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2018 Ballon d’OR winner Luka Modric´s first NFT (non-fungible token) collection will be made available by Ethernity Chain, found exclusively on their platform.
After the successful launches of Messi´s record-breaking NFT collection in August (grossing $3.4 million dollars on the first day), followed up by the popular Luis Suárez NFT launch in October, ISL and Ethernity will turn the Real Madrid talisman into historic digital tokens.
The Croatian national team´s captain will be the next soccer star with an official and authenticated NFT collection. Details about the collection will be announced in due course.
ISL – Ethernity’s official and exclusive soccer partner – has brokered the deal between Ethernity Chain and Luka Modric, as was the case with Messi and Luis Suárez.
Ethernity’s previous NFT collections for Copa América, Luis Suárez and Messi reached an accumulated sales value of over $5 million dollars, positioning Ethernity and ISL as a leading reference of digital art in the soccer industry.
“We are excited to continue bringing the biggest soccer names in history to join the exclusive talent family of Ethernity. Modric is gold and represents a transgenerational legend whose legacy will remain forever after launching his first NFT collection on Ethernity,” – says Marc Segarra, ISL Managing Partner.
In the coming months ISL and Ethernity will proudly announce more NFT collections with top global soccer brands.
Stay tuned!
ISL and USYF (United States Youth Futsal – a US Soccer member) have been collaborating for the past 3 years in developing and growing futsal in the US and teamed up at the end of last month for USYF´s international experience in Madrid, Spain.
Over the years, ISL has participated in USYF events (bringing 40 teams to the USYF National in Kansas), has run USYF national and state ID’s in multiple cities/states, and has managed the USYF international experience in Barcelona.
Spearheaded by Futsal legend Keith Tozer under the guidance and expertise of ISL, players, their coaches and some family members traveled to Madrid to train, compete against the top Futsal Academies in the region and tour the beautiful Spanish capital. ISL staff was ever-present and on hand to support USYF and its players. A special thank you is in order for Brian Catrine and Soorena Farboodmanesh, without both of you this wouldn’t have been possible.
Fifteen teams from different age groups enjoyed training on a near daily basis and friendly games were organized for them to showcase their skills and elevate their game by competing against the very best Spain’s capital has to offer whilst representing USYF, the United States and ISL.
Players also were lucky enough to tour downtown Madrid’s Retiro Park, take a tour of Madrid´s historic district and enjoy Madrid´s premier theme park, Parque Warner.
Kaylen and Kylie (two of USYF´s rising stars) commented respectively: “I thought it was really good because we learnt a lot of new things and I loved playing against teams in Madrid,” Kylie added, “I think it was awesome, it was really fun to play against the Spanish teams.”
Stay Tuned for more events coming up! @islagency
What an amazing year for ISL! After the challenging restrictions of 2020, ISL came back reinforced, creating and developing groundbreaking projects that made headlines across the globe.
From new brand launches to NFTs, international travels, boxing shows, soccer players, and esports events, 2021 was a great year and we want to share it with you.
January 2021 – April 2021
ISL started the year making headlines with the launch of LaLiga Select – LaLiga’s official recruitment platform in North America.
FazeClan and 4-3-3 followed with a disruptive esports collaboration powered by ISL.
ISL made history with Triller Fight Club and Joe Fournier in an unforgettable event with live performances from Justin Bieber and Snoop Dog.
April finished with a new exclusive partnership between ISL and Eternity Chain (a leading NFT platform) that would change it all….
May 2021 – August 2021
ISL and Random locked in an historic NFT drop with Leo Messi and Ethernity Chain – Messi’s first ever NFT collection which sold $3.4 million dollars in the first day!
But that wasn’t all…
ISL sealed the deal between Ethernity Chain and Conmebol for the exclusive Copa America NFT collection.
During the Summer, ISL managed 3 different programs in the US – the first LaLiga Select Talent IDs, the Barça Academy Camps and the first USYF Camps – with over 5.000 players across more than 30 cities.
As the Summer came to an end, Tandhem Esports’ player Attila was crowned champion of LaLiga Summer Split with Vodafone Giants.
