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The 6 time winner of FIFA’s Ballon D’or, regarded by many as the greatest player of all time, will launch his first NFT (non-fungible token) collection later this month. It is expected that the collection will break all the NFT records.
This exclusive and unprecedented edition created by Bosslogic – one of the graphic designers of the moment, globally famous for his art work for Marvel Studios and Disney – will represent the greatest moments of Messi’s epic career.
Sports icons such as Lebron James, Tom Brady or David Bechkam launched earlier this year their own NFTs and Messi’s collection has been claimed by the fans. The digital artwork will be available online at Ethernity’s platform that has closed the agreement with the argentinian player thanks to the partnership with ISL.
Non fungible tokens, or NFTs, are becoming one of the fastest-growing collectibles in the field of blockchain technology. A collage of 5,000 of Beeple’s earlier artworks was sold last March for $69M, being the most expensive NFT ever sold.
On the Grill: Marc Segarra & Triller Fight Club
TV viewership of traditional sports has been dropping for the last decade, mostly amongst the younger generations.
According to ESPN’s internal data, the number of 12-17-year-olds who identify as “avid sports fans” has dropped from 42% a decade ago to 34% last year.
Adding up to this trend, the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the Sports entertainment landscape in an unpredictable way: the stadiums were left with silent empty seats, and the sports competitions and events were cancelled and moved around the calendar.
Forbes published that in 2020 the Stanley Cup Finals dipped by 61%, the NBA Finals were down 49% and it was the least-watched World Series on record.
Even the almighty NFL is scuffling, as the 2021 Super Bowl got 96.4 million viewers, the lowest rating since 2007, according to CNBC.
Overall, a new fan experience is clearly in order to captivate the interest and attention of the new generations, and guarantee the future of sports entertainment.
But how?
New pay-per-view platform, and ISL partner, Triller Fightclub, founded by Triller and Snoop Dogg, has found a way to reinvent boxing.
The last Triller Fight Club event gathered a full slate of familiar names both performing and fighting, including Justin Bieber, Diplo, Dojacat, YouTuber Jake Paul, former MMA champion Ben Askren, along with WBA International champion Joe Fournier and reggaeton star Reykon, mediated by ISL for the event.
The goal wasn’t to make it solely a concert or fighting event, but rather a spectacle that can appeal to almost every demographic. No expense was spared to make that happen with an epic production on set, mixed with guest celebrities and social media influencers creating the buzz around it.
Is Triller’s recipe the solution to increase engagement in Sports Entertainment?
We gathered the comments of Triller Fight Club representatives on this matter, and the answers of ISL Managing Partner Marc Segarra.
Ryan Kavanaugh, Triller co-founder and principal:
“When you say Coachella, it’s not just music — it’s the experience of a weekend, we want people to say the same when they think Triller Fight Club. Boxing hasn’t changed in 50 years. If I go watch a boxing match from 1995 then youth watch a boxing match tomorrow, it’s the same camera angles, same camera, same announcers. The same format. It’s boring. People want entertainment that feels real, and this is the mix to satisfy that desire.”
Source: RollingStone
Marc Segarra: Triller fight club is a “trip” , an entertainment experience that goes way beyond two opponents boxing inside a ring. They are creating a transcendental concept by putting together a multifaceted show led by music legends and global influencers. The crossover between different entertainment experiences is what makes Triller unique, allowing it to capture the attention of a much wider audience than the traditional boxing events.
Bert Marcus, Emmy-winning filmmaker and Triller Fight Club show director:
“This isn’t sports, it’s entertainment that has sports, I think the one thing we’ve made a conscious effort to do is bring sports and entertainment together in a very original way.”
Marc Segarra: How many of you watch a TV program while checking your phones? As technology evolves and continues to overwhelm us, paying attention to a single ¨thing¨ for over 10 min has become a challenge. In order to get the attention of the new generations it is a must to offer short, engaging and cool content communicated with a colloquial and understandable language.
