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Historic La Liga team Real Betis, commonly known as Betis, was on a recent postseason tour in the U.S. and around the globe as part of an aggressive growth strategy to expand into foreign markets to gain a larger fan base. The tours focus was to give current fans the opportunity to see them play locally, but also to test their futbol prowess against international clubs from around the world.
It was upon learning that the team would be stopping off as part of their travels in the nation’s capital to take on Wayne Rooney and D.C. United for an exhibition match that Toni Ortega, the International Business Manager for Real Betis and (long time ISL friend) Marc Barta, reached out to our Events Team to put together an itinerary for the players during their brief stay in Washington.
ISL Relationship Director, Pere Segara, arranged full access activities for the club. For many of the Betis players this was their first time to the Washington, D.C., let alone traveling to the United States, so what better way to experience America than taking in the countries traditional past time, baseball. Betis took in a Washington Nationals game to cap off a memorable trip for the club, players, and Betis fans.
ISL recently helped connect two of the worlds biggest sports star, Zlatan Ibrahimovic of LA Galaxy and Mariano DĂaz of Real Madrid. ISL worked closely with Mariano DĂaz and the LA Galaxy in order to meet Mariano’s childhood hero, and lifelong role model, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, to create and capture a unique moment for both of the soccer stars.
Majority of European clubs are currently on their summer offseason, meaning Mariano DĂaz had the time to visit Los Angeles where Ibrahimovic was training with LA Galaxy, who are in the middle of their MLS season. With ISL facilitating, the two met at LA Galaxy’s training facility, where they exchanged signed jerseys and kind words. Mariano DĂaz was then shown around the impressive LA Galaxy Facility.
The two stars are at very different stages of their careers. Mariano DĂaz came up through the Real Madrid Academy ranks, and now the 25 year old Real Madrid forward is working to take his club career to the next level. Ibrahimovic is in the later stages of his career, but it hasn’t stoped him from taking the MLS by storm, similar to every other club he has played at, with 35 goals in only 42 games. Earlier this week, Ibrahimovic received the ESPY for 2019 MLS player of the year.
ISL Talent Relationships Director, Pere Segarra, has a long time relationship with Mariano DĂaz’s manager, who reached out to Pere to arrange the moment. Pere was able to quickly and happily set up the meeting for Mariano and his team.
June 11, 2019
This week, Barca Academy camps around the the country begin as thousands of participants aged 6-16 years old train and compete under the FC Barcelona moniker for a week. This is an exciting time, and a huge event management undertaking as once again we have the good fortune of partnering with FC Barcelona in representing their namesake branded camps.
FC Barcelona camps managed by ISL will be in 37 different cities, coast to coast, over the course of 6 weeks. The tour requires intricate logistical and travel management planning months in advance. The 2019 tour will have hundreds of staff members across the country to help ensure the thousand of participants all get the same high quality experience.
Since ISL began it’s partnership with FC Barcelona, each tour sees more locations added year on year, leading to consistent grow. 2019 will see 4 new locations with Washington D.C., Seattle, Dallas, and Houston added to the tour, continuing the FC Barcelona brand expansion strategy.
We have an established and trusted relationship with FC Barcelona, to which the iconic soccer club relies heavily on our Event Management team to execute all forms of planning to see that each camp is impactful, fun, and a memorable event for all players and attendees. We highly value our relationship with FC Barcelona, not just because it is a legendary global brand, but because everything they do is done with excellence. That standard of excellence is one that leads to a powerful partnership, and long term success.
During a press conference in Barcelona today, MIC Sports and ISL officially announce their formal agreement. The agreement see’s ISL acquire the rights to host and manage the worlds most prominent International youth soccer tournament to the United States, the Mediterranean International Cup. Tournament ambassador Marc Bartra, and former participant of the Mediterranean International Cup, was alongside the two partners supporting the new venture.
ISL Co-Founder and CEO Alex Isern said of the agreement “We are very excited to bring to the US one of the best youth soccer tournaments in the world. It will be a pleasure to work with a great organization like MIC Sports and together we will form a very powerful team. We have been working on this project for a long time and we are thrilled to say it will be a reality at the end of this year. We believe it’s a great opportunity for American teams to participate in a world class event that has hosted world class soccer stars like Messi, Neymar, PiquĂ©.”
ISL are delighted to bring the MIC, short for Mediterranean International Cup, to the United States. The 19 year old tournament is considered the worlds most prestigious youth soccer tournament and is headed into its milestone 20th year. Over the course of nearly two decades, tens of thousands of players from around the world have participated, and countless of the game’s modern stars found the tournament to be the launching pad for their early careers. MIC USA will bring a distinguished level of professionalism to the youth soccer tournament scene in the United States, and has the vision of being the destination event for years to come.
The inaugural American event will take place in late 2019 in Florida, and will be held annually. The tournament was originated with one vision, to provide the opportunity for young players to participate against the worlds best teams and players. ISL are now seeking valued partners and sponsors to support the tournaments vision in the United States.
This morning, ISL hosted a press conference in Orlando, Florida with FC Barcelona announcing the 50th Barça Academy will be coming to Orlando in Fall 2019. ISL have been trusted by FC Barcelona over the years to strategically plan and execute an expansion strategy for the Catalan club, and it continues with the opening of the milestone Barça Academy Orlando. Key FC Barcelona, ISL and local Orlando figures were in attendance drawing strong local media attention.
