We
breathe
soccer
breathe
soccer
After a year of rigorous selection and scouting at the LaLiga Select Talent IDs and jetting off to Madrid with 118 talented young North American footballers to spend two weeks training in the Spanish capital in the second phase of the program, 3 players have been selected, and offered scholarships by LaLiga Select to continue their journey in Spain and spend two weeks training with LaLiga youth teams to further learn and grow into professional level players.
The players trained at the academies of three LaLiga Santander clubs: RC Celta, Deportivo Alavés and Levante UD. Here, the young soccer players lived the experience of being part of three of the best LaLiga academies, trained with their coaches, learned their methodologies, and experienced various activities and the culture of their host cities.
LaLiga Select, the first talent detection project launched by ISL and an international soccer organization in North America, landed in Spain in March to train 118 young players from the USA and Canada. The players were selected by LaLiga Grassroots scouts from a total of 12,000 participants across 14 events and tournaments across the US since January 2021.
“It is an honor to see LaLiga Select players train at clubs like Celta, Alavés and Levante. We knew it was a program with a lot of potential that was not only going to give opportunities to footballers, but also to LaLiga clubs that can now attract North American talent. We are sure that Jacobo, Abraham, and Everton will be an example for other athletes who dream of being able to play in Spain,” says Alex Isern, CEO & Co-Founder of ISL Agency.
Next month ISL and LaLiga Select will kick off it’s tour of the US in search of new talent at the upcoming Talent IDs and encourage young, passionate players to sign up as spots are limited.
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.
On October 10th, Ethernity Chain will make available the first Luis Suárez NFT (non-fungible token) collection – exlusively on Ethernity’s platform.
After the successful launch of Messi’s record-breaking NFT collection in August, which grossed $3.4 million on the first day, ISL and Ethernity will convert “El pistolero” into historic digital tokens.
Uruguay’s all-time leading goalscorer will be the next soccer star with an official and authenticated NFT collection. The collection is composed of 5 NFTs representing his epic career in the Premier League, La Liga and Uruguay’s national team.
ISL – Ethernity’s official and exclusive soccer partner – has enabled the deal between Ethernity Chain and Luis Suárez.
Ethernity’s previous NFT collections for Pelé, Copa América and Messi reached an accumulated sales value of over $5 million, positioning Ethernity and ISL as a leading reference of digital art in the soccer industry.
“Our goal is to keep developing the joint potential of Soccer and NFTs, and to continue building bridges between sports and the digital world”, – says Marc Segarra, ISL Managing Partner. “Luis Suárez is a living soccer legend and this collection represents another milestone for the NFT and soccer industries”, – adds Alex ISern, ISL CEO.
“Our mission is to continue creating exclusive collections with the best talent in the world and the digital artists of the moment. Suarez’ NFT edition is one of the most anticipated sports collections we have ever launched, and we can’t wait to share it with the fans,” explains Nick Rose, CEO of Ethernity Chain.
In the coming months ISL and Ethernity will announce more NFT collections with top global soccer brands.
Stay tuned!
On the Grill: Pol Solé
The US Men’s National Team has recently beaten Mexico in the 2021 CONCACAF GOLD CUP FINAL becoming the new soccer Champion of North and Central America.
With a sports history mostly famous for American Football, Baseball, Basketball and Ice Hockey, the US are emerging as a new soccer talent pool with several American players already playing in some of the biggest clubs in the world, such as Christian Pulisic in Chelsea FC, Sergiño Dest with FC Barcelona or Yunus Musah with Valencia CF.
Pol Solé, the ISL director of LaLiga’s first and oficial soccer recruitment program in the US – LaLiga Select – shared with us his feedback from the LaLiga select Talent IDs and Showcases held this Summer across the country.
Pol Solé: As of today, soccer is one of the biggest sports in the US and is the most played among young people. If you get your car and drive across the country, you will run into thousands of soccer fields with kids playing soccer. I have lived in the US for 6 years and I have seen a huge growth in both quantity and quality of soccer players.
Pol Solé: Yes, absolutely. Soccer has been growing exponentially over the past 5-10 years. In my opinion this growth is due to three different factors:
First, the arrival of European soccer stars to the MLS such as Beckham, Henry, Villa, Zlatan, and many more. The American soccer league and teams were followed and supported by many more people around the world.
The second factor is a consequence of the first one. Having more stars in the MLS, brings sponsors and TV rights. If you only display basketball and football games on TV, it will be very difficult for a kid to be engaged and involved in soccer. However, if the kid turns on the TV and there is a soccer game from his local team, he might watch it and get a better understanding of the game.
Last but not least, the success of the US Women’s National Soccer Team. The United States is one of the very few countries in the world where the amount of boys and girls playing soccer is very similar. Having a role model like Alex Morgan or Megan Rapinoe makes girls dream of becoming a professional soccer player and competing for the National Team.