Marc Segarra: Although each individual consumes entertainment differently, the trends for the future of sports entertainment are clear; interactive experiences with short attention span content. These types of trends are totally normal for the Z and Alpha generations but completely new for the millennials and baby boomers. In this disruptive scenario, there is no other way around it than adapting sports entertainment to the new trends.
Marc Segarra: For younger generations it is essential to feel identified and a part of what they consume in order for them to engage with the content. Traditional media is not offering them that sense of belonging, which is why these upcoming platforms exclusively catered to the youngest audiences are taking over the entertainment industry.
Marc Segarra: In my opinion people will consume selected content by minutes. So for example, instead of paying $X to watch 90 min of a full soccer game, people will pay less $$$ to watch portions of this game.
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 are now launching a new program that will kick off this summer, directed by Futsal legend Keith Tozer.
ISL is the only organization in the country with two development academies, Charlotte and Austin, which have produced over 20 National team players and the 03 G National Champions of 2020.
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.
As a result of this solid collaboration, ISL will be launching an official USYF program in Charlotte, from July 26th to July 30th, with more dates and locations coming next year.
“We are excited to offer this new programming to our US Youth Futsal family. This provides another opportunity to engage kids and introduce them to futsal around the United States,” says Brian Catrine, USYF – Executive Director.
Led by former US Futsal Men’s National Team Head Coach, Keith Tozer, the ISL official Futsal camps are an exclusive opportunity to learn the methodologies of the unique USYF style, as USYF certified coaches will be delivering the training sessions and teaching the techniques of one of the most prestigious Futsal organizations across the US.
”I am very excited about the opportunity to partner with USYF and the ISL Agency to provide the first comprehensive futsal camp experience here in North America!,” explains Keith Tozer.
Players will experience a fun and energetic learning environment, with a guarantee of professionalism and quality. The trainings have been designed for players of all levels to improve the underlying techniques of futsal accurately, consistently and at match tempo. The camps will also include physical preparation, goalkeeper training and psychological sessions to develop true leaders on the court!
“ISL is proud to be actively participating in the development of futsal players, and contributing to the growth of futsal in the US. We aim to bring american futsal to the highest levels of competition in the world, while generating awareness for the sport and the amazing work done by the USYF – the best partner we could ask for in this mission,” says Adam Brundle, Director of ISL Futsala.
USYF official futsal camps are open to boys and girls between 8 and 17 years old and registration is available at https://www.usyouthfutsal.com/summercamp .
TODAY ON THE COURT: KEITH TOZER, FORMER U.S. FUTSAL MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM HEAD COACH, AND WINNER OF 1996-2004 CONCACAF CHAMPIONSHIPS, ALONG WITH ADAM BRUNDLE, DIRECTOR OF ISL FUTSALA.
It is never easy to grow a relatively new sport, and it is especially complicated to promote it in the USA, under the shadows of American Football, Baseball, Basketball and Hockey.
The birth of professional indoor soccer in America dates back to less than 50 years ago, when in February 1974, the North American Soccer League staged two indoor exhibitions against the touring Red Army of Moscow club.
Despite its novelty when compared to other sports, coach Tozer has accomplished great results developing professional indoor soccer and was the Major Indoor Soccer Leagues first draft pick in 1978 for the Cincinnati Kids owned by Pete Rose of MLB.
After decades of playing and coaching, Tozer became one of the most successful coaches in U.S. soccer history, and the all-time winningest coach in North America Professional Indoor Soccer with over 700 wins, six league championships and nine “Coach of the Year Awards.”
Coach Tozer’s success at indoor soccer led to his role as the U.S. Futsal Men’s National Team Head Coach. He was the interim head coach at the first CONCACAF Futsal World Cup qualifier in 1996 with the U.S. winning their first CONCACAF Futsal Championship.
Tozer coached the National Team for 20 years with six CONCACAF Championship appearances, reaching the podium another 3 times:
– Bronze Medal in 2000
– Gold Medal in 2004
– Bronze Medal in 2008.
Tozer also led the team to a seventh place finish at the 2004 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Chinese Taipei.
On ISL’s side, Adam Brundle currently manages two Futsal academies, in Charlotte and Austin, that have produced over 20 National team players and the 03 G National Champions of 2020.
