La Liga Select Scouts

K

Karlton Athletic

SILVER
My kid was "scouted" at Surf Cup by "La Liga Select", who then approached the team manager the following week at the Copa Americana to get contact details for the 4 kids they'd highlighted. They represent themselves as the official scouting arm of La Liga in the US, and to be fair, they picked 3 of the same kids I would have done (1 was pretty random) and took the trouble to follow up the next week. But, when they reached out, there's obviously a huge cost involved.

I mean, it looks like a blast and my kid would absolutely love it, but I'd have to sell a kidney to afford it and I honestly can't believe anyone gets legitimately scouted this way - it's just a money grab for us sucker parents, I assume.

Anyone have any experience of this?

 
As far as I know, La Lega doesn't have scouts. Individual teams have scouts, but anyone claiming to represent an entire league is probably pulling one over on unsuspecting Americans.
 
focomoso said:
As far as I know, La Lega doesn't have scouts. Individual teams have scouts, but anyone claiming to represent an entire league is probably pulling one over on unsuspecting Americans.
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They definitely bill themselves as the official recruiting platform for La Liga, e.g.:

"Yes, LALIGA SELECT is the official scouting and recruiting platform on behalf of Spain’s First Division LALIGA teams."

laligaselect.com

LaLiga Select | Youth Talent Soccer Recruitment | USA

LaLiga Select is the official youth soccer talent recruitment platform of LaLiga in the United States. Experience LaLiga Select journey!
laligaselect.com laligaselect.com
 
focomoso said:
As far as I know, La Lega doesn't have scouts. Individual teams have scouts, but anyone claiming to represent an entire league is probably pulling one over on unsuspecting Americans.
Click to expand...

I know of one La Liga team that claimed to represent the club hold one of their one day ID camps this summer

It was a couple hundred + plus you had to buy some jersey

To not make it totally obvious , they do only invite a select few to come train in Spain for the summer , but of course that expense is all on the individual player
 
I have no personal experience with this organization, but it sounds like a total money grab. Real European academies are free.

A friend of ours was "identified" and invited to an FC Barcelona's camp. He was 8 at the time and perhaps did not know how to tie his shoelaces yet. You get the idea.
 
La Liga had a camp sponsored by McDonalds. It was at no cost to those who attended and each player was given a full McDonald’s soccer kit. It was a week long and at the end of the week, the top male and female were chosen and given a free trip to Spain to train with the La Liga academies with 1 adult chaperone included.

So, there are some La Liga scouts that attend in the US, but it doesn’t sound like this is the same as what I have experienced as described above.
 
I wouldn't completely discount the camp.

It might be a money grab but as long as the experience and location are worthwhile it could be worth attending.

Just depends on what makes sense to you. I knew a parent once that had a jet that he'd take to league games.
 
Carlsbad7 said:
I wouldn't completely discount the camp.

It might be a money grab but as long as the experience and location are worthwhile it could be worth attending.

Just depends on what makes sense to you. I knew a parent once that had a jet that he'd take to league games.
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I’m not discounting it yet… it costs a lot, but you get a lot for your money, if it’s as legit as the schedule suggests; basically an all inclusive “cosplay as a Spanish pro academy player” experience with a close to, but better than zero chance you genuinely get scouted if you have the goods.

I just need to figure out a side hustle to pay for it. Maybe I’ll start a youth soccer club, LOL.
 
Off topic, but a family friend plays semi-pro in Poland. He said that the only pay-to-play camp he did that was worth anything was the one held in the summer by Ajax.
 
Dominic said:
We have had one player from SoCal that played for Barca youth in Spain. Not sure how he was scouted

Ben Lederman

www.goal.com

How an 'American Boy Wonder' used Barcelona heartbreak to kickstart career in Poland | Goal.com US

Ben Lederman, the former great hope of the USMNT, tells GOAL about being banned by FIFA and released by Barcelona
www.goal.com
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The article points out the big difficulty in getting a pro trial to a foreign academy before 18: it's not allowed unless you fit some exception like dual citizenship. You have to wait until you are 18, and even then the immigration isn't an easy thing because the EU dings us with harsh immigration quotas in response to our immigration quotas. Lederman had claimed dual polish citizenship but didn't have the paperwork which resulted in the ban.

Basically unless you have dual citizenship these are money operations and only make even remote sense if you are almost 18 and somehow through some quirk of fate got overlooked by an MLS Academy (since that's the first place they'll look anyways). Even if somehow against the odds you get invited back (my kid recently dipped his toe into the process in Mexico) for another look once you are near 18, it will be on your dime...they are happy to look at anyone, but paying for it is an entirely different story.
 
