Wanderlust in Play

There’s a new trend emerging worldwide for the ultimate sports lover. The idea is simple, play a sport, watch a game in unimaginably energetic surrounds, and then take off on a trail of the land, exploring its cuisine, culture and the way of life.

Cricket coaches like Grant Flower and Heath Streak train you in Zimbabwe and South Africa, you can golf in Vietnam, train in cricket and rugby in Zimbabwe and undergo rigorous training in football in Spain or the UK.

Hopping on a jet, exploring a new vista and its sport has Ricky Leighton thrilled. He had an incredible experience with Sports Tours Africa. On a gap-year programme, he learnt more cricket while taking in the culture too. Meanwhile, Anthony Francis Payyapilli from Bengaluru is a youngster who is in Spain for a year, enrolled in the International  Soccer Academy of Madrid for training.

He says, “The training is intense with the focus on skills and strength. There’s exposure to high-quality football matches in the junior Spanish League too. At Seville, we played with one of the best professional Spanish teams and also got a chance to see the culture of a different part of Spain.”

His mother Rosy Payyapilli went to drop her son off and then took in the sights of Madrid while there.

“He also trained in the junior first division club, Alco Bendas. The boys are taken to different cities to train, and he recently visited Seville. But mostly, it’s all about rigorous practice sessions,” says Rosy. So far, Anthony has met a few players from Atlético Madrid like Koke and Diego Costa.

And now, back to Ricky Leighton from the UK, and his cricket dreams.

“The SPT programme was exactly what I was looking for. They offered coaching, umpiring and scoring training. I also did a fitness and nutrition course, umpired a regional match and scored in a first-class game,” says Ricky. He also had the opportunity to meet Test players and work with Grant Flower and Heath Streak.

The culture trip too was taken care of with visits to Harare, Bulawayo and Hwange, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

“I had a chance to walk with the lions. My experience was so inspirational that I have set up my own cricket business, encouraging people to go on the Sports Tours programmes. I can honestly say that without Sports Tours Africa, my own business, RML Cricket, would not exist,” Ricky adds.

Another businessman, Ajit Mohandas, from Bengaluru started Golf Tripz, which deals in customised packages offering golf lovers the best of courses and yes, culture.

With customers from Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, he says, “Since every course is unique, it depends on what the customer wants. We have packages where we combine cooking classes along with golf in Thailand, Vietnam and New Zealand. There are also many places in the coastal areas where we offer diving and golf combinations. The costs depend on the country, courses and time of the year. A package in Thailand for three to four days costs between Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000 (excluding airfare). It’s all about playing golf with likeminded people. In Europe, for instance, they play three to four rounds of golf and take in the culture of the place too.”

And for Apurv Nagpal, corporate honcho-turned-author of Eighteen Plus, no holiday is complete without a sporty endeavour. He has travelled across the globe for cricket matches. Nagpal was at Lord’s when India chased down 325 with Yuvi and Kaif and also saw Ganguly taking off that t-shirt, He was there for the T20 World Cup in South Africa, where India won, at the 2003 cricket World Cup in England, where India lost to Pakistan, and then back again in England for the the T20 World Cup, (the last one).

“But I’ve also been to the last four soccer World Cups — France in 1998, South Korea, 2002, in Germany for 2006 and then in South  Africa for the 2010 tournament. And I’ve already got tickets to four matches in the second phase of ticket sales for Brazil 2014. I have booked the flights for the six of us (my family and parents),” reveals Apurv Nagpal.

As sports is such a large part of his itinerary, does he get time to explore? “My family loves to walk around, pick up a few words in the local language, try local cuisine, drink what the country drinks and more. During the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, we visited Johannesburg, Cape Town and then drove up all the way to Knysna, taking in ostrich farms, a safari, Sun City, StellenBosch (some of my favourite wines are found here), Paarl, Hermanus (a lovely seaside resort famous for its whale watching) and then finally to the Cape of Good Hope, where we saw penguins.”

But his most memorable football experience was in Germany, when his daughter was just over a year-old. He had to organise a baby sitter while they saw a game in Leipzig. “I remember waving an Indian flag during the match and getting quite a few amused looks — it was the France vs South Korea encounter,” he adds.

While Apurv could be among the world’s best sport spectators, Kanishk Saran, vice-president, SPT Sports Management Pvt Ltd is also one of those sport aficionados who prefers a bit of sport and travel together.

“My brother and I travelled to London and watched Chelsea against West Ham United a few years ago. It was an experience like no other. This was also why we started the concept of sports tourism under the SPT Sports Management umbrella. We have conducted trips to Spain and England where children can play against youth teams of clubs such as Real Madrid, Bournemouth Football Club (UK) and Portsmouth Football Club (UK). These are customised tours during summer holidays,” explains Kanishk.

Travel might open the mind, but this kind of travel gives one a perspective and skill to cherish, and now, who wouldn’t want that?