With hardwork and dedication, he has conquered important milestones for the sport, from partnerships with USYF, to implementing the only Futsal organization in the country with 2 development academies.
What are the next steps?
What’s the future for indoor soccer in the USA?
Let ‘s find out!
Keith Tozer: In 1978 I was playing college soccer at Oneonta State University in upstate New York. I was preparing to be drafted into the NASL when I received a call from Keith Van Eron, the goalkeeper for Hartwick College also in Oneonta. He told me I was the first player drafted in the MISL for the Cincinnati Kids. I was a member of the U.S. Olympic Team player pool and our Head Coach Walt Chyzowych were good friends with Earl Formen and Ed Tepper who were the co-founders of the MISL. They asked coach Chyzowych to handle the inaugural draft and many of us then went on to play in the MISL.
Keith Tozer: I don’t know if I had the skill set to play professionally but I played ice hockey for many years growing up and played in the National Championships when I was a Bantam. I think because I loved playing ice hockey, playing indoor soccer was much easier for me.
Adam Brundle: Futsal has so many benefits to aid any player’s development. It encourages every player to be creative, and forces them to think quickly and find solutions to problems in various situations. It allows players to express themselves, and that is the beauty of sport. I wanted to be able to reach as many players as possible and give them the opportunity to develop and learn how to be the best creative versions of themselves through the sport!
Adam Brundle: There isn’t a sport I have played/experienced in the past which I have not enjoyed to play. I grew up playing Rugby, Cricket, tennis, field hockey, soccer and of course futsal. They all offer something different, and are so unique in their own way but yet so similar in what they teach. I would honestly work with any sport, as long as it allowed me to still be in the world of youth sports.
Keith Tozer: I love all forms of soccer! Outdoor, beach, indoor and futsal. However, my passion is for futsal and of course indoor soccer. Futsal is such a great game on its own as well as a great youth developer for outdoor players. Players can develop great technical ability from futsal, create quick and agile physical skills, hone tactical awareness and become very confident in their game.
Adam Brundle: Prefer in this situation is a strong word. Although many people associate futsal and soccer as the same, they are in fact very different. Both of them have elements that make them so great in their own right! What I love about Futsal is how quick paced the game is, and how purely entertaining it is. Players are more involved consistently, and get more touches, and score more goals!
Keith Tozer: Both versions of the indoor game being indoor soccer with boards or no boards for futsal has grown I believe in recent years because youth players love being around the ball all the time. Because the fields or courts are much smaller than outdoor soccer everyone feels they are more involved in the game which keeps young players mentally and physically engaged.
Adam Brundle: Futsal is growing because it is becoming more known, and more people are seeing the benefits. Large outdoor soccer clubs are now seeing that futsal has a big impact on players development, and are therefore implementing it into their clubs curriculum. Futsal still has a long way to go in order to break out of the shadow of soccer in the US, however it is definitely on the right trajectory. .
Keith Tozer: In order for the U.S. to become a power in the futsal world we will need the PFL to be successful. The top ten+ National Teams in the world all have professional futsal leagues to draw from. That would give many more young players the opportunity to either play outdoor soccer or futsal.
Adam Brundle:The main challenge(s) are the other sports it has to contend with. There are only so many days in a week, and if children are playing other sports it is hard to build futsal into the weekly training regime. From a tv rating standpoint, even soccer is still only the 5th most popular sport in the US. Therefore getting people interested in Futsal which is a very new sport in the US, ahead of staple American sports will be the main challenge that is faced.
Keith Tozer: If U.S. Soccer would create youth futsal National Teams both for boys and girls similar to their outdoor program that would be fantastic. Obviously we need a full Women’s Futsal National Team and I firmly believe in a short period of time we could become one of the best teams in the world. Creating these youth teams with full men and women national teams would have a huge impact not only in Futsal but also our entire outdoor program. What do we have to lose? Other super powers in the outdoor game globally have done so.
