European Friendly Tours, Tournaments, ODP and College Soccer Tours www.eurosoccertours.net
“Excel International Sports is the industry leader in organizing international sports and soccer travel for North American teams.”
Company Overview • • • • • • •
Formed in 1998 by Eric McAleer to provide international travel and sports experiences for young North American athletes. Eric McAleer is a former professional soccer player in Europe. Provides these experiences for College and University teams, club teams and high school teams. Offices and partners throughout Europe. Head office in Howard County, Maryland. Own two large European youth soccer tournaments. Members of the NTA (National Tour Association) and IATAN (International Air Transport Association) $2 million dollars in liability insurance coverage
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As world travelers, our staff makes it their mission to enhance your cultural and sports awareness. Our clients have noted a special atmosphere that is characteristic of an Excel Sports tour, an atmosphere created by our creative, energetic, knowledgeable and experienced staff. Our travelers can look forward to a warm welcome when they arrive in Europe and exceptional treatment throughout their trip. Why us: • Established in 1998 • A proven track record of many satisfied Colleges, High Schools, Youth and O.D.P. teams • European tours by European experts • Coaches travel free • Tour presentation in your home town • Fundraising programs available • Testimonials from recent tour coordinators and coaches • Top quality tour options customized to your team’s needs www.eurosoccertours.net
Why Choose an International Experience: •See the Pros - The game is faster, the players more impassioned, and the excitement is contagious •See Amazing Sights - The Eiffel Tower, Buckingham Palace, Prague Castle, and more •Experience Another Culture - Try new foods and learn a new language •International Matches - The level of play in Europe is unlike anything you will find in North America •Team Chemistry - Allows your players to bond in a totally unique manner •Life Skills - Learn new skills from a whole new life experience www.eurosoccertours.net
Destinations Include: – England, Denmark, Holland, Sweden, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Norway, France, Scotland, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Wales, and many more! Tour Options Include: – College Tours, Developmental Tours, Friendly Tours, Youth Tournaments, and ODP Tours
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Professional Memberships: – We are a member of the National Tour Association, the premier association for travel professionals with an interest in packaged travel, and the International Air Transport Association, which allows us to book a special group rate directly through the airlines, allowing us to provide you with more. Insurance: – Excel International Sports is insured up to $2,000,000 with a top rated Insurance Company.
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Excel International Sports has been involved in every major tournament in Europe for the past 14 years.
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The Gothia Cup, Sweden The Liverpool-Knowsley Cup, England The Loch Lomond Festival, Scotland The Barcelona, Cup, Spain The San Marino Cup, Italy These are just some of the tournaments that our groups participate in annually. You will enjoy the camaraderie of playing in Europe with the confidence and comfort knowing that Excel International Sports is taking care of you. www.eurosoccertours.net
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Why European Youth Soccer: • European soccer is something your players will long remember and cherish.
• One of the best ways to experience the finest in international soccer is by participating in a quality international tournament. • Your players will enjoy the chance to represent their country, their town, and your club in a major tournament on European soil.
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Manchester United Trip Fundraiser Win a four-day trip for two to a 2015 season home game of Manchester United at Old Trafford Stadium, England! Includes: • 2 Round Trip Flights to Manchester, England • 2 Nights at the 3 star Willowbank Hotel in Manchester, England. • 2 Tickets to a 2015 Season Home Game of Manchester United at Old Trafford Stadium! How to it works: • Raffle tickets sell for $10 each, your team keeps %100 of all revenue!! • All raffle tickets must be received by Excel Sports before February 25, 2015. • Results will be published on the Excel Sports website by 6pm EST on March 3, 2015. • All information on the raffle ticket stub must be completed in order to qualify. • Tickets must be purchased from a group participating in a trip with Excel International Sports to be valid.
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About Our Friendly Tours: •
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Combine the excitement of visiting a foreign country with the opportunity to play international soccer. It gives the opportunity to share common experiences and create lifelong memories. Our Friendly Tours have been created to allow young athletes the chance to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity. Play competitive games. Train with your coach in some of the most spectacular places. Socialize with local clubs.