September 2021 – December 2021
ISL locked in another exclusive NFT drop with Luis Suárez and Ethernity Chain – the first one for Uruguayan legend!
ISL Travel Management came back stronger than ever with 4 events and the visits from Barça and Real Madrid stars Eric García, Sergio Busquets and Lucas Vázquez.
The events gathered hundreds of young American players and their families that traveled from all across the US to Barcelona and Madrid.
In October, Tandhem player Ruben Sánchez debuted in LaLiga with RCD Espanyol, and since then he has been called up to play for Espanyol’s first team.
In December, League of Legends jungler Koldo from Tandhem Esports joined Ibai Llanos’ and Gerard Piqué’s new esports team – Koi.
Koldo was presented by Ibai and Piqué at a sold out live event in Barcelona, with over 300.000 viewers on Twitch.
Last but not least, after the great success of the first Talent IDs, ISL launched LaLiga Select 2022 in collaboration with LaLiga, expanding the program to 8 new US cities!
A huge thank you to the ISL team for your commitment and hard work, and to everyone that helped us build the milestones that made 2021 such an important year.
And to all of you, a very happy 2022!
ISL’s Tandhem player Luis “Koldo” Pérez was presented yesterday as one of Koi’s players – the new esports team founded by Ibai Llanos, one of the biggest Spanish streamers, and FC Barcelona star Gerard Piqué.
The Koi presentation took place at Barcelona‘s Palau St. Jordi, with a full house of more than 15.000 attendees. The tickets were sold out only 5 minutes after their release, and the event was live streamed on Ibai Llanos’ Twitch channel to over 300.000 viewers.
ISL attended the presentation, where Ibai and Piqué unveiled Koi’s LoL team members, content creators, and sponsors, including Disney+ and Cupra.
There was also a live draft of a car valued in 36.000€, and a show match against the French world renowned team Karmine Corp, which was the first victory for Squad Koi by 2-1.
In less than one day, Koi gathered half a million followers on Twitter and Instagram, surpassing many established esports teams, such Kcorp themselves.
We at ISL are thrilled to join this ground-breaking and innovative project with our Tandhem Esports branch.
Tandhem stands out by its unique capacity to identify and develop new soccer and esports youth talent.
Koldo is one of the numerous promising talents managed by Tandhem,
Born on November 7th, 2000 in Murcia, Spain, under the name of Luis Pérez, Koldo is a League of Legends jungler, previously playing for G2 Artic. He is very excited about joining Koi and looks forward to beginning this new challenge.
“I’m glad to be here, and very happy with the team, the club and this opportunity” Koldo said during his presentation speech at Palau Sant Jordi.
Koldo and the rest of the team will compete in the LVP and live at the Gaming House – an esports villa especially designed for high performance esports players.
Stay tuned for more updates on the Gaming House and Squad Koi’s results!
LaLiga Select – LaLiga’s pathway in North America powered by ISL – will have a second edition next year, with Talent IDs in six new cities across the US.
Created by the best league in the world, LaLiga Select was launched early this year as the first official recruitment platform of LaLiga to scout youth talent in North America.
The platform provides young American soccer players, aged 13 to 18, the opportunity to showcase their talent and start a professional soccer career in a youth club from LaLiga.
This year’s Talent IDs and Showcases sold out in the US and Canada with thousands of players joining. The high demand drove ISL and LaLiga to open registrations for a second edition of LaLiga Select, adding 3 new cities to the Talent IDs roster: San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
“After a very successful launch year, LaLiga Select will keep opening the doors of European soccer for American players, creating a quality reference in US soccer, while positioning Spain as an attractive market for young US players.” – says Alex Isern, ISL CEO.
In March 2022, the selected players from this year’s scouting events will attend a Showcase in Spain to train and compete under the supervision of different Technical Directors from LaLiga Youth Clubs. The best player from each age category will be recruited to participate in a sponsored training camp with a LaLiga Youth Club, and the Talent IDs will start again in June 2022.