Adam Brundle: The ideal scenario is that more and more people start believing in the game, and more and more people become proficient in the education of futsal. This will allow Futsal to be seen as its own sport and not be seen as a compliment to soccer. USYF is doing a great job at leading the charge, and creating a pathway for players to get a true taste of what futsal is. With the creation of the PFL led by Mr. Tozer, it will give players a complete pathway. It will also allow players to realize there is a future beyond the game past the age of 14/15, and that they could turn it into a career.
Keith Tozer: In the next ten years the growth of futsal here in the U.S. will be substantial. I see more and more futsal facilities, academies, league and tournaments being developed across the U.S. giving more and more players the opportunity to experience this great game. Even though the game doesn’t need coaches per say, the game we still need more knowledgeable coaches who understand the methodology of the game of futsal and the USYF coaching education along with others will help immensely. When the PFL kicks off it will be a great shot in the arm for futsal here in the U.S. as well as globally. The PFL will attract some of the top coaches and players from around the world to the U.S. and will only help elevate the development of the American players not only for the league but also for the U.S. National Team..
Adam Brundle: I see it growing exponentially, and being played all over the US. As coach Tozer has mentioned the PFL will allow not only for players to see high quality professional futsal live in America, but it will also pave a realistic pathway for young americans to be able to follow. It will be the tip of the US Futsal pyramid. This will allow for more youth clubs to start engaging in futsal and only futsal, and I believe in the next 10 years we will see Futsal come out of the shadow of soccer, and begin to stand on its own as the sport it is!
Keith Tozer: All the top players in the world have said at one time or another, “I am who I am because growing up in my country I played Futsal!”
Adam Brundle: It is not really a motivational message. However I would just encourage anyone and everyone to try it.. I am positive that more often than not you will fall in love with the game.
Who Will Be On The Grill Next Month? Follow Us @ISLAgency To Find Out!
On April 17th, live from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, entrepreneur and WBA International hampion, Joe Fournier, will take on colombian reggaeton star Reykon on Triller’s Fight Club event. ISL has worked behind the scenes as a mediator to make this fight part of a fierce lineup leading to the Jake Paul, youtuber sensation vs Ben Askren, UFC legend, combat.
ISL & Triller Fight Club
Triller Fight Club is a partnership between leading music and social media platform Triller and Snoop Dogg, with a mission to provide the best boxing fights on pay-per-view for every audience, from the diehard to the casual fan.
Triller started as a video-sharing social media app, becoming the fiercest competitor of TikTok in a matter of months. Last fall, the platform started a new division as fight broadcaster and promoter, hosting an explosive fight on their first event with none other than the legendary Mike Tyson and the acclaimed Jake Paul.
The first fight hosted by Triller became the 8th most watched PPV fighting event in history.
ISL is proud to help build a legacy of exclusive boxing content and premium entertainment with a never before seen fight between a professional boxer, Joe Fournier, and an international singer, Reykon.
“With Triller we are seeing fresh, new, out of the box content, combining sports, entertainment and the unexpected element of surprise. As crossover fights increase with successful results, we wanted to be the first ones ever to mediate a fight between a professional boxer and a reggaeton artist”, explains Marc Segarra, ISL Managing Partner.
“As a sports marketing agency, we are proud to partner with a leading entertainment platform as Triller Fight Club”, concludes Alex Isern, ISL Co-Founder and CEO. The entertainment of the night is guaranteed to continue outside the ring with Justin Bieber and The Black Keys, among other artists.
As for the men of the hour, mediated by ISL, their rivalry started after a confrontation in a Miami restaurant, and will blow up on the ring on April 17th, 9pm EST.
Yesterday it was announced that Innjoo, a technologies company, has signed a sponsorship agreement with Deportivo Alaves brokered by ISL.
Earlier this year, ISL inked an exclusive deal with the Healthcare arm of InnJoo, a Spanish based technology company, to act as their business development partners throughout the continental U.S. With the relationship spearheaded by ISL’s Bruno Diaz, and his long standing relationships with clubs around Europe, it led to the possibility of brokering this exciting sponsorship deal.
Innjoo will feature on the back of the shorts of the Deportivo Alaves players in matches during the 2020/2021 season. The financials of the deal are not released. This is the first major kit sponsorship deal brokered by Bruno Diaz for ISL.
