A university sports star is offering other sportsmen and women who want to challenge themselves against the best the opportunity to take part in the gap year adventure of a lifetime through his new website www.ptlsports.com
Sports-mad graduate Alex Carlton-Porter has travelled the world, learning to ski in Canada before spending a season playing rugby for a team based in Sydney and touring the USA with his university side.
Now he is using his experience to set up PTLSports.com, a company that specialises in giving talented cricket, rugby, hockey and football players the chance to play a season overseas as part of their gap year.
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Unlike other companies, PTLSports,com is selective about who it takes abroad, assessing the ability of players and matching them with the right teams so they are challenged physically and individually on their tour.
By linking up with travel giant STA Travel, PTLSports.com can offer complete packages of flights, accommodation, coaching and matches to individuals and even whole teams.
The packages have been specifically designed to push gap year travellers to their limits, taking them to South Africa, Australia and Hong Kong. PTLSports.com is the only sports based gap year company to take travellers to Hong Kong, a destination that truly allows them to explore another culture.
Travellers will work closely with their squad, learning the true value of being a team player while enduring all of the pressures of living more than 5,000 miles away from a normal family support structure.
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Alex holds a BSc in Sports Management from University of Wales Institute Cardiff and twice played in front of an audience of thousands at the home of English rugby, Twickenham, in the BUCS (British Universities and College Sports) final.
The passionate sportsman says he was inspired by his travels and now wants other youngsters to have the same opportunity – using the lessons he learnt to deliver the best experience possible.
He said: “I found that the biggest complaint the overseas clubs have is the quality and commitment of gappers they receive from current companies – very few make it through the whole season and that causes disruption for the clubs especially as most are playing in leagues and performance is critical.
“Gap years give you the chance to meet new people, shape your ideas and being in a ‘can do’ society like Australia enables you to make your mind up.”
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Alex has an understanding of what his customers are looking for. “At a time of increasingly competitive university places and an ever tightening job market, travelling and playing team sports is a great way to make a CV really stand out from the crowd.”
The aspiring businessman said it is the same ‘can do’ attitude cemented by his sporting adventures that led to him setting up a new business in the midst of a recession.
“It is difficult starting up in any economic circumstances but unless you start you never get going. That is why I have put in the legwork of establishing a quality base of operations with low overheads. We can even offer students the chance to earn money on their tour by working as coaches if they have the qualifications.”
The PTLSports.com website has just been launched to allow customers to select the best package for them. Users start by selecting their package, completing an online booking form and uploading their sporting CV.
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PTLSports.com will then review your CV to design a tailor-made package specifically for you and contact you directly to finalise your package, reserve flights and send you an initial itinerary. In the weeks leading up to your trip you will receive a detailed pack containing all the information you need.
