The players and parents had a fantastic experience. IDA looked after us so well, from the very start of planning the trip to the training and tournament. The players are already asking when they can come back!!

Rome was amazing, it was a great experience getting to play against international teams. The opening ceremony was a waste of our time, unfortunately. No walk out, nothing. Dinner provided was underwhelming and we ate elsewhere. The first playing surface was far from our hotel and somewhat remote. We also had to play the hardest team first, which was unfortunate since we had just arrived a day earlier with guest players and were jet lagged and not familiar with one another. The subsequent teams and playing surface were nice, with a view of the Vatican behind the field. Officiating was highly suspect, especially when we were playing against Italy based squads. Lots of fouls/offsides/jersey pulls that they turned a blind eye to. The hotel was nice, but it was far from anything central, so each trip into town was a $20 taxi ride there and back. Nothing else really walkable close by. The breakfast buffet offered is good, not amazing. Lunch was spotty, not my favorite. As for the excursions planned, the pasta making was really fun, the colosseum tour was a bit of a cattle drive but still interesting to see. The walking tour of Rome was ok. Lazio/Parma game was cool to attend, but there is currently a fan boycott by Lazio so the stadium was fairly empty and lacked the atmosphere you would expect. Overall I had a great trip in spite of the above elements, more because of how great Rome is as a tourist. We set up our own small group Vatican tour, which was incredible, and we did some of our own dinner reservations and plans and they were all great. The soccer really is somewhat of a side show to the city.

It was a great experience and very well planned!

We had an outstanding trip. Our guide was Paolo and he was phenomenal. He balanced getting us out to see things that any visitor to Rome should see with also relaxing and having a good time. He was helpful but also accommodated any suggestions or requests that we had. Everything was well run and organized. We had reliable transportation by coach everywhere we went as a group whether it was for our matches or for sightseeing. The hotel was in a nice, safe area and it was clean and well maintained. We had good food on site. The competition on the soccer field was better than expected and our team was challenged but not overmatched. I would highly recommend going on this kind of trip with your team.

The team and people were great. The field for most of our games was great with the Vatican in the background. I really didn’t like the location of the hotel. Anytime we wanted to get into downtown Rome, our Uber rides were so expensive, at least $60 each way. So to get dinner, it was very expensive., more expensive than dinner. I’m also not sure the purpose of the “opening ceremony.” There was no ceremony. The kids were taken to one room and talked to, and the parents were taken to another room and waited. It was odd. It seems like what was said to the players in the room could have been put in an email. It seems like it was a waste of time. I’ve been to another oversees tournament, and there was an actual ceremony. Our tour guide Michel was great. Overall, we had a good time.