We
breathe
soccer
breathe
soccer
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.
Over the past year ISL have worked with BK2 in order to aid young soccer players in their journey to play at the next level. While some players have the rare gift of beginning a professional career at a young age, many others find the option to play collegiately as the best fit for them. Playing collegiate not only allows a young player to keep chasing their dream of playing professionally, but provides a valuable education if a professional playing career doesn’t materialize. Not to mention, the academic and athletic scholarship options that come with playing college soccer go a long way.
BK2 are a college counseling organization who work to support young students in the process of American University recruitment, offering services that will position its students in the best possible scenario. The education of applicants and their professional development are the basis of all their efforts. BK2 helps athletes find the best athletic and academic scholarships available to them, and make the process understandable for families who may not be familiar with the American recruitment system.
We look forward to many more years working with BK2 in achieving academic and athletic success for young players around the world!
Today is an exciting day as ISL Agency continue to expand its sports business service offering with the announcement of Tours And Friendlies to its portfolio. In our short yet busy history, we’ve been proud to continue offering high quality sports business solutions to our partners and clients, the addition of Tours And Friendlies is no different. We are excited to continue helping expand our clients brand, discover new fans, and achieve unmatched sports management results.
ISL will be assisting professional clubs, federations, leagues or promotors to organize friendly games, tours or tournaments, as well as broker sponsorship opportunities as a result of these agreements.
ISL CEO Alex Isern said on the exciting new service, “We are very excited to offer this opportunity to professional clubs that are looking for new revenue streams, but also to increase their fan base abroad. We have already started talking with several clubs and our goal is to manage more than 50 games next summer.”
In recent years, soccer clubs have increasingly ventured outside of their home country in search for new surroundings during pre-season training and matches. Not only do clubs find training inspiration in new environments, and playing challenges against foreign competition, but the opportunity to expand their brand and discover new fans. Tours And Friendlies blends a clubs aspirations with competing against new opposition, and commercially grow the clubs brand.
For additional information, contact Bruno Diaz via email at bdiaz@islagency-old.nntesting.com or via phone +1 954-505-1378 (US) and +34 654 538 125 (Global).
Once again the eyes of the soccer and sports business world were locked in on Miami for Soccerex 2019. Heavy hitters from around the globe converged on the magic city to discuss the current state of affairs of the beautiful game, what’s trending, along with what the “future forecasts” are and how the game could possibly improve and/or evolve in the U.S. and internationally. The event has been bringing together the football sphere to network in a unique environment away from the pitch for over twenty years and for two days our team immersed themselves in all that this industry leading networking event had to offer.
2019 was another terrific event, boasting a wide variety of leading senior soccer industry specialists with expertise in areas such as business strategy, broadcasting, stadia, grassroots, club soccer and new media. Topics relating to grassroots development projects was one close to the interests of ISL Agency. With our work across the country in Youth Soccer Academies, and International Youth Soccer Tournaments, ISL executives understand first hand the importance of leading these campaigns. Speakers this year included MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Fox Sports Analysts and personalities Alexi Lalas and Stuart Holden, NWSL President Amanda Duffy, and Inter Miami Co-Owner Jorge Mas.
ISL executives were on site during a busy two day of meetings and presentations from the game’s leaders. Now that Soccerex is held annually in Miami, FL, ISL executives make sure to take advantage of one of the worlds biggest soccer conventions.
As soccer continues to grow and thrive throughout the United States conferences like that of Soccerex will become increasingly more important to take part in, not just from a catching up stand point with old friends, but more so to connect with future business partners and to remain on the bleeding edge of the game that is uniting the world.
It’s always an honor to be recognized for hard work and successful achievements made along the path of your professional life, but even more so when the recognition comes from an institution that holds near to your heart.
This past weekend ISL Co-Founders Alex Isern and Marc Segarra made the trip from Miami, FL to their alma mater, Winthrop University in South Carolina to receive the “Outstanding Young Alumni” Award at the annual Alumni Weekend Luncheon on the school’s main campus. This was a nostalgic trip for both colleagues and childhood friends as they walked around the campus prior to the ceremony and reminisced about the great times they both had attending the college from an athletic and scholastic point of view. It was also where the idea of starting a sports marketing company was incepted back in the 2012/13 school calendar year.
