We
breathe
soccer
breathe
soccer
In Barcelona, Spain today, FC Barcelona Femení, one of the most successful Spanish Women’s soccer teams, took time after training to meet with an all girls soccer group that ISL Travel Management were managing during a Sports Trip throughout the historic Catalan city. Major Women’s soccer stars like Marta Torrejón, and Stefani Van Der Gragt met with the girls soccer players to provide words of encouragement and to hopefully inspire them to further greatness! We’d like to thank FC Barcelona Femeni and their players for helping create this special moment.
In January, ISL moved it’s American Headquarters from Charlotte, NC to Miami, FL. The move signified the growth and continued expansion of ISL Agency, a growth that would be difficult to imagine when we began.
Moving a headquarter over 700 miles, to one of the most renowned cities in the world is never an easy task, but ISL Miami HQ is truly up and running. We are proud of how the space has come together, and we now continue to establish ourselves in one of the largest Sports Business markets in the world. While our employees are all over the world, Miami HQ is what connects all corners of our business, and will see employees come and go during their work travels.
Check out the new space below, and next time you’re in Miami, our doors are always open. We’ll see you in Miami soon!
For the second time this year the ISL family got together to celebrate achievements, milestones, discuss company vision for 2020 and to bond over good food and healthy athletic competition.
This past May marked ISL’s 6th year anniversary as a company. What started off as a dream by a couple of childhood friends from Spain has blossomed into a global sports management powerhouse, with 8 locations across the United States and Europe, with 100+ full time employees working with a variety of clients and projects.
Upon arrival in the historic Catalonian city we were met by the mountainous terrain in the distance and the salt air from the nearby coast line. With a sense of electricity that is seemingly unique to this part of the world we converged onto the southern part of the city. Our time together was limited, so we were determined to maximize it.
Events were held at the world famous David Lloyd Club Turo Sports Facility, the location of WTA Tournaments in recent years, for our corporate meeting with the executive team and all of the directors. ISL CEO, Alex Isern, opened up by welcoming us, some pleasantries, anecdotes and the itinerary for the day. Shortly after concluding his remarks we jumped right in.
An array of topics were covered by each of the departments that make up ISL as a whole. This was a great way for each director to level set the expectations of their respective department. Senior Executives and C-Suite discussed how we can all work together in tandem for the greater good of the company to improve programs and our customer or client experiences.
What was set for a 3 hour block of presentations and open discussion flew by, and before we knew it both Alex Isern and Marc Segarra (Co-Founder) were up front delivering their concluding remarks and heartfelt thanks to each of us for the hard work and dedication that has been put in to getting ISL Agency to where it is today.
Shortly after the conclusion of the meeting the team made there way to locker rooms to change out for the first of hopefully many more future Padel competitions to come. Padel is a racquet sport, which is both fast and highly entertaining to play and watch. After a spirited afternoon of competition, laughter and one rolled ankle, a pair of champions were crowned. From the courts we made our way out for an evening of fellowship over good food and wine. As the evening drew to a close we were all reminded of how fortunate we are to be in each others lives. Not just from a professional point of view, but because we genuinely work together like one big happy family, and although it may not have been the sole purpose of the trip, it was the lasting impression we all walked away with.
A successful week was rounded out with a surprise visit from our old friend and partner, Bobby Epstein – the owner of COTA, who had travelled to Barcelona to catch up with the ISL owners and team before everyone headed back to their respective parts of the world. “Since I met Marc and Alex I knew they were going to build something unique. Their work ethic, passion, and business acumen are very impressive and I’m very excited to start doing things together. ISL has a tremendous potential in the US and I look forward to pushing the boundaries of this industry” – Bobby Epstein. We are truly grateful for this relationship and look forward to many fruitful years ahead.
This week it was announced that United States Youth Futsal (USYF), the highest level of youth Futsal, have partnered with ISL to help execute future international Futsal trip management. The partnership, beginning in 2019, signifies the first time ISL Travel Management will provide services to Futsal athletes, and are excited to enter an agreement with a great organization like USYF. ISL have become leaders in sports Travel Planning for large groups, and are thrilled USYF have trusted us with its travel needs. ISL Travel Management will be taking care of accommodations, flights, cultural activities, training, and competition opportunities against European opposition.
Players and families from from across the country will be heading to Barcelona for the trip. Talented Futsal players between the ages of 10-14 begin the selection process during more localized State ID events. Those players selected from their State ID are then eligible for the National ID event in Kansas, where the talent pool is narrowed down to a select group who will compete in Europe during an International Futsal Experience. The rigorous selection process yielded invitations to 108 of the best Futsal players around the country, and will bring the unique experience of players competing internationally alongside fellow players from the other side of the country.
It’s the beginning of hundreds of memories around the United States, and creating connections across the country through the power of sport.
As part of our 6 year anniversary celebration, we’re taking the time to look back at our short yet productive history as a company. Over the past several months, we have been revealing our story, bit by bit, a story that wouldn’t exist without everyone who has helped support ISL along the way.
For our fourth look back at our story, we take a look as we began to truly expand, and grow in ways we couldn’t imagine.
On August 17th, ISL partnered with BCN Sports from Toronto, Canada to provide Travel Management services for a unique sports trip to Europe. For the first time, ISL’s Travel Management team partnered with a Canadian group in executing all travel needs during an international trip. The group will be be enjoying the trip until August 26th.