Pol Solé: LaLiga Select is the official LaLiga recruitment pathway in the US. After launching at the beginning of this year, the program has captured the attention of youth soccer in North America, expanding the program to several showcases and Talent IDs across the country. It is a great opportunity for young players aspiring to become professionals to test out their level and skills among other great players and be selected to participate in a Showcase Talent in Spain in front of Technical Directors from LaLiga Clubs.The players can then be recruited by the LaLiga Clubs to kick off their professional careers.
Pol Solé: The first LaLiga Select own events took place over the past months in Texas, with hundreds of young American players attending the Talent IDs in Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas, and widely expressing on social media their positive feedback and enthusiasm about this unique experience. I was very impressed with the talent and hardwork of these young players. They were very focused on every session and that is a reflection of their goal: become professional soccer players.
On the other hand, we attended several Showcases in the US from our club partners and they were also a big success. We attended those events with LaLiga Scouts to identify talent and bring them to Spain for a Talent Showcase alongside the selected players from the Talent IDs. One of the best things from the Showcases was to see the players in action competing and showing their skills. As I said, every year soccer is growing and the level is higher so it is more fun to watch.
Pol Solé: Yes, definitely. As soccer grows in the US, more outstanding players emerge and seek for opportunities in Europe. Also, clubs know the US is a big market and having American players in their squads will give them popularity and increase their brand awareness in the US. There are many kids that do not follow teams, they follow players. So, for instance, now that Pulisic is at Chelsea FC, all the fans now follow Pulisic’s club instead of Borussia Dortmund (Pulisic’s previous club).
Pol Solé: Yes, I think they can be one of the best. The US has the resources and the population to make it happen. However, nowadays I think the US is still far from countries like Brazil, France or Spain where the main sport is soccer and every single kid in the street knows how to play. In Spain we breathe, live and sleep soccer.
Pol Solé: I am excited to see how the USMNT performs at the World Cup. This one will be very different from the past ones, I am intrigued by how the weather and the dates will affect the players. The World Cup has never been done in the middle of the season so it will be tricky for the clubs. My prognosis is that the USMNT will qualify and advance the group stages and will lose at the round of 16.
ISL continues to support the development of US soccer by launching the first official recruitment platform of LaLiga for youth talent in the United States.
ISL, in collaboration with LaLiga, is launching LaLiga Select – a platform that will provide young American soccer players, between the ages of 13 to 18, the opportunity to showcase their talent and start a professional soccer career in a youth club from LaLiga.
The launch of LaLiga Select represents an important milestone for LaLiga in the United States, as it is the first legitimate scouting program for soccer players led by an international sports institution in North America. This project is part of an action plan drawn by the Spanish League and Relevent to contribute to the growth of soccer in the United States, while continuing to provide all resources and opportunities to help American talent in its preparation for the 2026 World Cup.
With these types of initiatives, ISL and La Liga are encouraging and facilitating the arrival of new American talents to Spain at an early age, such as Sergiño Dest and Konrad De La Fuente from FC Barcelona, or Yunus Musah from Valencia FC.
“La Liga Select aims to contribute to the development of young American talent, providing players an opportunity to showcase their potential, an experience that will step up their game, and , 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.”.
This unprecedented initiative will start in 2021 between June 21st and July 13th, with several Talent ID held across different cities in the United States, and is expected to gather thousands of participants. Approximately 60 players will be selected by LaLiga scouts to embark on a Spanish Showcase in Madrid. During a period of 10 days this group of players will train and compete with the best clubs in Spain under the supervision of different Technical Directors from LaLiga Youth Clubs, who will then recruit the best player from each age category to participate in a sponsored training camp with a LaLiga Youth Club.
LaLiga Select will open 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.
La Liga Select is the first official LaLiga platform to recruit talent in the United States.
This project gives young players with ages between 13 to 18, the opportunity to showcase their talent and start a professional soccer career in a LaLiga youth club.
LaLiga Select will open the doors of European soccer to American players, creating a quality reference in US soccer, while positioning Spain as an attractive market for young US players.
As soon as the announcement of this unprecedented initiative was made official by LaLiga, several media outlets picked up the news and communicated it around the world, valuing the contribution of ISL and LaLiga to the development of American soccer and to bringing countries together through sports.
In Spain, home country of La Liga, the main sports media like Mundo Deportivo and AS gave a full page coverage to the story, while in the United States prominent informative platforms such as yahoo! finance or ESPN Deportes delivered the news highlighting the positive impact La Liga Select will have on US soccer.
The press coverage of LaLiga Select reached over 50 media outlets and 113 Million visitors in 4 different continents. Below are the major publication covering the launch of LaLiga Next:
Yahoo Finance: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/laliga-north-america-creates-platform-154000374.html
ESPN Deportes: https://espndeportes.espn.com/futbol/espana/nota/_/id/8034001/laliga-lanza-programa-captar-talento-juvenil-estados-unidos
Mundo Deportivo: https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/20210114/491562506918/laliga-proyecta-captar-talento-en-estados-unidos.html
Sports Finding: https://sportsfinding.com/laliga-plans-to-attract-talent-in-the-united-states/78129/
US AS: https://us.as.com/us/2021/01/14/futbol/1610650465_385309.html#menu
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.