There’s a new application on MyBestPlay that will allow users to qualify those members they contact.  Anytime a user sends you a message, you’ll be able to evaluate him.  You can also qualify your colleagues, as you help them stand out on MyBestPlay.

We hope this new application can help users have a better idea of who they’re dealing with.

For more information click here.

We are glad to collaborate with Americas Basketball International (ABI) in the promotion of their new Free Agent Camp II to be held from September 4^th to September 6^th  in Birmingham, Alabama. 

All basketball players, agents, referees and coaches are welcome to take part in this two-days recruiting camp that will give players the opportunity to be recruited by professional agents. Women referees and coaches can also assist.  They can all register until August 31^st.

We would like to express our gratitude to Anthony Toney, Commissioner of ABI Basket, for supporting MyBestPlay through the league’s web site: www.abibasket.com.

Those who are willing to contact him about this new Free Agent Camp, can do it through his profile on MyBestPlay here.

This is what Anthony Toney’s told us about this new camp:

 “I want to cordially invite your players to the Americas Basketball International Free Agent Camp II.  This is not an exposure camp, but an actual recruiting camp for our new professional basketball league.  The ABI will use the most reputable methods to seek and recruit talented basketball players.  Our league has been established under Fibas Americas and we follow the same rules, statutes and code of ethics as the parent league.  Our staff is dedicated to finding as many talented and dependable players to represent this league.  I hope that you have some players that may be interested in mobilizing their career in International Basketball.  All potential ABI players and recruits must attend the Free Agent Camps.  No other recruiting measures are extended”.

Anthony Toney, Commissioner of ABI Basket.

Juan Manuel Rivas’ father has sent us a message from Avila: “I’d like to tell you that Juan Manuel has finished with everything related to Milan Academy’s contest. He's been interviewed for Antena 3 and for a local daily in Avila. Considering soccer aspects, his trainers are very satisfied with his personal technical quality, so the doors are open for him to play with Milan Academy. But previously we are coming back to Argentina to make an important physical training, since the category for which he has to play here in Spain is for players up to 18 years old, and Juan Manuel is 15 and he’s just beginning to train; as for what the people at Milan has said, it would be very convenient to do so. The other clubs mostly sign up great players and these ones also choose them, so Juan Manuel would have to play for Avila’s diocese-like club, which is the club the academy uses to train players so that they can afterwards play for AC Academy. This is why it would be very convenient that he finishes his training in Argentina, as well as his studies, and then come back to Spain to devote himself to playing. Because of all that, I’ve agreed with the academy’s board of directors that is the best thing to do. I want to express my gratitute to everyone for supporting my kid throughout these days of training”.

Throughout the week, two prestigious TV channels have shown many revealing reports on fake players’ agents who have been caught doing fraudulent practices. Telecinco, from Spain, and the BBC, from the United Kingdom, have done some research on the procedures of these agents who contact young players and offer them the opportunity to play for great European clubs in exchange for a sum of money.  According to the reports, agents defraud young sportsmen as they take away their money as well as their dreams.  In some cases, fake agents even threatened players who said they would call the police.

Hereby we include the reports by Telecinco and the BBC for you to take precautions.  From now on, you should not make any hasty decisions and you should always ask experts for their advice before signing any contract. 

You can watch the mentioned reports on these links:

Report by Telecinco (Spain)

Report by the BBC (UK)

We’d like tell our users about a new application we’ve created: “groups” on Mybestplay.  If you’re a registered user, you can create your own group and invite your friends and colleagues to join.  You can choose a name for your group, start your own forums and take part in other groups’ forums.

This is a new way to stay in touch with the members of Mybestplay who share your interests.

For example, you can create a group of soccer players of your own neighbourhood and tell your friends to join, so that you can all be in contact and stay tuned with the latest news in your community.

To create your own group, click here.

Juan Manuel arrived in Spain today, together with his father, José, who didn’t take long to write to us from his hotel room, as if he were a real correspondent: "I tell you that we’ve just arrived in Avila City; the people at Milan Academy have treated us very well. Juan Manuel’s already been given three training t-shirts, one to go out, two shorts, pants and a sport jacket and a backpack, all of them from Milan.  He will do his first training at the campus tomorrow”.

We get great news from Avila, Spain, where the winner of our contest will start making his first experiences at one of the cutting-edge academies in the world. We want to share some postcards from this journey:

At this very time, Juan Manuel Rivas, the winner of the contest organized by MyBestPlay, is flying to Milan Academy's training campus in Avila City. The Argentinian left for Spain this morning, from the airport of his home town, Mendoza, accompanied by his father, José, stopping over in Santiago de Chile. Tomorrow morning, Giorgio Beltrami, the coordinator at Milan campus, will be waiting for him to take him to the academy, where he will be staying for the next two weeks.

Remember that you can write encouraging words to Juan Manuel on this blog; he’ll be answering all your inquiries and commenting on his experiences at Milan Academy.

ABI (Americas Basketball International) will have a three day camp from July 24^th to July 26^th , for its Fall Basketball Season 2008.  These season will began in late October through March 2009, and there will be games throughout Central and South America.
The league gives a great opportunity to those players who are trying to work their way in the NBA.  For more information about the camp click here.

You can also contact Commissioner Anthony Toney from Americas Basketball (ABI) through MyBestPlay here.