We
breathe
soccer
breathe
soccer
After a forced two year break due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, ISL resumes its events and sports travelling activities to the UK. We are extremely excited to return to the home of soccer!
“We can finally return to the UK since this program offers different activities and experiences to our programs in Spain. I am very satisfied with the team’s great work, since October we have had 6 events during the toughest moments of the pandemic and the peak of the Omicron variant. That is not easy at all and it is due to the great work of the Experiences team.” – says Achille Obougou, Director of Travel Management.
Players and their families will join Team ISL on its return to the British Isles for an unforgettable nine-day experience visiting London and Manchester.
The players will train at Manchester City’s facilities with Manchester City´s official coaches and compete in friendlies against other teams. They will also train at West Ham´s training grounds for a day.
Players and families will enjoy exclusive tours of the Etihad Stadium and Old Trafford in Manchester, as well as two Premier League games. They will be lucky enough to watch World Champions Chelsea take on Crystal Palace on Saturday and Manchester United battle Watford next weekend.
Outdoor and cultural activities are planned for players and families to explore these two soccer hungry cities. More exciting surprises await our guests and we can´t wait for you to arrive!
The ISL team has been working hard to offer better travel experiences, prioritizing the players’ and families’ safety at all times.
This season, ISL has 20 sport events lined up in 5 different locations.
Stay tuned for more information about our soccer experiences! @team_isl
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/
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.
After a forced break of almost 2 years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, ISL has resumed its events and sports travelling activities this month, hosting the Barcelona Soccer Experience.
Sixty players and ninety families from across the USA joined Team ISL on its return, for a 9 day unforgettable experience in the beautiful and sunny Barcelona.
The players had the chance to train at FC Barcelona facilities with Barça Academy official coaches and compete against other teams.
Players and families enjoyed an exclusive Camp Nou Tour and two LaLiga matches featuring Catalonia’s main clubs – Barça and Espanyol.
One of the culmination moments was the surprise visit of FC Barcelona’s first team player, Eric García, who met the players after a training session at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.
Just like them, Eric started playing at the Barça schools. The 20-year-old centre back posed for photos with the youngsters and shared encouraging words.
ISL also organized outdoor and cultural activities where players and families got to know and explore the city with private guided excursions.
The ISL team has been working hard to offer better travel experiences, prioritizing the players’ and families’ safety at all times.
“We were forced to stop our activity by the Covid-19 restrictions, but we never really stopped working, as we were confident we’d be back stronger. We wanted to be prepared for when the time came, and now we are thrilled that our first event was such a great success. The smiles on our players’ faces and the positive feedback from their families is what kept us going and what we will keep working for every day.” – says Achille Obougou, Director of Travel Management.
This season, ISL has 20 sport events lined up in 5 different locations.
Stay tuned to find out more about the best soccer tourism experiences! @team_isl
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
Long before ISL formed into a global marketing and management firm, co-founders Alex Isern and Marc Segarra grew up in the futbol rich city of Barcelona. They were both gifted in being selfless in looking out for others and helping each person they came into contact with reach their fullest potential. This passion transferred into their vision and goals for providing opportunities to players through ISL.
After successfully completing a senior year on the field playing for the Winthrop University in South Carolina by winning the Big South Conference Championship (2012) and graduating with honors, the two childhood friends decided to take their passion for the game and (ultimately) for people and put it to work by staying in the United States and forming ISL. Initially the focus was being a soccer company, but ISL has since matured and grown over the course of 7 years into a battle tested and seasoned company with an array of offerings outside of the beautiful game, but still with a people first emphasis and ideology.
The U.S. has become one of the most competitive markets in the world for youth soccer, so it only made sense for the co-founders to bring the same values and methodologies that they both grew up playing under in Spain and infuse them into a budding system. Through summer camps, and eventually starting their first academy in Charlotte, NC their new dream of helping players achieve their goals started taking shape and began to thrive.
