Sport Lived - www.sportlived.co.uk

I spent 6 months living in Melbourne and playing for Powerhouse St Kilda hockey club. it was a great experience as initially the club were very welcoming and had made sure I settled into the club and area and always made transport to training and matches available. it was also very useful to play a different and high intense style of hockey which helped me to improve my game in other areas which I wouldn't have done just from playing hockey in England. There were also plenty of opportunities to help out at the clubbing coaching roles. this then meant I was known at the club for my game and helping out not just being the English guy. My only complaint would be as Powerhouse were premiere league club there was no opportunity to play in the first team as that would mean the club would have to pay for a permit to play but as a result of this it meant I could have a more senior role in the second team.

I would hugely recommend the person I dealt with.  Great guy that is always willing to help and got me seltled in Oz for my 8 months. The rugby league is amazing and most lads out there love having pins come out. Get stuck in with those lads and the ones on sports loved as it makes the trip amazing. Could have done with more socials though but overall great trip

My son was in the Winter Football Group 2017. He had a fantastic time and has returned far more independent, mature and ready to head off to University. Although at first glance the trip does appear expensive it is invaluable for parents to know that their child has 24/7 support on their trip on the other side of the world. The staff guide them through the things they need to do when they first arrive, make the contacts and arrangements with the sports club, introduce them to their fellow travellers,arrange interesting and varied social events and help them to find work if they want to supplement their spending money. My son also had special needs as he was in rehab following a knee operation and received help and advice on finding a physio and personal trainer (we did pay for these separately) The staff at Sport Lived could not have been more helpful from initial enquiry to end of trip. A couple of negative points to be aware of: the wifi at the Space hostel wasn't great which made skyping a little difficult. There was a bit of an issue over access to a gym at the times my son wanted to go (i.e. he didn't want to go very early in the morning)this was due to the gym be refurbished so should be sorted for future trips. But the real point is that my son has been home for just a week now and can't stop talking about all the things he saw and did. He had two coaching jobs which really opened his eyes to how a coach/teacher feels and the responsibilities they have. He chose to take part in the kids club presentation and made a speech in front of 75 parents and kids - something he wouldn't have dreamed of doing 6 months ago. And when he got home he sorted out and put on his own washing!!!

Sport Lived arranged for our son to play hockey in Melbourne for six months during his gap year. This included sourcing a club and providing accommodation. The organisation throughout was very good and there were no issues with any administrative matters and no pastoral or safety concerns. Frequent social events were organised which were varied and sounded good fun. The accommodation was a twin shared room, part of a larger flat of similar students. It's location was excellent, well situated in the suburbs of Melbourne, close to the hockey club and with good public transport. The only negative is that we would have benefited from advice beforehand as to how best to send his luggage and equipment etc to other side of the world.

Amazing time with lots of new friends made , job I was found as part of my tennis coaching program was amazing found a club to play for as well which was easy enough to do , there are extra expenses with travel cards as its not free the whole time , the apartments I stayed in where really nice and next to the markets and convince for shopping , trips where excellent loads of different activitIes to suit everyone , I would recommend that if you were to do a sport lived programme pick a coaching one as they find good work and the club you coach for can also provide you with playing time as well

I have recently arrived home from Melbourne, My netball programme lasted for 4 weeks. Not only did I get to play for one team in Melbourne, I was lucky enough to play for a second team which was based in the countryside. I had the best of both worlds - city and country! Which meant I had the opportunity to play plenty of netball during my time there - at least 4 days out of the 7. Even had options to play social netball during my rest days. Both of the netball teams I had joined were friendly and very welcoming. I felt like I have been a part of their team for years.

Not only were the netball teams friendly and welcoming but the whole sport lived group were the same. If I needed any help or if I just needed some reminding of where to go if I got lost, they were there to help.

The hotel I stayed in was perfect - right in the heart of the city! Not only was the location perfect but the staff were always friendly and always happy to answer any questions that I had. I couldn't have asked for a better experience.

I chose to do the full season in brisbane with sport lived, starting from February and ending in August. I can tell you now that sport lived made my time here a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable.

The link between staff and club was great, which helped settle into my league club very smoothly.

Accommodation wise, I chose the standard type. The SL staff hand picked probably the best hostel in Brisbane with great facilities and a awesome work team who helped us anyway they could. The only thing which could have made it better would have been a double bed and an oven in the kitchen, otherwise pan cooking is the only way to go.

The hostel was ideally located in a suburb called west end. 2 minute walk from the high street with a variety of restaurants and bars which all had a great atmosphere and character.

The social activities we went on were good. Before I arrived I was also under the impression from phone calls that we would have socials every week. Although that was not the case, our SL director made the socials as frequent and enjoyable as possible. He also made it very flexible with all of us. A lot of the guys and I were injured throughout the season which made us unable to participate in set activities. He asked us what we wanted to do instead, which made the socials so much more fun because no one was left out. I would say surfing on the gold Coast and going to watch the Broncos Vs Cowboys NRL game were my highlights of my time here.

We also did our own socials, travelling up to the sunshine coast and byron bay. The person I dealt with was great to help us out with cars and the best company to go with.

If you are going to participate in sport lived, I would recommend doing the full season. Three months is not enough time to explore and make memories. I have made some really close friends whilst living here for six months and I will definitely see them when I return home. I am extending my time in Australia to travel which again I can thank him for all the help.

I went on a football coaching/playing course in Brisbane with sport lived. At least that's what I thought was happening. I got there and there was nowhere for me to play, my co-ordinator said he would 'try and find me somewhere to play' after a week of me already being there. Also they decided not to let us know that there was a $500 joining fee to play for any club.

There were also lots of false promises on their website about the kind of trips and activities you get to do, we were also sent an itinerary of these activities, hardly any of which we actually got to do. When we asked why we didn't get to do some of the activities, they then changed the online itinerary to take off some activities.

I was also told there would be a FREE travel card for me to use around Brisbane. What They didn't say, however, is that it wasn't free and I would have to top it up every 2/3 days.

There were a few other problems with the people organising the trip and aspects of the trip we were either not told about, or any issues that came. None of the people we were able to speak to were helpful.

DON'T GET ME WRONG THOUGH

I had an amazing time, my coaching was brilliant, my flatmates I was out with were great and we've stayed friends. Beautiful country and amazing people.

If I were you I'd go to Australia and set everything up yourself, it would be much easier (and cheaper). And you'll have a much easier time.

My son came to New Zealand on a rugby placement with Sport Lived at Otago Golds in Dunedin. He had a brilliant time and we were reassured by the placement and organisation.

His rugby skills improved and he was part of a welcoming club. It was an amazing opportunity and led to him being "spotted" and offered clubs on his return to the UK.

We have returned to New Zealand to watch the Lions and he has caught up with the many friends he made through Sports Lived. I know he recommends this opportunity and as parents we highly recommend it as a sports experience and a life opportunity.

I recently just arrived from Melbourne, from my cricket programme. Sport lived has been a fantastic way of me to meet incredible people, live In a fantastic place within central Melbourne. The experience I gained by living in Melbourne and addopting it as home will something I can cherish forever. I would highly recommend sport lived as it was a way for me to meet great people and friendships and has been a ideal opportunity if I would like to live there in the future though the amazing time I had.