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Why Choose a Friendly Tour: • • • • • • •
We can help you create the ideal tour package, including friendly soccer games and cultural tours. See Big Ben, taste the deliciousness of tapas and visit the Vatican City. Play some exciting soccer against teams that share your passion. See some of the top professional teams battle each other. Tour stadiums with facilities you couldn't even imagine in your dreams. Shop in some of the largest team stores. Traveling together as a team is one of soccer's greatest adventures.
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About ODP Tours: • Excel International Sports’ coaches are licensed at Europe’s highest level. • The players will have the opportunity to work exclusively with these coaches, learning new skills and knowledge which will help them immensely in international play and beyond. • The players will have the opportunity to implement their newfound skills in a series of games.
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Why Chose an ODP Tour: • If you are looking for playing time and training as well as a cultural experience • Guest coaching sessions from top level coaches to create a once in a lifetime experience • They are geared towards higher level youth travel teams and O.D.P teams • Learn this different style of play from those who coach the top players in Europe • It is great for those looking to gain an edge on their opponents at home. www.eurosoccertours.net
About College Tours: As soccer experts with first-hand knowledge of the special needs of a college program, we are confident we provide the best possible program. We have the right combination of playing quality opponents, top-level facilities, and great sightseeing. What this adds to your program & why travel with your college team: • The standard of play • The number of games and practices • The cultural experiences • Experience different styles of play • Team bonding activities • Opportunities for community service • Helps recruiting • The duration of the tour will be tailored to fit your team's exact needs • Your team can arrange a pre-season training tour in July/August, out-ofseason tour in January or post-graduation tour in May. • Raise the program profile www.eurosoccertours.net
Previous games arranged have included: • University of Maryland Men v Manchester United • Hope College Women v Liverpool • UMBC Men v Dundee United • Dickinson College Men v Ajax • Loyola Men v Espanyol • UMBC Men v Dundee United • Dickinson College Women v Scottish Women's U19 National Team • Frostburg University Men v Chester City • St. Mary's College Women v Juventus • Birmingham-Southern College Men v Eintracht Frankfurt. • Hope College Men v Waterford • Salisbury University Men v Queens Park F.C. • Lynchburg College Men v Partick Thistle F.C. • Stevenson College Men v F.C. Padoua • Mary Washington Women v U.D.C Ireland
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Previous College Tours Include: University of Maryland Men (MD); England and Scotland
Mary Washington University Women (VA); Ireland, France and Italy
Catholic University Women (DC); Portugal
Wesley College Women (PA); England and Scotland
Geneva College Men (PA); Spain
Goucher College Men (MD); Spain
Dickinson College Men & Women (PA); England, Holland, Scotland and Ireland
Hope College Men & Women (MI); Ireland, Scotland, England and Spain
Marymount University Women (MD); Italy
Loyola College Women (MD); Italy and Spain
Westminster College Men (MO); Spain
Castleton College Men (VT); England
York College Men (PA); England, Holland and Italy
Truman State University Men (MO); England
Augustana College Women (IL); Spain, France and Italy
Birmingham Southern University Men (AL); Germany
Chestnut Hill College Women (PA); Ireland
Stevenson University Men & Women (MD); Italy, England and Scotland
Frostburg State University Men (MD); England and Scotland
St Mary’s University (MD); Italy and Spain
St. Mary’s College Men & Women (MD); Spain and Italy
New York University Women (NY); England, Wales and Scotland
Salisbury University (MD); Italy, Spain, Holland, Germany, England & Scotland
Concordia College (MN); Spain
Millikin University (IL); Italy and Spain
Drury University (MO); England and Italy
The College of St. Scholastica Men & Women (MN); Scotland and England
Lynchburg College (VA); England and Scotland
Gettysburg College (PA); England
UMBC (MD); Scotland
Eastern Illinois University (IL); England
Alma College (MI); Spain
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NCAA International Travel Rules and Regulations: •
17.28.1 Institutionally Certified Tours. A member institution may participate in competition in any sport on foreign tours. The institution must certify in writing that the conditions set forth in this section are met and must maintain the certification on file in the athletics department.
