These are the details, the facts. We are not trying to sell you this program, primarily because maybe it’s not for everyone. The drive and desire must come from your heart. To begin, you must pay the initial application fee. That gets you started in the process. If possible, we will come to view your play in a match or many matches, if needed. More importantly, we will interview you and your parents. If we think you are ready, then you will pay the balance of the application fee to book your place. If we don’t think you are ready, we will work with you to get you ready.
When you get to this step, we will be sure that you will get the invitation to play with a Club in Italy. We will not know yet which Club will invite you and at what level. If you need a visa or any release from school in order to attend the observation program, we will ask you to make arrangements as soon as possible. We can issue an invitation letter upon request, if needed. When the visa and permissions are ready, you will pay 50% of the balance due, and we will work with you to book your ticket, which you will pay direct to the agent or airline, not through our program.
About a week before departure, you will pay the final balance. At each step of the way, we will only accept the money when we are sure that everything will proceed. If we have to cancel this particular trip, you will get back everything except the initial application fee. When the next trip is scheduled, we will collect the money again. And we will credit the initial application fee so you do not have to pay twice. We do not want to hold your money.
We are the representative of the Clubs in Italy. You can consider us to be the “Pre-Agent/Scout”. We work through our Player Agent in Italy. And when we say you are ready to go, it means that you will get the invitation when the Club confirms the recommendation of our Technical Specialist. We need to see you in action. And we will advise you if you need to change the way you are playing. Please understand that this is not to “correct” you, because our focus is not to TRAIN you, but rather to DEVELOP you.
We want to see that you can accept the technical/tactical information you receive and that you try to modify your way of play. If we see that you can try (not necessarily that you can do it yet), then our Technical Specialist can recommend you even if you have some areas to be further developed. This is a key factor we are looking for – players who can develop. One of our most successful players was not very skilled or experienced, but he was excellent in the training ground because he wanted to get better, and he would do whatever we told him.
So you will go for two weeks to northern Italy. And the fee you have paid includes all of your training costs, food, lodging and the biggest component is all of the permissions and paperwork that has to be done. We are not going to some soccer school for the 2 weeks, but we are going to a FIGC Club. It is not easy to gain access to these Clubs unless you have the level of Club contacts which we have.
After 2 weeks, you will return to your home country and we will talk with your parents about whether or not they agree for you to go. If they do, there will be a contract with our agent to make it happen. You will go first as an amateur player and play in one of the preparatory teams. When you are ready, you will then move into the team in the Promozione League, the Eccelenza League or, if you are really good, Serie D. For making this happen, the agent receives his fee, and we arrange 1) the school for you, 2) any national service deferment, and 3) the Italian Student Visa which requires health insurance. At the same time, we will need to collect the fees for the arrangement of the residence permit and, if you are not yet 18, you will also need to contract with a legal guardian. (If you will reach your 18th birthday during the sports-season, we will try to negotiate a lower amount, although not a full pro-rata. Ask us if this applies to you, as this is quite detailed.)
Once this is all agreed, it is time to get on the plane, so you need a ticket. When you arrive in Italy, you will need to pay for transport to the place. You will have to pay school fees (quite reasonable, and can include lunch), and then there will be the cost of living accommodations (housing, food, laundry, etc.). You do not pay anything additional to the Club or to us.
It might sound like a lot of money, but this is about the same amount which a young European player will have paid to his Club. The difference is that he starts paying at age 6, and you are older, so you missed many years of Club membership and other costs of being a non-EU resident, a non-local. We have arranged it so that you are, in effect, buying into the Club. They need new blood, new players, and can accept non-EU citizens, but they don’t know how to find them. We work with 35+ Clubs and will find the right one for you. They will take some time to remedially train you, maybe 6 months, or it could be up to a full season.
When you have enough experience playing European-style in the leagues, it is likely that your Club will sell you to another Club. When they sell you and you get a pro contract, then the new Club pays for everything and our agent handles it all for you. In our process, everyone wants you to go pro because everyone makes money (based on FIFA regulations) – you, the agent, the originating Club, everyone wants you to go pro as soon as possible.
I am telling you all of this because 1) it is not really a trial, once you join our program and 2) there is a cost of buying the FIGC/UEFA player status so that you can then proceed with your career. There is nothing hidden, it’s all transparent. And it all complies with FIFA regulations. Why do we have this and nobody else does? Because I was with a top Serie A Club for 7 years and my ex-colleagues came out when the ownership of changed. Now we all can work together on this project, to offer opportunities which we could not offer when being linked with only one Club.
Sorry, it’s a long description, but now you know all. There are other ways of becoming a player, but the odds are against you. 1 in 400,000 players can make it from where you are now. Players from all over the world write to me every day.