Dominic said:
We have had one player from SoCal that played for Barca youth in Spain. Not sure how he was scouted
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Czy mówisz po polsku?

According to the article, he was playing for the "California State U10s" (is that even a thing anymore) against a Barca youth team.
 
Not from SoCal, but some kids that were playing in NorCal have been scouted to play in Europe:
- Joshua Pynadath played for Real Madrid and Ajax.
- Xander Newstead is at Ajax
- Pedrito Juarez is at Barcelona
 
My son was selected by them a couple of seasons ago. It's a week long camp in Madrid, Spain. He trained with the coaches of Atlético Madrid at their training grounds then spent a couple of days with Real Madrid. Got to attend 2 La Liga games, one for Atlético Madrid and the other was
Getafe which is just South of Madrid also. Overall, it was a good experience for him, he enjoyed it.
A couple of years before this, him and his twin sister went to Spain to play in a tournament with IPA based in San Diego. You'll see them come around and scout players also for that. The tournament was in Villarreal. We (mom and dad) went to this one with them but not with our son for the La Liga one. Lots of money, especially since we live paycheck to paycheck, but it was a one in a life experience for both of them so we made the sacrifice for them.
 
RedCard said:
My son was selected by them a couple of seasons ago. It's a week long camp in Madrid, Spain. He trained with the coaches of Atlético Madrid at their training grounds then spent a couple of days with Real Madrid. Got to attend 2 La Liga games, one for Atlético Madrid and the other was
Getafe which is just South of Madrid also. Overall, it was a good experience for him, he enjoyed it.
A couple of years before this, him and his twin sister went to Spain to play in a tournament with IPA based in San Diego. You'll see them come around and scout players also for that. The tournament was in Villarreal. We (mom and dad) went to this one with them but not with our son for the La Liga one. Lots of money, especially since we live paycheck to paycheck, but it was a one in a life experience for both of them so we made the sacrifice for them.
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Yeah, that sounds like the same itinerary. Once in a lifetime experience if I can figure out how to pay for it.
 
Karlton Athletic said:
My kid was "scouted" at Surf Cup by "La Liga Select", who then approached the team manager the following week at the Copa Americana to get contact details for the 4 kids they'd highlighted. They represent themselves as the official scouting arm of La Liga in the US, and to be fair, they picked 3 of the same kids I would have done (1 was pretty random) and took the trouble to follow up the next week. But, when they reached out, there's obviously a huge cost involved.

I mean, it looks like a blast and my kid would absolutely love it, but I'd have to sell a kidney to afford it and I honestly can't believe anyone gets legitimately scouted this way - it's just a money grab for us sucker parents, I assume.

Anyone have any experience of this?

Click to expand...

$3195 per player + flight = roughly $4000 for the player
$1149 per family member + flight = $2000 -> x3 if family of 4 = $6000 for 3 family members -> add hotel $200/night x 9 nights = $1800ish

So $12,000 ish for a family of 4 plus food?

so padding a little extra, total out the door price of $15,000 or so for a family of 4 sound about right?

I think the player fee is whatever. They're getting a real cool experience. Boarding and food included.
But I think the expensive part is the family cost... Access to training sessions + tickets to stuff ain't worth $1000...

That said, I won't call anything a money grab... cause it all depends on a family's wants and desires and financial priority... it's a cool ass trip...
If you can afford it, why not go and consider it as a really nice vacation...

(and if you find out where you can sell a kidney to finance this, let me know.. I might need that number too! :D)
 
Karlton Athletic said:
My kid was "scouted" at Surf Cup by "La Liga Select", who then approached the team manager the following week at the Copa Americana to get contact details for the 4 kids they'd highlighted. They represent themselves as the official scouting arm of La Liga in the US, and to be fair, they picked 3 of the same kids I would have done (1 was pretty random) and took the trouble to follow up the next week. But, when they reached out, there's obviously a huge cost involved.

I mean, it looks like a blast and my kid would absolutely love it, but I'd have to sell a kidney to afford it and I honestly can't believe anyone gets legitimately scouted this way - it's just a money grab for us sucker parents, I assume.

Anyone have any experience of this?

Click to expand...
As a parent that's aged out and seen most if not all of it, I'd say it's a money grab but some of those are worth the grab. How old is your kid?
 
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