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17.28.1.2 Timing of Tour. A tour may only be scheduled during the summer-vacation period between the institution’s spring and fall terms or during an academic year vacation period (other than a Labor Day vacation period) published in the institution’s official catalog. All travel to and from the foreign country must take place during such a vacation period. However, if the team crosses the international date line during the tour, the change of date will be disregarded and the equivalent time as measured in the United States will be used to determine the institution’s vacation period.
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17.28.1.2.1 Summer Vacation Period. A foreign tour taken during the summer vacation period shall be considered to have occurred during the academic year after the summer for purposes of Bylaw 17.
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17.28.1.3 Time Lapse Between Tours. An institution shall not engage in a foreign tour in each sport more than once every four years. In basketball, a student-athlete shall not participate in more than one foreign tour for a particular institution.
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17.28.1.4 Eligibility of Student-Athletes. The eligibility of student-athletes on the tour shall be governed by the following: (a) If the tour takes place during the summer, the student-athletes shall have been eligible for intercollegiate competition during the previous academic year or shall have been enrolled at the institution as a full-time student during the previous academic year and have been established by the beginning of the tour that he or she is eligible for competition during the academic year immediately following the tour; or (b) If the tour takes place after the academic year has started, the student-athletes shall be regularly enrolled in the institution and eligible for intercollegiate competition.
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17.28.1.6 Maximum Number of Contests/Competition Dates. A team shall be limited to a maximum of three football games, 10 basketball games, or 10 contests or dates of competition in any other sport during and as part of the tour.
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17.28.1.7 Opponents. The team shall not compete during the tour against other American teams (colleges or other U.S. teams) other than the teams composed of U.S. armed forces personnel stationed at U.S. military bases in foreign countries.
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17.28.1.10 Passports. An institution may purchase passports for its student-athletes that are required for travel in connection with a foreign tour, and student-athletes may retain ownership of such passports. The institution also may provide student-athletes with reasonable local transportation to obtain such passports.
http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/D113.pdf
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Testimonials "Our England trip with Excel was a top quality experience for our program. The training facilities we used were excellent and for our players to face the reserve teams of three top EPL teams was a great opportunity for them. Our players also toured Old Trafford Stadium and attended the Manchester United v Liverpool and Spurs v Arsenal games. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for our players." --Sasho Cirovski, Head Men's Soccer Coach, University of Maryland, England “We are now back from one of the best ever soccer tours I have been on!!!! It was beyond my expectations! Uri was unbelievable and coaches Didac from Espanyol, David/Enrique from FC Barca were very good. My only complaint is that now parents and players are already looking forward to the next one... you got them hooked (and me too)!!” --Ibrahim Sow, Coach, Gloucester Impact, Spain “We had a fabulous time at the Loch Lomond soccer tournament. First of all we had a great guide who took care of us throughout the trip. He was passionate and knowledgeable about soccer and really went beyond the call of duty. Second, the boys had a great time interacting with their teammates in their dorm and with players from Scotland at the social events, during dinners and at the tournament games. Third, the fields were beautiful and the scenery was gorgeous. Finally, the focus of the trip was soccer but the boys and parents also were able to take a trip to Edinburgh, Stirling Castle, Celtic Football stadium for a tour and a game.” -- Jan Allen, Manager, Takoma Park SC, Scotland
