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As the world took a hit and stepped back with the world pandemic, sports events were one of the most affected industries by quarantine and Covid-19 restrictions.
How deep was the impact of the pandemic on the sports events’ sector?
Will the sports events’ industry be able to recover?
Is this recovery starting already?
ISL experience creates individualized packages according to our clients’ needs. We take care of every single detail and work with the best soccer clubs/associations in Europe to create unmatched events.
The Experience department also provides an international travelling and playing opportunity to all the players in our academies and camps in the US.
In addition, we work with other clubs, colleagues and associations who are external to isl
I have been the director of isl experience for the last 7 years.
No, this caught us all by surprise. I did chat a lot about this with my partners and providers and none of us expected a “crush” like this.
Everything clashed last march 2020 when we were running an event of more than 600 people in Barcelona. Since then it hasn’t been possible to do another event.
We have not stopped working since last march. The team has been focused on customer service, communication, looking for alternatives and solutions for our clients and partners, and always working on different scenarios due to the constant changes of the pandemic’s regulations .
Nevertheless, for the 20-21 season we had more than 700 clients confirmed and willing to come to our different programs. We would have been able to secure a good spring semester with multiple events. However, the situation in Spain and the UK was uncertain and the smartest choice was to postpone those events for the safety of our clients.
My main concern was the communication with our clients and providers/partners. For me it was key, despite the evident difficulties, to keep all our clients and providers/partners satisfied. Understanding everyone’s situation and looking for the best solution. We built strong relationships with them for years and now it was the time to be present and effective.
If COVID-19 restrictions allow us we will be back in october. We have already planned more than 15 events from october 2021 to july 2022. All these events are sold out at the moment so we are extremely excited for this upcoming season!
The main challenge is to secure the safety of all the participants. With government guidelines changing all the time and new variants of the virus out there, we have to be informed and prepared before running an event.
I do not think “recover” is the word as many people have lost their jobs and houses due to the pandemic. However, the sector will adapt and change to this new situation to be able to provide experiences that change people’s lives again in a memorable way. .
Joan Ocon, Director of Tandhem Representation Agency, explained to us the complexity of the soccer representation sector, the impact of COVID-19 , and the secrets to succeed as a Sports Agent.
Many dream of entering the soccer world as Player Agents. No early morning practices, best seats to the matches and millionaire commissions. Sounds like a dream job, doesn’t it?
That is only what you see on television, but behind it there is a job in which you do not rest, that you live far from your family and friends and from which you never disconnect. If you are able to assume these three concepts, you can take the first step. But only the first.
Can you explain what is really going on behind the scenes in one of the most competitive jobs in the sports industry?
As I said, this job demands a lot from you. Don’t let your guard down. The competition is fierce and if you want to survive, you must demand yourself the maximum every day. There are no schedules, there are no excuses, and there is no rest. You have to differentiate between two worlds. The formative and the professional. Both have really the same operations on a day-to-day basis but with a greater tension in the professional world.
You are the director of Tandhem, a Representation Agency, but you are also a lawyer. Why did you choose to enter the business of soccer representation/player management?
The question that everyone asks me. There was a time in my career as a lawyer when I realized that I was not born to sit in a chair for hours. I love law and I love sports, so I studied sports law, and thus step by step I entered this world.
Now that you are a Player Agent, does the reality correspond to your expectations? Why?
Although I am an agent, when asked, I always answer that I am a lawyer. It is something that has cost me years of dedication and that is part of my personal stamp in this profession.
What is the biggest challenge you face in your job?
To mark with my work team a style, a unique way of working and a unique philosophy. There are many representation agencies, therefore you have to seek excellence and make a difference. Tandhem has its own style and we must maintain it and enhance it day by day, that is the biggest challenge.
What is the biggest reward of being a Player Agent?
Work together with your player and achieve what we both have set out to do. It sounds easy, but it is not, because there are infinite risk factors. Gladly, I manage to achieve every goal I set with a player by working for it day by day.
What is the importance of press and social media in this business?
Today, it is key. Who does not know you, judges you by your social networks. Maybe before this didn’t happen, but now social media plays a leading role. Luckily, in our company we have a wonderful team of experts to help us and our players.
