The Long Island Junior Soccer League is excited to announce a new partnership with IberCup, which will allow teams from Long Island to earn free entry into IberCup 2025 in Estoril, Portugal. To provide the qualifying platform for clubs, LIJSL has also created the Elite Clubs Alliance League (ECAL).
ECAL will be open to LIJSL and non-LIJSL clubs around Long Island for both boys and girls in the U11 and U12 age groups (2013-2014). League play will begin this December and run until April 2025. Games will be self-scheduled by participating teams.
“LIJSL is pleased to announce this partnership with IberCup,” LIJSL Sporting Director John Fitzgerald. “As a prestigious youth soccer tournament, they recognize the level of teams associated with and around LIJSL. We met with Filipe [Rodrigues, IberCup CEO and Founder] and have a solid feeling that our ECAL competition will afford teams a fairly unique opportunity that is both challenging as well as culturally rewarding.”
IberCup 2025 in Estoril will be held from July 1-6. The teams that qualify through ECAL will receive free accommodation during the trip as well as three meals per day. Transport to and from the airport in Portugal as well as to and from the tournament venues will be provided.
“We are very excited with the collaboration between LIJSL and IberCupthat will allow the winning teams from boys and girls 2013 and 2014 age groups to get the winners’ voucher and participate free of cost in the IberCup Estoril July 1-6, 2025 in Portugal,” IberCup CEO and Founder Filipe Rodrigues said. “For us it is very important to establish this type of collaboration and pathways for players from the U.S. to play an international tournament in Europe. Not all the leagues have a special vision about players’ development and providing international opportunities.”
IberCup is one of the leading youth tournaments in the world, bringing out top competition from some of the world’s best academy programs.
“Giving the winning teams this prize and the opportunity for the teams to experience an international environment with different styles of playing soccer, different intensity, and facing opponents from different cultures will make this experience to participate in IberCup the time of their lives, and achieve a higher level of playing and maturity compared to players that never had this experience,” Rodrigues said. “We continue to walk our way and contribute so that young people overcome more and more obstacles and go further and further, both in sport and in life. We believe soccer must also be based on ethical, cultural and social values. That’s the only way it makes sense. And that’s the reality of the IberCup. For the above, and for so many good reasons for the reinforcement, we are looking forward to welcoming the winners in Portugal!”