As their names were announced, a great deal of pride overcame their faces as they were met with a boisterous applause from fellow classmates and hundreds of other alumni who were in attendance that afternoon. As they took the stage to receive their awards, the school president shared a few words of congratulations, as the award recognizes Winthrop Alumna and Alumnus age 35 or younger whose service to the university, service to the community and professional achievements have reflected positively on all alumni and the university.
ISL Agency has now been thriving for over 6 years and a recognition such as this only validates what was once an idea and continues to fuel the desire to be the best company in the world to connect fans with the brands that they love and to offer unparalleled sporting experiences for clients from around the world. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of the journey thus far, we’re only getting started!
For the second time this year the ISL family got together to celebrate achievements, milestones, discuss company vision for 2020 and to bond over good food and healthy athletic competition.
This past May marked ISL’s 6th year anniversary as a company. What started off as a dream by a couple of childhood friends from Spain has blossomed into a global sports management powerhouse, with 8 locations across the United States and Europe, with 100+ full time employees working with a variety of clients and projects.
Upon arrival in the historic Catalonian city we were met by the mountainous terrain in the distance and the salt air from the nearby coast line. With a sense of electricity that is seemingly unique to this part of the world we converged onto the southern part of the city. Our time together was limited, so we were determined to maximize it.
Events were held at the world famous David Lloyd Club Turo Sports Facility, the location of WTA Tournaments in recent years, for our corporate meeting with the executive team and all of the directors. ISL CEO, Alex Isern, opened up by welcoming us, some pleasantries, anecdotes and the itinerary for the day. Shortly after concluding his remarks we jumped right in.
An array of topics were covered by each of the departments that make up ISL as a whole. This was a great way for each director to level set the expectations of their respective department. Senior Executives and C-Suite discussed how we can all work together in tandem for the greater good of the company to improve programs and our customer or client experiences.
What was set for a 3 hour block of presentations and open discussion flew by, and before we knew it both Alex Isern and Marc Segarra (Co-Founder) were up front delivering their concluding remarks and heartfelt thanks to each of us for the hard work and dedication that has been put in to getting ISL Agency to where it is today.
Shortly after the conclusion of the meeting the team made there way to locker rooms to change out for the first of hopefully many more future Padel competitions to come. Padel is a racquet sport, which is both fast and highly entertaining to play and watch. After a spirited afternoon of competition, laughter and one rolled ankle, a pair of champions were crowned. From the courts we made our way out for an evening of fellowship over good food and wine. As the evening drew to a close we were all reminded of how fortunate we are to be in each others lives. Not just from a professional point of view, but because we genuinely work together like one big happy family, and although it may not have been the sole purpose of the trip, it was the lasting impression we all walked away with.
A successful week was rounded out with a surprise visit from our old friend and partner, Bobby Epstein – the owner of COTA, who had travelled to Barcelona to catch up with the ISL owners and team before everyone headed back to their respective parts of the world. “Since I met Marc and Alex I knew they were going to build something unique. Their work ethic, passion, and business acumen are very impressive and I’m very excited to start doing things together. ISL has a tremendous potential in the US and I look forward to pushing the boundaries of this industry” – Bobby Epstein. We are truly grateful for this relationship and look forward to many fruitful years ahead.
During a press conference in Barcelona today, MIC Sports and ISL officially announce their formal agreement. The agreement see’s ISL acquire the rights to host and manage the worlds most prominent International youth soccer tournament to the United States, the Mediterranean International Cup. Tournament ambassador Marc Bartra, and former participant of the Mediterranean International Cup, was alongside the two partners supporting the new venture.
ISL Co-Founder and CEO Alex Isern said of the agreement “We are very excited to bring to the US one of the best youth soccer tournaments in the world. It will be a pleasure to work with a great organization like MIC Sports and together we will form a very powerful team. We have been working on this project for a long time and we are thrilled to say it will be a reality at the end of this year. We believe it’s a great opportunity for American teams to participate in a world class event that has hosted world class soccer stars like Messi, Neymar, Piqué.”
