WHY WE DESIGNED THIS PROGRAM
We were a partner of a major Italian Serie A Club for 7 years. During that time, we made a lot of friends and contacts in Italy, in Italian football. Every year, at the Club’s Academy in Italy, we ran a Clinic for U14s, and also for U17s. It was very popular. It was about the same price as for this program. What we learned was that the Serie A Club had a very high expectation and our players lacked the experience to fulfill the requirements. None of our players succeeded because none had logged any time in European-style matches. And we decided that we wanted a more positive outcome for our players – to be able to truly give them the opportunity they wanted.
(The writer: 15 years ago, before I started working directly with these European Clubs, my son was 15 years old and was a very good footballer. We listened to an agent and a program director, and I sent my son to many “trials” but he always came back with nothing. Please watch the Greizmann video and realize how typical this is).
Our program has been designed so that these types of disappointments will not occur.
[wp-video-popup video=”https://vimeo.com/449978984″]
In 2017, our Club gained entry into the 3rd level of our national Federation, and we had to break our official contract with the Serie A Club. It was also at the time of a takeover of the Serie A Club which, after 1 year, in 2018, there was another new owner. And, in these two changes, many of our colleagues came out from the Club and became consultants or took other jobs. To make the long story short, through our inquiries, we found that there are many Clubs in Italy which can benefit from having foreign talent, but many of them do not have the abilty, the resources, or the connections, to find new foreign talent. This is how our program started, because we know the procedures of the national federations, like FIGC (the Italian federation), under FIFA. We also know the Italian immigration requirements.
We have many Clubs which are looking for non-Italian, non-EU players, and we specialize in introducing players to the Clubs. These are not Serie A teams or Serie B teams, although if we have a player come to us who is good enough, we can place a player in a higher level team. But the special aspect of what we can do is that we can place players in the lower levels of Serie D, Eccelenza or Promozione League Clubs, which are in need of talented players. In return, the players can get into the system and progress as far as their talents will take them.
Our program has 2 phases – in Phase 1, the player will attend a 2-week observational evaluation at a Promozione or Eccelenza Club, fully sanctioned by FIGC, and you will work with the coaches and the Technical Director (TD) at the Club so that the TD can get an understanding of your abilities and your level. Our partner is a player agent (also known as a FIFA agent), with connections to many Clubs in Italy (and in Europe). The TD then tells the agent what kind of player you are, and they develop the first 2 steps of a career plan – with an initial Club, and also a target Club – for 6-12 months, and you get an invitation to join the initial Club. You then go back to your country for the beginning of Phase 2, when we work through the visa and all other details with you.
When your paperwork is in order (usually 6-8 weeks), you will then return to Italy and we shall immediately begin the process of application for residence status, which must be started upon your arrival. You will be able to join the Club and participate in training and non-league matches while we wait 2 months for the residence permit. When your residence permit is received, you can then be registered with FIGC and be fully authorized to play in Federation-sanctioned matches.
Please ask whatever questions you want. The process begins upon your application and we will start briefing you in detail, asking you for documents, and develop the strategy for the best way to get the visa for you in Phase 2.
To be clear, if it appears that a visa is not possible, we will not take your money or let you travel to Italy. WHY IS THAT? To be fully transparent, the moneys that you pay in Phase 1 and Phase 2 go to agents in order to “open doors”, or, specifically in Phase 1, to pay for your local transport, food and accommodation – note that we take nothing.
Why does our organization and our partner agents/Clubs do this for you? It is when you get your first professional contract; when the Club which offers you a professional contract will also compensate us based on a FIFA formula. We do not take your money in any of this program, but we open the doors for you with the expectation you will go pro as soon as possible.
Other programs charge you as much as €35,000 per year to be in their soccer school and they will “TRY” to get you a trial with a Club, so that maybe this year, or maybe next year, you will be able to enter a Club IF the Club likes you. Our program and pathway cost you about half of that and you do not go to a soccer school, but you go directly to a Club under FIGC. And you will be registered as soon as possible by the Club under FIGC, which means under UEFA.
We hope that we can help you in directing your future in European football.