BERKELEY – The tigers may not be included, but the lions and the Bears (oh my) are almost assured when California field hockey sets off on its South African tour on Sunday. The Golden Bears will play four matches on their international expedition, but the squad is set for so much more when they embark for the Rainbow Nation.

Cal will visit the major cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg as well as the surrounding areas on the tour, taking in everything from a wild game drive and a visit to Robben Island to a stop at a penguin beach and community service in an area affected by apartheid.

"I'm excited about delving into the culture, history and amazing sights of South Africa. Getting to play in a country where field hockey is huge just makes it that much better," said rising junior Emily Catan.

Under NCAA rules, teams are allowed to take international trips every four years for cultural and competitive experience. Field hockey began taking foreign trips nearly a decade ago, when Martha Jordan, mother of graduated senior Kristen Lee and former student-athlete Stacy Lee, helped to establish a private fund dedicated to giving the squad opportunities to tour internationally.

“We're really fortunate at the foresight of Martha Jordan to establish a fund eight years ago that would serve to give us this opportunity once every four years. It's a great legacy that would continue something beyond the attendance of her own two girls,” said head coach Shellie Onstead. “It's so valuable to the program to be able to say this experience is part of their career here and that every player is fortunate to say they were able to do a foreign tour.”

Onstead took her first group to Argentina in 2012 and saw firsthand how profoundly the trip affected her team even beyond their athletic careers.

“Based on my experience touring with the USA program and the last time we did this four years ago, it's immensely gratifying to see the group take in the world and the experience and take advantage of the fact that hockey is an international game and played all over the world – even some of the most remote. It's a common community from Russia to Malaysia to South Africa,” Onstead said.

In addition to playing matches against four opponents – the Western Province Country Districts, Western Province Cricket Club, Stellenbosch University and University of Johannesburg – the Bears will also visit the Langa Township, a suburb of Cape Town and one of the areas designated for Black Africans before the apartheid era. There, the Bears will tour the township and learn about education, job creation and more before conducting a hockey clinic for the local students.

“I'm dedicated to taking the team to places they don't typically go and giving them a look at life outside of what they know. A big piece to any tour we do is giving to the community we're in,” Onstead said. “We're not just going to vacation. We're going to give back.”

Other highlights on the itinerary include a tour to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years, a visit to natural wonder Table Mountain and a safari tour at the Pilanesberg Game Reserve.

"I'm looking forward to experiencing international hockey as well as learning about the culture of South Africa," said rising sophomore Janaye Sakkas.

The team began preparing for its international trip several weeks ago. Each student-athlete was assigned a specific topic from the itinerary to present to the travel group.

"It's going to be such a great experience for us on and off the field," Catan said.

Catch a glimpse into Cal's trip by visiting CalBears.com and following the Bears on Facebook (www.facebook.com/CalFH) and on Instagram (@CalFieldHockey) for highlights.