Xavier O’Callaghan, FC Barcelona managing Director North America, was quoted on the launch saying “This is a unique opportunity for Orlando-area youth to receive the methodology and values from coaches with one of the premier soccer clubs in the world.” Xavier O’Callaghan leads the FC Barcelona strategy of establishing and maximizing representation of the club in the North American market. Part of the club establishment, is led by Carles Martin, Director of the Global Barça Academy project. “One of the main goals of Barça Academy has always been to give players around the world the opportunity to be exposed to our methodology, acquiring our core values and soccer capacities” Said Carles.
Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe was in attendance and showed her enthusiasm for Barça Academy coming to Orlando in saying “The fact that FC Barcelona is coming to Orlando gives us the opportunity to involve our diverse community in a project that has a dedicated foundation and integration base. These standards are very well aligned to our operative mindset. This could be a major boost for Orange County.”
Barça Academy Orlando will begin play in Fall of 2019 at Austin Tindall Regional Park.
The move is part of the club’s giant push for a bigger footprint in the United States, and a worldwide boost of its Barça Academy project. ISL are looking forward to continuing its work with FC Barcelona, and ISL co-founder said of being an official partner “This new program will not only help local players experience firsthand the best international, professional and developmental soccer pathway, but will also reinforce Orlando in a Global Soccer Stage.”
On April 13th, the ISL Travel Management Group provided agency services over a unique 9 day experience in Barcelona, Spain to 3 different clients and partners from opposite sides of the globe. Groups from Sporting Global, Nashville United Soccer Academy, and Barca Academy Chengdu (China) enjoyed a trip of a lifetime. The trip was made possible with meticulous planning of cultural activities, travel logistics, and elite playing opportunities by the ISL Travel Management Team.
Sporting Global are a sports management organization that creates new opportunities and value for sporting organizations around the world. ISL were glad to provide services to the group in order to bring 4 teams competing in the Mediterranean International Cup (MIC).
NUSA (Nashville United Soccer Academy) are the first soccer club ISL have partnered with for international competition. ISL and NUSA have had a strong relationship for years, and this was the first opportunity for the two organizations to partner for an international trip. NUSA leaders and parents said of the trip, “It was a total success. Everybody was happy and impressed with the professionalism and coordination of ISL during all the trip events. We’re looking forward to getting NUSA more involved in next years tournaments with ISL!”
ISL also worked with Barca Academy Chengdu in order to bring over a team to compete in the Barca Academy World Cup. This was the first time ISL executed a strategic travel management plan for a Chinese Client.
ISL continue to build strong relationships around the world with clubs and organizations. We look forward to helping others achieve their Travel Management goals.
Last weekend, ISL Foundation had the honor of partnering with Developmental Disabilities Resources, Inc. (DDR, Inc.) in putting on a free soccer clinic for 40 plus kids and adults in the Charlotte, NC community. “Dream, Believe, Achieve” is the bedrock on which they stand and for us, their motto is everything that embodies ISL Foundation as a whole.
The special event gained local news coverage from WCCB CW, and helped build support throughout the community leading into the event.
Kim Michel, the Leader of DDR’s Dream Squad, was quoted saying of the event “The DDR Dream Squad were in complete agreement that the soccer event this past weekend was easily one of our favorite events we have ever been a part of. This event ensured that each individual had the opportunity to stand out for a different reason, for trying hard and for being able to take risks doing something they have never tried before.”
The event was supported by Barca Academy Charlotte coaches and methodologies. Kim went on to say of the staff “I can honestly speak for the entire group when I tell you how much we truly appreciate the level of professionalism, effort, kindness, and genuine sincerity the staff put into this event.”
It was a chilly morning in Matthews, NC at the Matthews Sportsplex, but spirits were high and smiles were beaming all around. The emphasis of the day, simply to have fun, forget about the cares of the world and for a few hours train and play like real professional soccer players. After a brief welcoming introduction, players were broken up into different teams under the watchful and caring eyes of official Barcelona trained coaches and staff. Players were lead through the same instructions and drills academy players are routinely put through in preparation for league play and competitions. Passing, shooting, ball control and field formations were on the docket for the morning, before a spirited scrimmage to wrap up the morning.
ISL Foundation would like to thank everyone for making this event possible, and making it a memorable day for a special group of players.
Thiago Alcantara and his partnered charity, Zikkomo, were seeking the opportunity to put together a special benefit event with the ultimate goal of raising donations for underserved students in Malawi. In order to achieve their vision, ISL Foundation were trusted to develop, plan, organize, and execute their vision.
Thiago Alcantara is one of the worlds biggest soccer stars. The Spanish National team player has played at some of the worlds biggest clubs like FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Thiago, with his wife, is passionate about giving back to those less fortunate.
Thiago Alcantara’s partner charity, Zikkomo, is a non-profit charitable organization with the aim of improving and financing the education of children in Malawi and Catalonia. Zikkomo believe that quality education is the building block to the strength of a nation, and helping children achieve their education will help improve their country.
Thiago Alcantara and Zikkomo had a vision to put together a special soccer event that would raise funds for children’s education in Malawi. The clients knew they wanted to put on a special event, but were unsure what kind of soccer event to put on. They knew an organization experienced in event management, among other capabilities, was needed to execute their vision.
Utilizing the services of ISL and ISL Foundation, Thiago Alcantara and Zikkomo achieved their goal of hosting a soccer event which would raise funds for education funding in Malawi, successfully raising over $20,000.