Travel Management aided in customer services, travel logistics, cultural activities, and setting up elite playing opportunities in Spain. Our partner, BCN Sports, is an organization committed to delivering top quality sports and educational programs for young athletes. From soccer camps and academies in Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand and China, they offer a wide range of programs to players interested in developing themselves as players and as individuals. Our partners relied on our ability to execute a seamless experience for their group.
ISL continue to build strong relationships around the world with clubs and organizations. We look forward to helping others achieve their Travel Management goals. Our Travel Management team provides sport trip experiences around the world for groups of all cultural backgrounds, and we couldn’t be more proud of the execution of a truly professional team.
Soccer in the U.S. has grown tremendously over the past few years with over 2.3 million youth soccer participants across the country. It has become the youth sport of choice for many households around the country. There are a variety of clubs in cities around the country hoping to produce the next standout player that can make a concerted run at getting a college scholarship, make to the pros or bet yet get a call up to the National Squad to represent the Stars and Stripes.
Recognizing that the value of growing the FC Barcelona methodology within the United States, FCB leaped at the chance to be able to infuse the tradition & values that nurtured scores of FC Barcelona legends into the domestic youth system. In their endeavor to paint the world blue and red, the plan of global expansion continues just as recently as naming Orlando, FL as the 50th Academy. A proud day for them and ISL, as Orlando is now the 7th such Academy that Blaugrana has entrusted us to run in the U.S. and Costa Rica.
Barca Academies around the country recently kicked off with FC Barcelona legend and now current Ambassador, Juliano Belletti, with him visiting Academies around the country.
To put it into numbers: ISL runs 6 Academies around the country and 1 in Costa Rica. In total we have 2300+ boys and girls (and growing) ranging from 6-18 years old, 85 coaches and 25 staff members. So, as we look forward to another successful season ahead, we are grateful to all of the friends and families that trust us with each of their budding soccer star loved ones and helping them each achieve their dreams.
To follow along with each Academy over the course of the year round season follow @BarcaAcademyUS on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
Recently, ISL Foundation continued its commitment to being involved in local communities in the cities we have a footprint. ISL Foundation partnered with Big Brothers Big Sister of Miami to put on a 10 week soccer training program for 20 boys and girls, ages 8-14. Once a week for 90 minutes at various fields around the city, ISL employees took time out of their work week to spend time, train and support these amazing youngsters from different parts of the world including Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala and the U.S.
Serving their community since 1958, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami (BBBSM) are the premier nonprofit mentoring organization in South Florida. They are the champions of hope, transformation, and social good, all the while defending the potential of children who need it the most. BBBSM strives to make Miami a safe haven where children can grow and thrive. They have developed a network of strategic partnerships with local businesses and community organizations, aligned within the vision of “together we can do big things!”
From the start, ISL’s core values of putting people first, being active within the community and having involvement in local charities has always been our way of making decisions in hopes of making positive impacts in the lives of everyone we work besides or have the good fortune of coming into contact with. It’s to that fact that all the years of selfless, philanthropic work that has collectively been done as a company crescendoed in the birth of ISL Foundation.
The mission of the Foundation is to give back to aspiring athletes and communities that are underserved. We do our utmost to give each of them the chance to experience top levels of training and competition in world class facilities across their respective cities. Our hope is that we teach valuable lifelong lessons that will influence change. We measure our success by aiming to put smiles on as many faces as we can and the more they smile, the better we are doing.
To learn more about ISL Foundation and how we are changing lives follow this link.
The curtains have drawn to a close on six action packed weeks of FC Barcelona youth soccer action across the nation. Summer soccer camps 2019 is officially a wrap, and once again ISL have had the great honor of helping FCB and Barça Academy paint the country blue and red. This is the 5th year that Blaugrana have relied upon ISL in helping make sure the nationwide tour was executed seamlessly.
A lot of planning goes into this countrywide tour, from recruiting coaches from Barcelona for the Summer, staff to aid in the day to day operations, identifying facilities for the week, accommodation in each city, it’s truly an example of countrywide event management execution.
To break it down in numbers, we were in 37 cities from coast to coast, with 125 coaches and 150 staff members, but most importantly, 5000+ kids were instructed in the traditions, values and methodologies that have served generations of FC Barcelona superstars.
This year we were fortunate to be in numerous cities across the country, most of which we already have had a footprint in from past Summer camps. In addition to the existing locations, we were able to break ground into new territories and make headway into developing new lifelong relationships in parts of the country, including San Francisco, which boasted our largest turnout of close to 400 boys and girls. Be sure to check back with us in December as we get set to announce cities and dates for 2020.
Earlier this month over 3 days, the ISL Travel Management team were able to partner with Donosti Cup management in order to provide their service to a group of teams planning to compete in the internationally known youth soccer tournament. Several teams from all over the United States were arriving a few days early to prepare, and to take in the unique culture of the tournament location of Barcelona, Spain.
In the lead up to the 2019 Donosti Cup, tournament management were in need of travel management help for a large group of players and families from the United States. The group were seeking travel logistical help, aid in finding training facilities, friendlies against local clubs, and cultural activities to experience the special city of Barcelona. The ISL Travel Management team were able to help with all aspects, and helped prepare the group for their competition in the Tournament.
