You’re Invited To Soccer PubCamp In Baltimore Jan. 18-19
November 28, 2007
Fashioned after the technology focused BarCamp, we’re creating a Mash-Up event called Soccer PubCamp. The event will take place Jan. 18-19 alongside the NSCAA convention at The Wharf Rat Pub.
Visit Soccer PubCamp and learn more about how you can get involved. We need sponsors, volunteers, bloggers, geeks, soccer coaches, referees, players and anyone that wants to participate is welcome.
We’ve already taken care of a few things but we have about 6 weeks to get a lot more done. Here is a list of some things we have on our to do list:
- Networkers & Buzz Masters: we need network masters and bloggers to get the word out prior to the event and need flyer distribution the day before the kick-off party on Jan. 18th.
- Resource Rounder-Uppers: we need things like projectors, paper, markers, pens, nametags, paper towels, garbage bags,
toilet paper, surface cleaners, kitchen gadgets for breakfast/lunch,
ice chests, garbage cans. etc. Put the list on the wiki (we need to create it) and try to get
people to bring or donate as many of these as possible. Borrowing is
way better than buying whenever possible. - Need the following leaders:
- Sponsor wranglers: Drafts a message to send to
potential sponsors, follows up leads from others for potential
sponsors, collects info, logos (in vector format), and money from
sponsors and also sees that receipts (if necessary) are issued at the
end. This is your accounts receivable person and it’s a key thing to
get right. - Food Czar: It’s not completely required for a
Barcamp, but it’s definitely the standard. You have x number of people
to feed for 24 hrs, including a pre-party, a basic breakfast, and a
lunch. Obviously, you can only pay for as much of this as you have
sponsor money for. See that breakfast and lunch get taken care of
first, and then pay for as much of the pre-party as possible. Best to
keep the meals simple (but good), have some veggie options, and try to
keep costs down. This will be your biggest expenditure. - T-shirt Master: Not only do people like shirts,
but they’re possibly your biggest offering to sponsors since it’s a
shared promotional item. Basic shirt is your barcamp logo on the front,
all the sponsor logos (tastefully) arranged on the back (I recommend in
1-color only). The range of shirts out there is enormous, but people
will appreciate a good quality, non white (or black) colored,
well-fitting shirt. It’s a bit more expensive, but providing some
women’s shirts (not just unisex smalls) is a really nice touch. (I
recommend American Apparel or Bella fine-jersey t-shirts - not the
super tight fitted kind). Try to have t-shirts ordered (quanities
decided and artwork submitted) 2 weeks before your event. 10 days at
ABSOLUTE minimum. Remember, weird things happen in the supply chain.
Check in with your t-shirt vendor often if you want to see your shirts
on time. - Wi-Fi Guru: People are going to want wi-fi, and
may even need it for their presentation. In order to provide this,
you’re going to need a decent internet connection and several routers
to handle the traffic. Someone needs to set this up and keep it running
during the camp.
- Sponsor wranglers: Drafts a message to send to
- Community Czars: we need people who can help facilitate our group discussion and interactive chats prior to the event. A community page has been set up on ZigaZoga.com (login for access) and you can find a community chat widget on the home page on the left hand side. We also need people who can work the event and greet people, run for things if needed and just be there to support the event.
- Technology Gurus: we need all kinds so get stuck in!
There is probably something else but I’m tired of writing about this now so if you want to learn more about what this type of an event has in store for you check out the BarCamp Blog and here’s a vid from the BarCamp Austin.
5 Tips For Spotting Fradulent Football Agents
November 19, 2007
Unfortunately there are people in this world who have no backbone and will do anything to take advantage of others. Since we have seen increased agent and potential professional trial opportunities on ZZ it has and always will be our concern for the well fare of our membership, especially players trying to make their dreams become reality.
With that said, I wanted to provide some guidance to players on Ziga-Zoga that are wondering if they should act on a agent offer:
- DO NOT Prepay any agent for any promised trial.
- Establish a relationship with the person.
- Ask for references and their accredited license.
- Ask yourself, have the seen me play through a video and in person?
- Is the agent displaying a Ziga-Zoga badge?
If you follow these tips, it’s a good chance you will not be taken for a ride. And, that’s exactly what we don’t want to happen. So, please use your best judgement because if you feel the situation you are considering is not right, chances are you are correct. If anyone else has any thoughts on this matter please feel free to comment here.
Podcast With De Ro: Dynomo Driving It Home For H-town
November 19, 2007
He told us earlier this year that he goes into each game visualizing how he can make an impact on the match. De Ro has been doing it all season in the MLS and made the biggest impact on not just the game but the season with his neck snapping game winner yesterday.
An open and up-and-down match, the 2007 MLS Cup proved to be more exciting than I expected. There was a decent crowd and these boyz went at it for them. Too bad MLS could not find a better half-time act 
Poor REV’s eh? You’d think they’d have the edge with all the finals they been in the past few years. Maybe Mr. Kraft needs to switch the team cheese from Humboldt Fog to Dragons Breath cuz I think thats what De Ro had before the match. Alright, sorry, Robert Kraft probably gets the cheese joke all the time.
Like I was saying, De Ro and gang played with conviction and they did so all season long. Dynamo have been pretty consistent and Dominic deserves a yahoo for that! So, Yahoooooooooo! Since we did chat with De Ro earlier this year, you might be interested to hear what his mindset was before even getting to the MLS Cup. Listen in Now as he talks about his Game. Body and Mind preparation.
Congrats Dynamo for a great year!
