approval renders you ineligible for intercollegiate competition. If you, as a student-athlete, want to play or train while overseas, you are required to get compliance clearance from your university’s Compliance Office before your experience.
Try sports that reflect your study abroad location and interests
One of the unique benefits of studying abroad is that your location can introduce you to sports, activities, or traditions that are less common at home. In most places, the local environment shapes what people do for fun. In others, certain sports are closely tied to campus life, community identity, or national culture.
Depending on where you study, you may encounter activities such as:
Surfing, sailing, rowing, or beach volleyball in coastal locations
Cricket and/or rugby in places where it is a major part of local sports culture
Hiking, skiing, netball, martial arts, polo, and other sports that are especially popular in a particular region
The point is not that you need to choose the most popular local sport or become an expert. Staying open to location-specific activities can help you understand your host community in a new way. A sport that feels unfamiliar at first may become a way to learn local customs, social expectations, and traditions that you might not notice from the outside.
Trying a sport closely connected to your location can also change how you experience the place itself. Getting involved can help you understand why certain beaches, parks, stadiums, trails, or community spaces matter to local people. You might also notice how sports show up in conversation, media, family life, school spirit, and national identity.
“On top of all the cultural exchanges, my host dad noted that one of the most beneficial aspects of playing with this team was the places it took me around the region. I am pretty confident that nobody else in my program saw some of the places I went for different practices. Even my host dad hadn’t been to or heard of some of the field locations.” —Ezra T., 91ÖÆƬ³§ Chilean Universities Program, ValparaÃso
Opportunities will depend on your program location, season, availability, host institution, and your interests.
How sports can help you build community abroad
Building community abroad can happen in many ways. You might connect with people through classes, housing, excursions, internships, volunteering, or local events. Sports can add another path because they create a shared experience from the beginning.
When you join a team or group, you have a reason to see the same people regularly. That repetition matters. Friendships often grow through repeated, everyday interactions, and sports can give you a natural setting for those moments. You might warm up with the same teammate each week, walk to practice with another student, or talk after a game with people you are just beginning to know.
Sports can also make connections feel less forced. You don’t need the perfect conversation starter. The activity itself gives you a shared interest to talk about, respond to, and participate in. Ask about rules, learn team traditions, share encouragement, and celebrate small moments together.
You might also develop a stronger sense of belonging through sports. When you are part of a team, club, or activity group, you are not only watching life abroad happen around you; you’re taking part. That can help your host city feel more familiar and make your experience feel more personal.
“I sought out the surfers, climbers, skiers, skateboarders, and artists, while removing myself from the frame of mind I had in my previous college. I quickly became involved with the Valpo Surf Project, a non-profit after-school extracurricular program that teaches English and surfing to underprivileged youth. I met like-minded individuals and friend groups.” —Colin M., Chilean Universities Program, ValparaÃso
Even if you only join for a semester, those connections can matter. A short-term activity can still give you meaningful relationships, local insight, and memories that stay with you long after your program ends.
Cultural learning on the field
Team dynamics, communication styles, coaching styles, practice expectations, competitiveness, punctuality, and post-game traditions might all be different in your new location. You may notice differences in how teammates encourage one another, how captains lead, how clubs are organized, or how the community gathers around a sport.
These differences can help you better understand the culture around you. You are not only observing from a distance, but participating, listening, adjusting, and learning through experience.
Sports can also make cultural exchange feel more approachable. You may not understand every reference, rule variation, or team tradition right away, and that is okay. Asking questions, paying attention, and being willing to learn can help you become more comfortable in the group and more aware of the local context.
“By participating in GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) at Trinity College Dublin, I was able to learn much about Ireland and Irish culture all while embracing competition and sport, which has played a major role in my college experience.” —Andrew S., Trinity College Dublin Partnership, Dublin
Body language, teamwork, encouragement, leadership, humor, and conflict resolution can all look different across cultures. A practice or game can give you real examples of how people collaborate, solve problems, and support one another.
Those lessons can carry into the rest of your study abroad experience. The more you practice observing, adapting, and participating, the more confident you may feel in other settings, from the classroom to your host community.
How sports support wellbeing during study abroad
Regular physical activity can help you create balance and maintain your physical and mental health while abroad. Along with your physical wellbeing, it can also be helpful to understand what to expect with mental health while studying abroad, including common challenges, adjustment, and when to seek support.