Haritz Karejeta, CEO of Alaves, acknowledge the values of Innjoo were at the core of this relationship as well as how this deal continues to signify the international growth of the club. Karejeta was also keep to acknowledge the he valued the relationship established with ISL through this deal. In addition, the Marketing Director of Innjoo, Pablo Guerrero spoke to the core of this deal, “Innjoo identifies with the same values as the Baskonia-Alavés Group, a benchmark for life both in Vitoria and in the Basque Country”. He also stated that with the sponsorship Innjoo hope to “reach the people”.
Bruno Diaz, ISL’s key figure in the deal, said of the sponsorship “With relationships like Alaves and Innjoo who understand the value of sponsorship, and are open to find win win situations, it’s always a a pleasure to close such a valued partnership. We are sure it will be a long term deal.” Bruno also added “With this deal, we’re excited to help businesses in the future achieve their marketing goals through sponsorship.”
This is not InnJoo’s first foray into sponsorships, but it is a first in partnership with Alavés. We are looking forward to seeing this sponsorship relationship grow, as well as the opportunities this announcement brings to the ISL sponsorship team in the future.
In the past little had been known about this fast growing sport, or as some have referenced it as the little brother of soccer, but futsal is the only form of indoor soccer endorsed by FIFA. It earned the status of FIFA’s official form of indoor soccer in the 1980s as it was recognized as a scaled down version of outdoor soccer played indoors. It is a 5 v 5 small-sided game played on a hard surfaced, basketball sized court with a smaller, heavier low bounce ball.
Futsal is played with touchline boundaries and without walls. It is a game that most recognized outdoor soccer players around the globe play to refine and maintain their control skills and touch. Great soccer superstars such as Ronaldo, Messi, Kaka and Neymar grew up playing the game and credit futsal with developing their skills.
The mission of our indoor program is simple, develop top tier players and people through the uniqueness of this sport, all the while providing a comfortable platform for all to learn and advance on and away from the court. The philosophy is unconventional in that the overall approach is holistic and centers on the encouragement of individual creativity and player intelligence. In itself, futsal is a very distinctive game, and often takes players out of their comfort zones in order to stretch their skills to reach their next level. The goal in these circumstances is to help ensure players are constantly striving for loftier goals and succeeding.
Governing the success and growth of Futsala for ISL are Adam Brundle, Pedro Oliveira and Caio Maciel. This trio oversees academies in both Austin, TX and Charlotte, NC. Along with the support of the ISL family have taken a concept of humble beginnings and transformed it into one of the hottest programs in the nation.
Programs vary, depending on interest and individual development within the game, but can be specialized to fit specific needs of the player. There are 2 core categories that are open to players, with a week long summer camp option for all skill levels looking to continue to refine their techniques or simply check out the sport for the first time.
To break it down, Futsala offers a year round academy aimed at player’s 4- 18 years old with varying levels of background experience from beginners to experts. In addition, Futsala has a Classes & Sessions program, which offers players the opportunity to continue playing during holidays. This program is not exclusive, but rather open to all, but still ensures top level and quality coaching. Also, each player will be matched up with a group of kids to fit their needs and to ensure the optimum learning environment.
Since forming, Futsala has experienced a string of rapid successes for both players and coaches. It has even gained national and international attention for top level play on the court. Recently our ‘03 Barefoot-Futsala girls Team were crowned the National Champions In addition, there has been recognition at National ID’s, with twelve of our players getting invited to participate with the US National Youth Team.
Trips that were once just a short drive from home to the courts are now around the country and abroad to compete against the best the nation and world have to offer. It is a far departure from its humble beginnings, but a journey that is just beginning and with a big, bright future ahead. If you would like to have a futsal program near you, let us know.
From the offset of forming ISL as a company the main focus has always been about community and giving back. Each of us that make up the team come from different walks of life and have at some point needed a hand up to move forward, in one way or another. It is with that sentiment and the current global climate of COVID-19 that we collectively agreed that there has to be a way to get involved and be able to put our efforts into pouring hope into the lives of those who are desperately in need during this time.