Find more music like this on Ziga-Zoga
Football News Around The World
November 11, 2007
Human Trafficking Of Young Footballers
November 7, 2007
I dug into this story more that Tom Farrey ran on ESPN’s E-60 and found out some very alarming things. This conversation with what I think is the E-60 staff shed’s more light on the subject. Also, in the previous video I posted Jean-Claude Mbvoumin is referenced as a leader who is tackling this issue. So, I’ve sent an email to Jean-Claude hoping that he’ll respond and we can open up dialog on how to work together on this issue. Here is the E-60 staff video on the importance of the story:
Taking Advantage Of Young Dreams With Soccer Trafficking
November 6, 2007
With the release of our agent certification program, I think our concern is well supported by this story that ran today on E-60 (ESPN’s new specialized sports network). Players and coaches be assured that we want to provide you the best opportunities and we are here to support you in your efforts to achieve your goals. We hope that we can provide a solution to the problem yet, I know things will still happen. I just hope the Professional Agents out there will take notice and become a source of guidance for the young players trying to achieve their dreams.
NEW Professional Agent Certification Program
November 5, 2007
To all members of Ziga-Zoga,
Today we are officially launching our professional agents program! With the growth of Ziga-Zoga, we have become increasingly concerned about protecting both players, coaches and the reputation of credible agent members.
So, we have created a program which we will be requiring all agents on Ziga-Zoga to apply for an Official Ziga-Zoga Agent Badge, which you see above. We are sending out details through a community wide email, opening up a forum, mentioning it on podcasts and we’ll be posting a video or two soon. If you have questions about this program please email << agents at zigazoga dot com >>.
Benefits For Agents:
1) Access To Players
If you would like access to a
database of players from around the world, subscribing to ZZ Agent
Services will allow you this access.
2) Your Profile Online
If
you wish to register and have your profile in the Ziga-Zoga Community,
you can do that for free. But, the ability to engage our player/coach
members for recruiting purposes is reserved for agents who have passed
our certification process. Our player/coach members also will be
informed that the only legitimate agents are those displaying our ZZ Agent BadgeTM on
their profile page. This way players and clubs will be able to contact
you directly and will know that you have cleared the certification
process.
3) Post An Opening For A Player
If you have a
position on a team or you would like to represent a specific player
type we can post to the growing registered member base. Also, if you
are in search of a particular player or position include that
information. We can post this to members using our internal mailing
system. Please note, we only post player openings for Professional,
Semi-Professional, Pro-Youth Academy and College/University level teams.
4) Differences From Other Player/Coach Sites
As
there are many other sites that allow agents the ability to contact
players and coaches from their database, Ziga-Zoga offers agents much
more in their attempt to sign and recruit potential clients. In a
Ziga-Zoga profile, a player or coach can not only include their
resume/CV information, but they can also upload their video highlights
and skills, photos, and much more onto their profile. Ziga-Zoga also
offers players and coaches professionally designed recruiting pages,
which will make the process for agents much more efficient in their
"online scouting" of potential clients.
5) Referrals From Ziga-Zoga
As
the management of Ziga-Zoga receives requests from players and coaches
to assist in their agent search while at the same time working to
approve agents on the site, if we feel there is a good match between a
particular agent and player or coach, we would issue a referral to that
member. Ziga-Zoga management WILL NEVER refer an agent that does not
hold an official Ziga-Zoga Agent BadgeTM - no matter their qualifications or experience.
How To Get Started:
1. CLICK HERE To Apply For A Agent Badge Today!
2. Submit your license and photo.
3. Agree to The
Terms of Use and the Disclaimer & Waiver of Liability, which will
be sent after your application has been submitted prior to acceptance
of payment and badge approval.
Agents Who Wish To Use Ziga-Zoga For Recruiting Purposes MUST Abide By The Following Terms:
1. Agent must provide ZZ with FIFA registered license and/or local/regional credentials.
2. ZZ will verify credentials (cross reference with FIFA or local governing body(s)).
3. Upon approval
of application, agent will pay ZZ $19.99 for 6 month membership, $34.99
for 1 year membership or you may take advantage of the 2 year
promotional membership for $49.99. With membership, agent receives
official ZZ Agent BadgeTM that
will be displayed prominently on center column of their profile page.
This fee provides access to the entire database of players and provides
you a listing in ZZ’s registered agent directory along with all future
upgrades and enhancements that may help you achieve greater success
contracting and managing the world’s future football stars.
4. All approved agents MUST post their ZZ Agent BadgeTM graphic on their widget/text box on the profile page, DIRECTLY underneath the activity report on their page.
5. Ziga-Zoga has the
right to refuse agents (even with their agent badge) to post trials or
make promises to player/coaches that are deemed to be "too good to be
true". The management of Ziga-Zoga have all been involved in many
aspects of our sport and all realize that NO AGENT or TEAM would ever
sign a player without a) Seeing a video of that player, b) Seeing that
player play multiple times in person, c) Confirming with potential pro
team manager/scout/recruiter of the player’s potential and the
organization’s possible interest in the player. Offers of trials and
offers from professional teams for players that an agent has never seen
would be deemed non-valid and would not be allowed on our site. If
Ziga-Zoga catches an agent offering players with these opportunities -
we would give them a warning (Yellow Card), if we catch the same agent
a 2nd time, that person is then banned from the site (Red Carded) and
no refund will be given for their unused membership.
6. IMPORTANT TO
NOTE: If at any time Ziga-Zoga finds that any information provided for
approval is not valid - agent will be banned immediately and no refund
will be given.
** NOTE: ZZ
is instituting a ‘ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY’ whereas agents that solicit
player trials or recruitment on ZZ and have not received a certified
approved ZZ Agent BadgeTM,
the agent will be cautioned once (yellow card). If activity persists
and agent does not seek due process for authorized agent representation
- agent will be banned from the network (red card) and suspended
indefinitely and all information will become part of the member’s
record.