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Testimonials “Can't say enough good things about the trip to Spain. We all had a really good time. Overall, I think this was the best trip I have taken with a team. Touring Camp Nou stadium and attending the Barcelona-Majjorca game were awesome. Walking up the ramp from the locker room area to the field was something a lot of people will never forget - everybody in the various tour groups were talking about how it gave them goose bumps. Can you imagine being a player doing that for a regular game? Wow!!! Gemma was an outstanding tour rep - she worked very hard to make our trip enjoyable, and to get us where we were supposed to be on time. She also made sure we saw the highlights of Barcelona and Girona. Eric, you and your staff do an outstanding job putting on these trips.” -- Rich Fabrizio, Board Member, MSYSA Boys ODP, Spain
"This trip was so great. On the coaching end, we progressed everyday as a team. The competition allowed them to see where they need to be individually and where the USA needs to be a the youth level. I honestly feel the major part of our progression was the players actually seeing the difference of play." --Megan Schmidt, MSYSA Girls ODP, Denmark “Our Excel tour guide Graham was fantastic, we played major clubs like Rangers and Celtic youth teams, toured their facilities and Excel even coordinated a meeting (that was not on our schedule) with US Men’s National Team Captain – Carlos Bocenegra while we were at the Ranger FC facility, a real surprise for our player and parents. We enjoyed friendship with several Scottish players and their parents who joined us for the week which further enhanced the cultural experience for our players and parents. I would definitely recommend Excel for the team looking to travel abroad.” --Joe Dizio, Coach, Eastern Pennsylvania Boys ODP, Scotland www.eurosoccertours.net
Testimonials “We had an excellent time in Italy. Everything was well organized, our guide was super, and the competition was exactly what we were looking for as a pre-season tuneup. My concerns with 35 student-athletes were that of logistics, but Excel took care of all the details and had us where we were supposed to be each and every time. We are going to Ireland in three years and we are going through Excel. I highly recommend them.” -- John Plevyak, Head Men's Soccer Coach, Stevenson University, Italy jplevyak@stevenson.edu “Barcelona- First class from the moment we arrived in Barcelona. The trip was planned to perfection. The hotel, transport and training facilities were all top quality and our tour manager Uri was excellent. The sightseeing tours were fantastic and we were busy but not too busy and soccer was always the main focus. We played our matches in local stadiums (which the players loved) against very well-organized clubs, who were great hosts. We would take a trip every season if we could and the players had the time of their lives!” -- Martin Clayes, Head Coach, SUNY Maritime College, Spain mclayes@sunymaritime.edu “We had a spectacular trip to the UK through Excel Sports! The trip was very well organized which allowed us to focus on the practice sessions and the games that we played. Our schedules were planned efficiently and we were able to sightsee and learn about the unique history of various cities in the UK. The players had a fantastic time and many of them say that this was one of the best weeks of their lives. The trip is certainly something that they will remember forever.” -- Kelly Tyrrell, Coach, Dickinson College Women’s Soccer, England tyrrellk@dickinson.edu "The Spain trip was just incredible. I am looking forward to telling you all about it, but wanted to thank you for all of the work that you put into making this such a great experience for us. I can't find the right words to describe how impressed we all were with Uri. He truly 'made' the trip for us and was just an amazing person and tour manager. I'll write a more formal not very soon, but just couldn't wait to tell you how fantastic the trip was!" --Brianne Weaver, Head Coach, Bowdoin College Women's Soccer, Spain • bweaver@bowdoin.edu "Our trip to Scotland was amazing! It was the perfect combination of team bonding, amazing facilities, sightseeing, soccer and fun! This was our second tour with Excel and after the first trip; we never even considered traveling with another company. Excel has provided us with a once in a lifetime team experience enjoyed by parents, players and coaches alike. Their organization and knowledge regarding the international experience makes the trip so easy to plan and be a part of. I would highly recommend Excel Sports and look forward to working with them again in the future." -- Lindsey Engelsman, Coach, Hope College Women's Soccer, Scotland engelsman@hope.edu
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Take your team and yourself on a wonderful journey abroad. Europe is closer than you think, easier to reach than you realize, and more fantastic than you could possibly imagine. When you are serious about soccer, an Excel International Sports Tour is the only choice. Next step? Contact Us Now! Telephone: (410).489.2287 Fax: (410).489.2288 Email: eric@excelsports.net www.eurosoccertours.net