“LaLiga Select aims to contribute to the development of young American talent, providing players an opportunity to showcase their talent, an experience that will step up their game, and ultimately, the chance to kick off their dream of becoming a professional soccer player and one day represent their country in the World Cup”,says Nicolás García Hemme, VP of Strategy & Business Development for LaLiga North America, “Our goal is to collaborate with local clubs to become their international recruitment arm and continue to add new locations every year in different American regions.”
“Soccer in the US is becoming a global referent in the production of talent; Dest, Puilisic, Musah, Tyler Adam, Reyna just to name a few. The common trait of all these American players is that they have an experience overseas. For that reason, we strongly believe that having an established path such as LaLiga Select will enable aspiring professional soccer players in the United States to achieve their dreams.”, explains Marc Segarra, ISL Co-founder.
The ISL Foundation launched a solidarity campaign – Thanks For Giving – during the month of November to help feed the homeless on Thanksgiving, in Miami.
The campaign used ISL’s social media channels to promote the cause and collect donations.
With the money collected the ISL Foundation bought and distributed the meals on November 26th.
Donations reached more than $1.000 which gave us the chance to distribute over 100 meals in collaboration with a local homeless shelter, the Miami Rescue Mission.
”Thanksgiving is a time to appreciate what we have. I firmly believe giving to others can make us feel even more grateful for what we have. Happiness is only real when shared, and no matter how big or small the contribution, we can all help our communities by spreading kindness”. – said Ximena Niembro, ISL’s Marketing Director who conceived and executed the Thanks for Giving campaign.
ISL is extremely involved in its local communities, both in the US and in Spain, and it is part of ISL’s vision to help fight world hunger and bring relief to those in need.
The ISL Foundation has organized two solidarity campaigns this quarter, the first one in October to celebrate World Food Day, collecting 308 pounds of food in Charlotte. Thanks for Giving was the second campaign, and a third one will be launched in December in collaboration with ISL’s Barça Academy and Futsal schools to collect warm clothes, food and toys across the US.
Stay tuned and help us make a difference! @islagency
Yesterday morning, the captain of FC Barcelona and Spain’s national team, passed by ISL’s Barcelona Soccer Experience training session to meet our players.
Busquets stopped at the Barcelona Soccer Experience training session to meet the 135 American players who travelled overseas to enjoy an unique soccer experience. It was a big surprise for all the young players, who were very excited to meet an international soccer star.
Just like them, Busquets had the dream to one day play for a club like Barça, and since 2005 he has been making his dream come true every day, step by step. From the Barça youth teams, to the first team, to wearing the blaugrana Captain armband. His perseverance, commitment and hard work are inspirational for all the young generations.
Sergio took the time to take a picture with each player and encourage them to keep pursuing their professional soccer careers.
The Barcelona Soccer Experience is a program developed by ISL to provide a professional and international soccer experience that players can’t have access to in the US. As the places are limited, the scouting process is made in collaboration with Barça Academy US, reaching players from all across the country.
The program offers American players and their families an exclusive and unique soccer experience in Barcelona, combining training sessions with official Barça Academy coaches, and competition matches against other Spanish teams. It also includes cultural guided excursions, an exclusive Camp Nou tour, Barça home matches, and many surprises!
For more information about The Barcelona Soccer Experience check https://islagencyold.wpenginepowered.com/travel/
It all started in 2015 with 5 cities (Raleigh, Charlotte, Richmond, Cincinnati and Louisville).
Alex Isern and Marc Segarra – ISL’s CEO and ISL’s Managing Partner – closed a deal with FC Barcelona to manage official Barça Soccer Academies and Camps in the United States.
The main goal was to expand the FC Barcelona brand, values and methodology in the US, while captivating and developing young talent.
Eight years later, we may say this goal was not only achieved but very much exceeded by ISL.
The Barça Academies receive thousands of players for a year round program, and the Barça Camps create a true lifetime experience where young players train like FC Barcelona stars for a week.
The numbers speak for themselves: more than 35.000 American players have participated in ISL’s Barça Academy Soccer Camp program over the last 7 years.