After inking a deal to represent FC Barcelona throughout the United States with their academies and nationwide camps ISL were now able to identify kids from around the country who were believed to be next level talent by trained FCB coaches and staff, and get them over to Europe to play against top academies and club teams in Spain.
Talented players have continually emerged from ISL events. Many players have impressed with their field IQ, skill and level of play over the years, but some more so than others have stood out head and shoulders above the rest. We have been fortunate to be able to work with them and to help mold their style and technique, but more importantly their attitude and philosophy toward the game.
The list of players continues to grow as each year passes, but some have made that jump from the academy system and international tournaments to signing contracts with MLS and USL teams, notably Tucker Lepley (USMNT (U17)/Sporting KC); Brennan Conger (DC United) and Chris Thaggard (Charlotte FC). Other up and coming names to keep an eye on that have come through ISL include, William Cardona (New York Red Bulls), Ryan Fessler (Sporting KC), Donovan Roux (Rapids), Edric Zhang (Charlotte FC) and Julian Ramirez (Charlotte FC). For each the future is bright.
ISL stays committed to these players in order to keep helping them achieve their goals, as well as future players seeking to achieve the same thing. Alex Isern and Marc Segarra promise to keep providing these opportunities to players, and
“Each trip is a different and unique experience, in the sense that each player is handed an opportunity to prove his or herself and their abilities on an international stage of top level competition, all the while refining their skills and getting better each day.” – Alex Isern (CEO and Co-Founder)
The chance of building a company that has helped future stars reach their potential in taking the next step and to chase down their dreams is the greatest reward and ultimately life changing. We look forward to seeing each of these stars rise, as we continue in our commitment to helping others achieve their goals and life pursuits too.
“We love people and we love the game of futbol. So, for us we get to marry those two passions and see dreams become a living and breathing reality. It’s exciting and humbling to be able to do what we do.” – Marc Segarra (Managing Partner and Co-Founder)
ISL continues to exceed expectations and clear loftier benchmarks each time a trip is planned and executed. Our ultimate goal for our clients is to give them the chance to make memories that will last a lifetime, and this past week was no exception as our Travel Management Team wrapped up another successful international trip, only this time they were in two separate countries at once. The scale of an undertaking like this can not be understated as ISL Travel Management once again set higher expectations.
That said, over the course of 10 days close to 1,000 players and their family members made the trip from different parts of the U.S. to one of two destinations, Barcelona and Manchester, for a whirlwind of a trip. ISL’s strong partnerships with Manchester City FC and FC Barcelona, it provided opportunities unmatched to anywhere else in the world. Players were treated to training at world class facilities in preparation for tackling top European academies while representing Team ISL, and lastly taking in cultural activities, sightseeing and enjoying local fair.
As soon as it all started, it was quickly over, but not before new friendships were formed over a common passion for the beautiful game, making this trip that much more memorable for all involved.
We love what we do in making an impact on the lives of our clients and we look forward to the next trip coming up soon. See how you too can experience the ISL difference and have the soccer trip of a lifetime with your loved ones.
Over a 10 day trip, 90 girls from across the United States experienced the second international all girls clinic put together by ISL’s Travel Management team. During the trip, players immerse themselves into European soccer lifestyle, as well as learn the value of experiencing international cultures. While playing in competitive matches, the clinic participants represent ISL’s unique on field brand, Team ISL. Players train in world class soccer facilities, compete against European academies, learn from the teachings of leaders in the game, and explored the beautiful culture of Barcelona.
During the trip, FC Barcelona Femini, one of the most successful Spanish Womens Soccer Teams of all time, were gracious enough to take time out of their training for a meet and greet with the girls clinic participants. International stars like Marta Torrejon and Stefani Van Der Gragt gave some words of inspiration, and took photos. It was a special moment which the clinic players will remember forever.
Not only was there a girls clinic going on, but ISL Travel Management was also leading a clinic for 35 of the top boys players around the country. ISL were executing 2 clinics over the same 10 day period. As our Travel Management Team continues to grow, more opportunities like this will continue to be a reality.
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.