Improving wellness
Joining a team, club, or activity group can support your wellbeing by giving you time to move, reset, and step away from the demands of your schedule. You do not have to be highly competitive to benefit from participating. Recreational sports, casual clubs, and activity groups can offer many of the same advantages as formal teams. The goal may simply be to move your body, meet people, spend time outside, or try something that helps you feel more connected to your host location.
“On days when I felt homesick or overwhelmed, running gave me time to reflect, decompress, and remember why I chose to study abroad in the first place. Each solo run was a mix of exploring my new neighborhood and checking in with myself emotionally. In those quiet, repetitive strides, I found peace, processed feelings, and set intentions. Running helped me through culture shock, loneliness, and moments of doubt. It gave me something to work toward, physically and mentally.” —Genesis C., 91ÖÆƬ³§ Buenos Aires: Psychology and Neuroscience, Buenos Aires
Creating routine
A sports routine can help structure your week when so much feels new and having a recurring activity can provide a sense of stability. You know where to go, when to show up, and what to expect. If sports or fitness are already part of your life at home, continuing that habit abroad can help you feel more settled. As you prepare emotionally for study abroad, thinking about routines and support systems can help you feel more grounded when you arrive.
Boosting confidence
Confidence can grow through small steps. The first time you attend a practice, join a casual game, or try a new activity may feel unfamiliar. The second time may feel easier. Over time, you may become more comfortable asking questions, joining conversations, learning local expectations, or trying activities that once felt outside your comfort zone.
Questions to ask before joining a sports team, club, or activity abroad
Before you jump in, understand the commitment, cost, schedule, eligibility, and level of competition. Asking a few practical questions can help you choose an option that fits your study abroad experience.
Level of competition. Is the group recreational, competitive, or somewhere in between?
Time commitment. How often does the group meet? Are there practices, games, events, or weekend travel?
Schedule fit. Will the activity work with your classes, 91ÖÆƬ³§ activities, excursions, and other responsibilities?
Costs. Are there membership fees, equipment needs, uniforms, transportation costs, or facility fees?
Eligibility. Is participation open to visiting or study abroad students?
Language expectations. Will you need to understand or use the local language to participate comfortably?
Health and safety considerations. Are there registration forms, waivers, insurance details, or safety expectations to understand before joining?
Your personal goals. Are you hoping to meet people, stay active, try a local sport, continue an activity you already love, or build a routine?
You do not need every answer immediately, but asking these questions can help you find the right fit.
You don’t have to be an athlete to participate
Even if you don’t think of yourself as an athlete you can still find options that fit.
“While Argentina is a country that places fútbol on a pedestal above most other sports, I found that the skill level varied substantially! At the end of the day, most [players] are there to have an active and fun afternoon, just like you! To find out the go-to parks and what times are most popular, I asked my host mom and host sister, cafe baristas, kiosko (small corner stores found on nearly every block) cashiers, and even my taxi drivers if they knew any good places to find a good pick-up game” —Alex K., Argentine Universities Program, Buenos Aires
If joining a team feels like too much at first, start smaller:
Watch a local game
Try one beginner session
Join a casual walk, hike, fitness class, or pickup game
The most important thing is finding an option that fits your comfort level, schedule, and goals. Your version of sports abroad may look different from someone else’s, and that is completely okay.
How to find sports teams, clubs, and activities abroad
Start with the resources closest to your program.
Your host university. Many universities have student clubs, societies, recreation offices, activity fairs, and online listings where you can learn about available teams and groups. For example, many universities have dedicated resources , to guide students on how to get involved.
91ÖÆƬ³§ staff. Our team can often help with resources plus guidance on what questions to ask and how to think through your schedule and comfort level.
Classmates, roommates, and local students. They may know about casual games, beginner-friendly groups, or clubs that welcome new participants.
Community spaces. You might find sports opportunities through local gyms, recreation centers, parks, community boards, social media groups, or neighborhood organizations.
As you consider your options, keep in mind that the best one may not be the sport you play at home. Be willing to try something new.
Start your journey
With 91ÖÆƬ³§, your study abroad experience is not limited to the classroom. The way you engage with your host community matters, too. As you explore programs and prepare for your time abroad, consider how a team, club, or activity group could help you take part in local life and make your experience feel more connected, memorable, and your own.