Recently we rolled out a “Same Team. Same Goal.” campaign in tandem with the global call for people to stay at home in hopes of combating this pandemic and flattening the curve. We received an overwhelming and positive response to the mocked up “Home Shirt” jerseys in the graphics we laid out for social media and an article written to support the campaign. The only logical thing to do at this point was to move the concept forward into production and ultimately do good with it.
Now, there are many companies that are vying to get involved and help out in aiding those in need, but for the most part those donations are being funneled into a centralized disbursement organization and the turn around to get them to those people who are now reliant upon receiving those distributions are being lost in the shuffle or having to hold on a bit longer until they are able to receive aid.
For us, immediate disbursement of aid was non-negotiable. People are going without and the goal for us is get them help as soon as possible. ISL is going on 7 years strong now, but we have done well at remaining true to our roots. The early days began in Charlotte, NC and although we now call many parts of the world home, the Queen City will always hold close in our hearts.
Soccer is the world’s game and if you are a part of it you will come to quickly understand that it is a very small and close knit community with many arms. Soccer serves many purposes outside of being a game to watch. It unifies cities and countries. It’s colorblind. It doesn’t know or care what your socioeconomic status is. But, above all it serves. Soccer and the players that we have come to cheer on have always poured resources back into one outreach or charity that they are fortunate to be partnered with. To us, we have always had the utmost respect for our friends at Project 658.
Project 658 believe in transforming communities and pouring hope into restoring each life they are able to engage with, regardless of race, sex or religion. These are values that we believe in and only hope to try to replicate in our daily lives. 658 are a holistic ministry providing services for at-risk families in Charlotte and Nashville, moving them toward sustainability; with a key focus on the international and refugee communities. This is a non-brainer for us, as many of our team are from different parts of the globe.
The beauty of this project was two fold, in that we had the opportunity to help those in need, but additionally it gave the folks at 658 the chance to put a few of their staff back to work, even if it were for a short period of time, as they have an onsite screen printing and distribution department. Given the climate of things right now being able to uncover a company to do this project and turn it around in a timely fashion could present itself as a bit of a challenge, so we were excited to learn that this was a capability of theirs.
Beyond being an outreach ministry, 658 have diversified their facility to be host a variety of different things such as wedding receptions, to continued education classes, vocational training classes, an after school daycare and tutoring, to a fully operational restaurant style kitchen to which they have the ability to cater events on the premises, as well as feed those in need. They even have the ability to convert the banquet space into a fully capable futsal court for local youth to play on.
Without the delay the concept of #HomeFC was born. The purpose behind the jersey was a simple call to stay home, save lives in the attempt to get this pandemic behind us and to get back out on the playing field. Additionally, it gave us the opportunity to be able to reach out to our network to help those who are most in need.
With all hands on deck we ran a limited time offer jersey sale for 7 days utilizing our ISL social media channels and an email marketing campaign. Orders from around the U.S. started coming in almost immediately, which for us validated even more the type of community we have come to know and love. As quickly as it began it was over. All in all we sold over 200 jerseys and raised over $5000.00 for Project 658 and a couple other organizations affiliated with our foundation.
This number may not seem like much, but for the lives of those in need during this time it truly made an impact, even if it were for a short period. To everyone that helped support this campaign, thank you. You may never meet the folks who you help support, but we can assure you that they are equally grateful to you too.
To learn more about our foundation and organizations that we work with follow this link.
We work in a world that can be characterized into two simple words, “Sports Marketing.” This however can bring a lot of questions as to what goes into sports marketing, and could make someone unprepared when one is offered the chance to rattle off a dreaded 30 second elevator pitch. It’s in that vein and of the utmost importance to give clarity to these questions, but more importantly to separate yourself from other companies who claim to be in the same field.
By definition Sports Marketing is a subdivision of marketing, focusing both on the promotional aspects of sporting events and the teams that compete in those events, as well as the promotion of products and services associated with those sporting events and sports teams. It is a service in which the element promoted can be a physical product or a brand name.