How did COVID-19 impact the players’ contracts and the transfer market in 2020?
The market is stopped. It should be borne in mind that the football market did not suffer the crisis of 2008, and that it has registered growth year after year until the Covid has stopped it. Salaries have also gone down and the disbursement for player transactions has been reduced by 70%, according to the information published by sports media outlet Palco 23.
Has player management changed with COVID-19?
There is a very important human factor in this work. If human relationships have been cut or reduced, that has affected work. Now it seems that we can travel more and meet with caution, hopefully we continue like this. It is very difficult to convince clubs and sports directors through a virtual meeting. Some clubs have also modified their methodology, replacing scouting travels by players’ data analysis to choose the new players. It is the first time in the soccer industry that clubs have given big data a leading role in recruiting players.
Do you get personally attached to the players or is it just business?
I do not like to give clues of what our style is. But in our case, the personal relationship with the player is key in our work. It is a business, yes, but the business is made up of people, we cannot treat players like trading cards. For us, they are our family. This is how we feel it and this is how they feel it.
What are your top 3 success rules?
Honesty, professionalism and ambition.
What is your best advice for someone who dreams of being a Player Agent?
It seems like a cliché, but in that profession I consider it essential. I would tell him not to give up. When you start and are small, there are many obstacles and everything seems to be a problem. Not giving up and being persistent is key.
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Pepe Nogues is the Director of the Barça Academies managed by ISL across the USA.
Every year, Pepe organizes and coordinates a team of 6 people, responsible for 2,000 aspiring your soccer players in 6 different states of the United States.
The Barça Academy US includes boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 18, and offers all year long soccer programs and events and tournaments, with the goal of developing new soccer talent and spreading the FC Barcelona sports’ values.
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, the Barça Academy’s dynamic has been affected, as have most sports activities.
The esports popularity keeps growing and it is expected to reach over half a million viewers in 2023.
We have designed a pretty solid BA calendar that we use as guidance to plan and organize in advance for the following year/s. It is true that, since we operate in different states, different regulations apply, therefore adaptations also need to be made accordingly.
Well, when the pandemic hit and new safety measures were dictated by health departments and soccer federations, the whole operational model had to be quickly re-edited. Changes such as: carefully managing cash flows, adapting from tryouts to renewal strategies, expanding our customer base experience, rewriting policies… to make it short, almost everything changed in a way.
We received great support from FCB on the new coaching models that were applied through virtual training and online learning experiences.
There have been 3 major challenges I should point out:
1) Adapting our teaching & learning model to virtual trainings.
2) Creating a Covid Committee and adding experts on the matter.
3) Applying strict safety measures to get back on the field.
Timing was one of the biggest issues I faced. The quick decision making was critical because at the very beginning no one had the absolute truth on how things should be run. I had to quickly provide new guidance for my team, for them to provide guidelines to their staff, players and families.
Very strict safety measures were applied on the “get back to the field phase”. We literally looked like a moving hospital giving soccer lessons. We purchased so much sanitary equipment and materials that our coaches looked like doctors. Gloves, masks, sanitary stations, temperature check points, covid control cases, etc… It was a challenge but I can gladly say that we did an amazing job in this matter.
I have to give full credit to the local staff because they reinvented themselves. It was not only the leadership team providing new guidance, but technical directors and coaches reaching out sharing great thoughts and ideas to engage with players and families in this new and challenging adventure. It was definitely difficult at the beginning to get high rates of players’ attendance, but as we shared on social media how we were safely operating, players and families started to trust the method and found the strength to get back on the field despite the pandemic.
The pandemic and new operational model obviously raised a lot of questions and concerns to parents & families. They were mostly concerned about financial support and about the safety for their kids which we took very seriously and responded to the best of our capabilities. We have to THANK them all because a great deal of understanding and comprehension was shared by the majority of the families.
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic is far more severe than many people want to recognize. We do still face challenges that the pandemic continues to present such as cancelling very important regional and national tournaments that are critical for completing the competitive cycles, or directly affecting international travel which blocks players and families from discovering and experiencing different soccer cultures.
