Soccer in Miami

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Johan, how did you get to study at an American university?

I studied eight-year grammar school, in my last year I decided to go to high school in America, not far from New York, with a classmate. We wanted to go out into the world, experience life there, and play sports in the school colors, which is not possible in the Czech Republic. After one year, we received our high school diploma, returned to the Czech Republic, and then graduated from our school. Even at that time, I had in mind that I wanted to return to America, I was excited about the local environment. But it was a Covid year, so I couldn't go overseas. That's why I started studying at the University of Economics in Prague and film at Charles University.

What were your next steps?

At Charles University, I was offered the opportunity to do an exchange stay in Washington, which would be fully funded. It was for one semester, but I thought that I would like to use this trip differently, better, and stay in America even longer. I started looking at other schools until I came across the University of Miami, which had the best offer. So I decided to go for it.

You study and play soccer. When did you start playing it and what was your career like before moving overseas?

I always played football as a hobby, I never aimed to play professionally. In my youth I played in the first league for Mělník, during my year in high school in the USA I also played for a local team. Today I see football as a means that allows me to study abroad, and as a hobby that I do for my health.

Hoq quality soccer is in Miami?

It matches my qualities. For example, Washington, which is a school in the D1 division, the most prestigious. I would probably have a hard time making it there in football. Florida is said to have the best football there. In Miami, we play in the Sun Conference, the first division of the NAIA, the lower league.

What's the competition within the team?

At first, I didn't notice the competition within the team in terms of scholarships. But at the beginning of this year, our coach got fired, and the new coach who replaced her decided to reorganize the scholarships. I was injured at the time, so he couldn't see me play, so I was called Black Peter and I was going to lose three quarters of my scholarship from the following year. So over the next few months, I started looking for another school where I could transfer so that my tuition would be fully covered again. I managed to do that, even though it was a lower football competition, but in the end, the transfer wasn't necessary. A few days before I moved, the team's current coach accepted an offer from another school and took many of the players with him. The team suddenly became smaller, and with it more scholarships were available, so I was able to stay and continue.

How do you enjoy school?

We are a specific school, most students are involved in sports, so the teaching is perfectly adapted to that. Many lectures are still online. I like that there are not as many tests or exams as I was used to in the first year of university in the Czech Republic. Here it is replaced by practical projects. Overall, the curriculum is more practical, we don't have to learn lessons from a textbook, which is of course much more fun and also much less stressful.

You talked about certain specifics of your school. What makes it unique?

I go to an HBCU, Historically Black College or University. These schools have a very strong and distinct culture, which can be a problem for a lot of people at first in terms of fear of inclusion. I stopped noticing that and from the beginning I didn't feel any discrimination or judgment or anything like that. That support is very important.

You also experienced Czech university, where do you see the biggest differences?

The year I studied in the Czech Republic was the one with Covid, so I didn't spend much time physically at school. What I like about this school is that it actively tries to find jobs for students while they are still studying. Every Wednesday, representatives of various companies come to our school and offer internships. Recently, the FBI was here, for example. The school simply doesn't want students to be left without a job and without work experience after graduation.

How is it with work while studying?

Having transferred from the Czech Republic for a year, I am now in my third year. In addition to my studies, I play soccer, manage several Instagram profiles, which I would like to use to start my own agency later, and in recent months I have also been working with the USA Sport & Study organization, which helps students get scholarships to American universities, study here, and play sports at the same time.

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How did this coop start?

Like many people my age, I am also active on TikTok. I shared my journey to America and everything I did there. Some videos had over half a million views and young people were interested in how they could also get to study at an American university. At first, I wrote to everyone individually and tried to give them advice or recommend some steps that I had taken during that journey. But there started to be a lot of them, so I decided to connect them with an agency. That's how I came across Robert Sovík and USA Sport & Study. Our cooperation has grown so much that today I directly scout young football players from the Czech Republic in the third and fourth years of high school and offer them the opportunity to continue their studies at a university overseas. If they are interested in such an opportunity, I am then in charge of close communication between them, or their parents, then choosing the ideal school and connecting with coaches. In other words, the overall process so that the transition to university is as smooth as possible.

Do you like the work?

I have to say, a lot! For example, parents are often excited about such an opportunity if they manage to arrange a full scholarship. Young footballers often do not want to continue their studies at university in the Czech Republic and want to focus on football, but because of the move to America they can also study, and parents logically listen to that. The fact that I work with footballers is a nice bonus, because football has been in my life since childhood.

You think about coaching in Miami?

I thought about it and it was also my first steps when I was looking for a job after arriving and settling in. I didn't have a work permit yet, so the captain of our team quickly arranged for me to train a group of Cuban children. At that time, I didn't have a car yet, so I cycled fifteen kilometers there and fifteen kilometers back to training. Well, the truth is that I was very fit at that time. Later, I also got a coaching license with my work permit and was put in charge of eleven-year-old schoolchildren. They were a great bunch and I enjoyed it. But a few months ago, the payment morale of the entire group deteriorated. At first, I didn't deal with it because I already had other income, but when it happened again, I had to quit the job. In the end, they paid me back the debt.

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What's your plan after graduation?

I still have a few options open, which is great about the American university system. My long-term dream is to open my own school related to sports. There is a large South American community here in Florida, I would like to organize camps just across the border, and South America is also a hotbed of football talent. So I would like to find a few investors and create a sports school that would scout talented athletes from Europe and South America, provide them with the necessary education and send them into the world, whether it be professional sports or business.

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