Like most vibrant companies we are diverse and multifaceted, meaning that we are not just siloed into a specific space. Although our focus is that of the sports industry, we have many arms that make up our brand, all the while we continue to branch out into other new and exciting areas. ISL prides itself on being cutting edge, as well as hiring some of the most talented folks in the industry to help make dreams become reality, not just as a company, but for our clients and guests.
We have a variety of services to offer. To date there are 8 different ways in our portfolio to be able to engage with current clients and new potential customers. This includes everything from experiential design, brand development, marketing and sponsorship, event production, tours and friendlies, product research and development, travel management, and all the way to our player management arm. Each services works with one another to seamlessly achieve our clients goals.
As a company we like to meet challenges methodically and head on. So, as our brand continues to thrive and grow into new areas. We are proud to be a Sports Management and Marketing agency, providing sports business services and solutions for clients and partners, as well as ISL owned and operated brands.
To learn more about ISL, the different services we have to offer and how we are able to work together contact us. See you on the field.
It’s been a little over four weeks now since what seemed like just another news story playing in the background from a different part of the world, has now made its way to every corner on earth. Global events of this magnitude seem like something we’ve read about in history books or even seen in blockbuster science-fiction movies, but to actually live it out in real life is nothing short of surreal. It truly gives us a better perspective that we are all a part of something bigger now than just our own myopic worldview we typically live in.
Temporarily we are all on hold. Activities have been suspended and scheduled events have been pushed back to dates that are still to be determined. For the most part everyone is complying with the universal stay at home orders, in helping the greater good. Neighbors are once again being neighborly and doing their part to combat the spread of COVID-19. That said, the earth is still rotating on its axis, and life continues on.
None of us know when we will be able to return back to “business as usual,” but it is certain that we will not be starting over from scratch, but rather adapting to new topography. This is a seemingly daunting thought to wrap your mind around no matter the industry you find yourself in, but just like our ancestors, we adjust and fight on.
ISL’s primary focus is sports, which when cancelled around the globe made the whole coronavirus pandemic very real, not just for us, but for every walk of life as we are all vested in it one way or another. Be it cooler talk at the office amongst peers or simply a way to bond with loved ones, sports and sporting events are unifying.
“No one in our lifetime has ever experienced extraordinary events like this. We are all learning how to move forward by trial and error in each of our respective businesses.” – Alex Isern (CEO of ISL) “Start where you are and with people you have on your team. Be bold enough to take risks, even now, but more importantly if those efforts fall short, get up, dust yourself off and try again.”
So, what does this mean specifically for sports marketing? Two of the most affected continents in this global crisis are Europe and America, where ISL holds 100% of its operations. The postponement of most soccer leagues and federations worldwide, coupled with our vast Travel, Talent and Tour and Friendlies Management arm, has put our families, clients, and partners on the bench.
For all, this disruption means rethinking how to manage upcoming scheduled activities, messaging for marketing campaigns and the events associated with them, and of course, how this will affect everyone financially. Some companies are in reactive mode, while others are in survival mode, but either way you look at it we are all in an adaptive mode, trying to get a better grasp of when things will resume back to normal. It’s during this time however that companies, like ISL, dig in and pivot.
This means recognizing what is going on currently, adjusting strategies and looking down the road. We are not naive to the gravity of this crisis. We know that this current situation is monumental, but the ISL team remains steadfast and positive. Our outlook is laser focused on continuing to change the global soccer landscape and more than ever we are committed to our players, our clients and our partners in delivering unparalleled experiences and solutions. We take pride in what we do and in servicing our customers, because at the core of everything we are is ultimately you.
“We are one in this! From our early beginnings, ISL have always been there for its team, families and clients. In these uncertain times, we need you more than ever to sustain all that we have built together.” – Marc Segarra (Co-Founder of ISL) adding, “These are unprecedented times, so please stay home and be patient. Take this time to spend with family and loved ones. Sooner than later we will get the (soccer) ball rolling again, together.”
So for now, home field advantage is global and the rules are universal. Although we may be rooted separately, our paths will ascend together. We are one team. Will you wear the home shirt?
Same team. Same goal.
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