Another summer camp tour across the nation has come and gone. Once again, in partnership with FC Barcelona our team traveled multiple routes with staff members to cities all around the country to instruct boys and girls in Barca values, techniques, style and tradition. From San Diego to Philadelphia, Austin to Boston, and Denver to Portland we hosted camps in over 16 different cities.
Unlike most summers past, this year was quite different for a number of reasons, but mainly due to the global Covid pandemic which forced us to scale back on the size of campers we are typically used to hosting, as well as the number of camps we plan to put on around the country.
Pre-Covid, our efforts to have another sellout summer of training and fun began it’s planning stages in Q4 of 2019, with routes being established, facilities being booked, coaches and staff committing to 7 weeks on the road, as well as the logistics of ordering uniforms for campers and the housing in each city. It’s a big deal to coordinate, but one our team thoroughly enjoys seeing come to life.
It was by mid-march when we first started to see what might lay ahead for the summer plans and all the hard work that had been put into place. Up until that point we were quickly on track to selling out camp at a record pace, but then the country started to shut everything down, namely ALL sports for the foreseeable future. As you can imagine, registrations nosedived almost immediately and facilities that had been locked down for months began to cancel agreements left and right.
One moment everything is moving along smoothly and then the next thing you know everything is out of your control, but not to ever back down from a challenge, we decided to take a step back to reassess the situation and to plan accordingly and in line with what government officials and the CDC recommended to make sure in keeping with utmost safety.
We scaled back our itinerary from the original plan of 40 cities nationwide to under half that to 16 camps, coast to coast. Our logistics team contacted and confirmed bookings with parks and recreation facilities. All of our coaches and staff were trained immediately in the correct procedures of keeping all of the campers safe, as well as each other. Commitments were made to wearing gloves and masks at all times at camp. Additionally, one way in and out check in stations were set up where campers were allowed to enter and leave facilities. With all of the logistics sorted out, we still wanted to emphasize an atmosphere of fun and growth for the campers. As one of the few companies hosting nationwide camps and expecting over 2000 registrants to participate we made this our ultimate goal, given the current global climate.
As we wrapped up week 7 in the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, we reflected on the summer to date and how our commitment to keeping everyone safe was validated in the precaution and safety measures we took. 2 weeks after the fact we have still had zero Covid incidents for either campers, coaches or staff.
Thank you for trusting us this Summer and we look forward to making it back to your city in 2021. Be on the lookout for cam announcements in the fall.
ISL prides itself in putting on unparalleled experiences for clients, brands and athletes, all the while exceeding expectations. The launch of MICFootball USA in 2019 was no exception, and we have been looking forward to the tournaments second installment.
“We are at the helm of a sport that vast numbers of people live and breathe that has been laid low by this invisible and fast-moving opponent. It is at times like these that the football community needs to show responsibility, unity, solidarity and altruism.” Aleksander Čeferin, UEFA President.
Considering the recommendations from WHO, UEFA and the local authorities, ISL and MIC Sports acknowledge the worldwide impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the risk it represents to global health.
Under these circumstances, ISL regrets to inform that the MICFootball USA tournament 2020 has been postponed to 2021.
“We are very disappointed that the tournament will not take place, but as an active player in the soccer scenario, and an important piece in developing and inspiring the new soccer generations, ISL’s priority is the health of our local communities, fans, players, volunteers, sponsors, employees, vendors, and everyone involved with the event”, says Marc Segarra, ISL co-founder.
MICFootball is one of the major youth soccer tournaments in the world, where legendary players like Messi and Neymar have made their competitive debuts. Thousands of talented participants were expected, but we will have to wait until 2021 to see the stars of the future shining again.
“We will not let down our young players and their dreams, we will do everything within our reach so that they can enjoy this experience in a safe environment”, Marc Segarra.
ISL apologizes for any inconveniences this decision may have caused, and intends to share updates on the tournament.
We will get through this together and we will be back on the fields soon enough and stronger than ever. See you at the IMG Facility in Bradenton, FL. in 2021.