“We are opening Barça Camps registrations for the 8th time and we are as excited as we were 8 year ago. We have learned a lot along the way and we want to keep giving an amazing and truly unique experience to all the players and families.”- says Albert Balsells, ISL’s Director of Barça Academy Soccer Camps.
This year, ISL is also improving the experience with even more official Barça coaches, the latest training routines from FC Barcelona and new host cities – Los Angeles and Peachtree City are now part of the Barça Camps roster!
In 2022, a total of 37 cities in more than 20 different states will welcome young players aged 6 to 17 for an unforgettable Summer camp experience!
Players will not only train and play under the Barça methodology, they will also have the chance to be selected for a Soccer Experience in Barcelona to train at Barça facilities, go to FC Barcelona matches, visit Camp Nou, explore Barcelona, and play against other Spanish teams.
Barça Academy Soccer Camps kick off on June 13th and end on July 29th, 2022.
Find more information and register here!
Today, at the Ciudad Deportiva de Valdebebas, the American players participating in ISL’s Madrid Soccer Experience were surprised by the visit of Real Madrid star Lucas Vázquez!
It was a day to remember for the 43 young American players that travelled with ISL to participate in an intensive and exciting soccer experience in Madrid.
Little did they know that after their first training session they were going to meet a professional soccer player from one of the best clubs in the world.
Lucas Vázquez, who also plays for Spain’s national team, arrived with a big smile and took a picture with each player and staff member, while sharing words of encouragement.
With an enviable career, Lucas is a reference for these young kids who share one common dream: to play for a team like Real Madrid.
The Madrid Soccer Experience program offers American players and their families an exclusive and unique soccer experience in Madrid, combining training sessions with matches against other Spanish teams, and guided cultural visits to explore the city.
The experience also includes Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid LaLiga matches, as well as exclusive tours of both clubs’ stadiums – Santiago Bernabéu and Wanda Metropolitano.
In addition, the ISL team makes sure to always prepare something to surprise the players and make their experience even more unforgettable!
Learn more about ISL Experiences and follow us on Instagram! @team_isl
November was a busy month for ISL!
In addition to opening registrations for the 8th Barça Academy Soccer Camps, a program developed with FC Barcelona and Barça Academy, ISL organized three simultaneous soccer events with over 1.000 American young players.
On the weekend of November 20th, ISL kicked off the LaLiga Select Talent ID in New York, the Madrid Soccer Experience and the Barcelona Soccer Experience.
LaLiga Select is LaLiga’s first and only official recruitment program in the US, created, developed and managed exclusively by ISL. Previous Talent IDs have taken place this year in Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Canada. LaLiga Select also hosted several Showcases around the US in collaboration with local tournaments and soccer entities.
The selected players from the Talent IDs and the Showcases will be invited for a Showcase in Madrid, where they will be trained and watched by different LaLiga clubs, with the chance of being chosen to participate in a training camp from a LaLiga club.
The Madrid and Barcelona soccer experiences offer young players the chance to live a unique soccer week overseas, training with official coaches in the facilities of Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid and FC Barcelona. In addition, ISL organizes surprise visits of professional football players to the training sessions of the experieciences – this time, Lucas Vázquez from Real Madrid, and Sergio Busquets from FC Barcelona, came to meet and greet the players and took a picture with each one of them.
These experiences also include several matches against Spanish teams, exclusive stadium tours, guided cultural visits of Madrid and Barcelona, and live matches of all 3 clubs. The “mise en scene” of 3 events of this magnitude in 3 main cities takes years of expertise, as well as the deployment of dedicated teams both on the field and behind the scenes, making sure everything goes according to plan.
In total, more than 1.000 young American players participated in the events, with over 150 coaches and more than 100 staff members. The three events were planned and developed by the ISl team with months of anticipation, in collaboration with LaLiga and LaLiga Academies, FC Barcelona and Barça Academies, Real Madrid, and Atlético de Madrid.
ISL is proud to actively contribute to the development of soccer in the US, by organizing events that offer players unique training and competition opportunities, and give them the chance of traveling overseas and get to know some of the biggest clubs in the world.
