Beware:
Travel
Agencies in
Disguise
|
Welcome
to the Disappointment Cup! You have
been selected! Don't get me wrong: I'm all for travel agencies. It's the con artists that we have to watch out for. I don't even object to tournaments being used as fundraising events for clubs and organizations. In fact, most tournaments have profit motives. These days, we need even more quality tournaments, and I'm willing to pay for a quality experience. Truthfully, there are some truly spectacular tournaments that an elite team just HAS to attend. (Think "Gothia Cup" in Sweden.) I'd go again in an instant. But, there are quite a few ways to waste your team's soccer tournament money. And, sometime in your child's youth soccer career, you will be exposed to a soccer tour/tournament "scam". It can start when you get onto some kind of a youth soccer mailing list. Organizations such as SAYSO, USCS, AYSO, and USYS (CYSA in California) are very protective of your child's personal information. You're not likely to receive anything from anybody just because you're on one of their lists. But, eventually you'll subscribe to a soccer magazine, enter a soccer contest, buy something at a tournament or store, join an indoor league run by a commercial organization, or provide shipping information for an internet purchase. Then, you or your child may receive a letter. "Congratulations. You have been selected for the All Star Presence Team for the [Tournament Name] in [Exotic Country]." Or, "You have been recommended by..." Or, "We are putting together a team for the [Tournament Name] and only have 2 opening left." Or, "We need your position." Or, even, "We will be holding tryouts at [Local Field] on [Convenient Date]." Surprise, surprise. Everyone received that letter. Everyone has been recommended. Everyone's position is needed. There are always 2 openings left. And, everyone with two legs and a checkbook makes the tryouts. Coaches are not immune to these scams, either. The approach changes only a little: "You team has been invited to/recommended for..." Or, appealing to a coach's ego, "By virtue of your team's reputation and record, you have qualified for..." Sometimes, there will even be some reasonably-local qualifying games to play, but the "winners" (including most of the runner-up teams) all qualify to play in the "finals". Of course, the finals are located in [Some Place Pretty Distant]. Or, it can start when you attend one of the state or national soccer association conventions and walk past an attractive booth or table display. The fact that a travel agency exhibits at a respectable association's convention doesn't make that travel agency respectable. There are even soccer travel "organizations" with grand-sounding names (e.g., "Euro-this" and "Sport-that") that have developed their own tournaments. The only way to enter these tournaments is to book your flight and accommodations with the tournament representative. (Just try to book your own flight and still participate in the tournament.) To the uninitiated, these tournaments sound and look grand. The promotional literature shows teams walking around in festive parades carrying the flags of their countries; there are pictures of swinging evening discos; and, don't those fireworks look spectacular? But, these are "international" tournaments only because of the few US teams have been convinced to come to a foreign country. Most of the other teams can be filler teams from the cities surrounding the site of the tournament, teams that play at recreational soccer levels. And, remember: Some countries in Europe are no farther from each other than your local hometown's suburbs are from the supermarket. If a team from Denmark attending a tournament in Holland is your idea of an international tournament, then you might be able to experience as much international diversity by attending a tournament in Moscow, Idaho. Know your geography, look at a map, and know the difference between a city, a country, a kingdom, and a constitutional monarchy. Just as an example, what would be the contribution to international diversity from teams that come from Holland, the Netherlands, Amsterdam, Denmark, and Belgium? Or, teams that come from England, Great Britain, the British Commonwealth, London, the Isle of Man, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland? Also, be aware of the great cultural differences that can exist between what your players are used to and what is permitted in another city or country. Issues involving drinking age, nudity, legal drug use, prostitution, abortion, pornography, and even euthanasia can distract young players and turn your experience into a nightmare of "avoidance planning". It takes more than looking at pictures of happy players on a fancy website to ensure that your team will have a positive experience, worthy of spending the money to go to a foreign land. The other usual due-diligence steps apply: Get references from previous teams; study the lists of teams that have attended from several previous years; compare prices; get everything in writing before you step on the plane; book your own flights and hotels; don't send deposits by check; use your credit card for all payments. Get references from previous teams. Get references from previous teams. Get references from previous teams. Once you know about these scams, it's pretty easy to separate the wheat from the chaff. If you're in doubt, talk to someone in the SAYSO office. |