ISL are delighted to bring the MIC, short for Mediterranean International Cup, to the United States. The 19 year old tournament is considered the worlds most prestigious youth soccer tournament and is headed into its milestone 20th year. Over the course of nearly two decades, tens of thousands of players from around the world have participated, and countless of the game’s modern stars found the tournament to be the launching pad for their early careers. MIC USA will bring a distinguished level of professionalism to the youth soccer tournament scene in the United States, and has the vision of being the destination event for years to come.
The inaugural American event will take place in late 2019 in Florida, and will be held annually. The tournament was originated with one vision, to provide the opportunity for young players to participate against the worlds best teams and players. ISL are now seeking valued partners and sponsors to support the tournaments vision in the United States.
ISL executives were fortunate to attend Sports Business Decision Makers Summit to take in some great insights into current sports business and marketing trends.
While a majority of the Miami, FL event held at the W Hotel focused around sponsorship and partnerships, the summit also covered investment in sport, global expansion of sports brands, sports fans, collegiate athletics, and much more. Read up on some of the major insights discussed, and social media highlights.
Fans in Asia, are different to fans in Europe, who are different to fans in South America, who are even more different to fans in North America. Each region brings different challenges, and North America appears to be the most challenging, yet most rewarding. O’Callaghan cited 2 important strategies that build the FC Barcelona fan base in the United States, those were the presence of a North American office, and the expansion of Grassroots efforts like the world famous Barca Academies. ISL continues to execute the major Barca Academy grassroots strategy, and growing the famous FC Barcelona brand.
Eelco van der Noll, head of Partnership and Sponsorship for Anheuser-Busch inBev, spoke on the Brand side of sponsorship and partnership. One key topic was on the value of the Esport target market for brands. All the major sports and leagues primary targets vary in ages, however they are all primarily 30+ years old. Esports primary target market, 24-30 years old, is an extremely valuable age range for building lifelong brand affinity.
As a major focus of the event was on partnership and sponsorship, we had to mention some of the modern approaches to the effective marketing strategy. Chief Revenue Officer for Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, Adam Davis, spoke on a modern approach to partnership marketing. Today, brands are looking for partners, not sponsors. Traditional stock sponsorship packages are a thing of the past. Instead, the approach to a modern conversation needs to have the mind frame of improving the business for each side of table, and it’s an ever evolving relationship.
With the recent announcement of the 2019 International Champions Cup (ICC) fixtures around the world, American fans of the worlds game can look forward to seeing world class soccer at their doorstep. The annual summer club competition is now in its 7th edition, and is now crucial for the next generation of young players around the world, and even more so in the United States.
ISL is rooted in the beautiful game across the United States and around the world, so as a company we couldn’t be more excited for the ICC’s return. Soccer is wildly popular in America and it’s only getting bigger. From youth academies, collegiate teams, the USL, NWSL, and the MLS, the game has taken a foothold at all levels.
As the growth of the game continues throughout the United States, ISL are privileged to be a part of the future of the game. Our strong partnerships around the world allow us to provide services that connect the American market to the highest levels of the game. A perfect example are the competitions Team ISL players compete in against some of the top youth club teams around the world. Our Travel Management Group make it all possible for Team ISL to compete in youth International Tournaments like the Mediterranean International Cup (MIC), similar to the ICC.
International Competitions like the ICC, and the MIC are events that will continue to improve the game in the United States. ISL are committed to continuing this growth, and making dreams a reality for young players.
Rebranding can be a scary process. There is a lot of thought and work put behind it, and execution is everything. So, after 5 years of successfully running as ISL Futbol the decision was made to drop the “futbol” portion of the moniker and operate simply as ISL to springboard our co-founders vision into other sporting verticals outside of soccer.
Not only did we tackle a rebrand, but the decision was made to uproot from our U.S. based headquarters in Charlotte, NC to the warm, sun-kissed beaches of Miami, FL. From the outside looking in the move may or may not have made sense, but to us as a sports marketing agency the optics of everything that go into being a premier, global, client facing company and the way we are able to service those clients, as well as attack new sports entertainment ventures, the choice was a no brainer.
Recently Marc Segarra (Co-founder/Managing Partner ISL) and Tim Bailey (Dir. of Business Development) sat down to discuss the rebrand and move to Miami in further detail. To learn more about the thoughts that inevitably pushed ISL to pivot in a new direction follow this link.
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