We
breathe
soccer
breathe
soccer
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.
Last Tuesday, FC Barcelona player Eric García joined ISL staff and players in the Barcelona Soccer Experience training session at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.
It was a surprise for the young American players, who were thrilled to meet the FC Barcelona star!
Just like them, Eric García comes from the Barça schools and his trajectory is an inspiration for the young generations who aspire to become professional soccer players.
The 20-year-old centre back posed for photos with the youngsters and also got the chance to say a few words to them, encouraging them to continue playing the sport and work hard to get better every day.
The visit happened during a training session of the Barcelona Soccer Experience, a program developed by ISL Experience.
This program offers American players and their families an exclusive and unique soccer experience in Barcelona, combining training sessions, competition, cultural visits, a Camp Nou tour, a Barça match, and many surprises!
Stay Tuned! @team_isl
The ISL Foundation launched a solidarity campaign in celebration of World Food Day – October 16th.
In collaboration with ISL Futsal and Barça Academy Charlotte, ISL was able to collect and deliver 308 pounds of food to Loaves & Fishes – an NGO dedicated to feed the neighbors in need.
This donation will contribute to help Loaves & Fishes who serve over 100,000 people in need in Charlotte, North Carolina.
ISL Futsal Director, Adam Brundle, was responsible for the campaign’s success, and he reinforced the need to keep organizing this type of community support – “It’s amazing to see we have so many loyal families who always jump at the opportunity to help. These initiatives, however big or small, truly go a long way in helping us support other great organizations who are changing lives everyday. “
According to the information shared by the United Nations, there was a dramatic worsening of world hunger in 2020, much of it likely related to the fallout of COVID-19.
While the pandemic’s impact has yet to be fully mapped, the UN estimates that around a tenth of the global population – up to 811 million people – were undernourished last year. This number suggests it will take a tremendous effort for the world to honour its pledge to end hunger by 2030.
The ISL Foundation is sensitive to the global challenges that threaten the world and is fully engaged in helping to tackle world hunger.
