August 16-25, 2017 – Maribor, Slovenia

This year’s Women’s Firesale will again use Maribor’s DRAS Center in Slovenia as a base. This place is amazing, with luxurious rooms, a wonderful restaurant and bar, and a volleyball gym in the building; all right on a ski mountain with gorgeous views. This tour is more of camp, but everyone will love it. The goal of this trip is simply to find jobs for players directly from the tour, and the timing is arranged to coincide with the when the bulk of the season’s signings take place. Players attending this tour should be ready for the rigors of a 7-8 month European season starting immediately from the tour and running to sometime in the Spring of 2018. All players need to understand that current market conditions make it harder than ever to place liberos, so any current libero (or DS) should come prepared to play outside hitter or setter if at all possible. Jobs in general are harder to find in the current economy, and salaries are also lower than in past years. As always, players on the Firesale should want to live in Europe for the year as much (or more) as they want to play volleyball. Remember, this is about finding a life experience more than becoming a “professional athlete” for most players on this tour. Note: There is no refund for players that leave the tour to either sign a contract, go on a tryout, or simple leave early for “personal reasons”. Any time you’re offered a job or tryout this will be explained to you in detail, but we want it clear from the beginning

Tentative Schedule:

  • August 16: Players arrive to the DRAS Center on their own. Training 8-10pm It is strongly suggested that you arrive to LJU, GRZ, or VIE (in that order) It can be difficult to get from Venice, Italy to Maribor, Slovenia by train. However, there is a shuttle company that seems to be doing a good job from Venice to Maribor. Check it out if you find best fares to VCE: http://goopti.com/index.php
  •  August 16-25: Training Camp with double days and matches; numerous visiting coaches and teams. Possible trips to Croatia, Austria or Bled, but no travel is guaranteed.
  •  August 25: Depart from DRAS Center on your own (Note: We will provide rides to Maribor Train Station if needed)

Player Representation Agreement Forms

All players on tour will have to sign a Player Representation Agreement (PRA) prior to training the first night. By being on tour, you are a client of BIP. Interested players should contact Tim Kelly at: bringitusa@aol.com

Payment Information

Cost of the tour is $1650 + airfare and includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily (starting with dinner on August 16 and ending with breakfast on August 25) all hotels, ground transportation, and volleyball activities. Players only need spending money for their ground transportation to Maribor on arrival and departure day, phone calls, souvenirs, and “going out” if they so choose. A $250 non-refundable deposit is due to reserve a spot for this tour. There is no deadline for this deposit, but the tour will fill up and we’ll take the first players to submit their deposit. Payments can be made by check or money order in US dollars to “Bring It Promotions” and mailed by regular mail (please, no FedEx, UPS, or DHL) to: Bring It Promotions, 7055 Scripps Crescent St, Goleta, CA 93117. Please be sure that both your name and “August Firesale 2017” appear on the check.

Flight Information

You are buying your own tickets to Europe, and as long as you’re at the DRAS Center in Maribor, Slovenia on August 16th, and ready for practice that night at 8:00pm, it doesn’t matter what time you arrive or depart. As stated above, you want to arrive to LJU (Ljubljana, Slovenia; a ~2 hour train ride from Maribor), GRZ (Graz, Austria; a < 1 hour train ride but with less connections) or VIE (Vienna, Austria; a 3+ hour train ride). Venice is a nightmare to connect on public transportation, so while you may want to visit Italy pre or post-tour, be very careful if you choose to do this (again, Go Opti is a new shuttle company that seems to be doing a good job; find them online). Usually a round trip ticket to Europe is the same price (or cheaper) than a one-way, and due to visa restrictions and immigration issues in Europe, it often causes problems to try and come with a one-way ticket (or a ticket that has a return for more than 90 after arrival). Suggestion: Either come on a mileage ticket (if you have a parent or friend with tons of airline miles) because its free to change and usable for a full year, or come on the cheapest possible round trip with your return August 25 (or later) as planned, knowing that you might “eat” the return if you’re coming to “stay and play” and find a team. Of course in this case the team will have to fly you home on a new ticket at the end of the season, but having a “mileage ticket” (if possible) makes everything easiest. If you want to come to Maribor early, its $50/night (breakfast included) and should be pre-paid and reserved directly with us when you pay for your tour.

Journals & Placement Results from Past Tours

Players interested in attending this year’s August Firesale should read through all the tour journals written by players who experienced the tour.  You will learn a lot about what to expect and how to prepare from players who have gone through the ropes. You can also view the placement results from our past tours.  To view past exposure tour journals go here: https://bringitusa.com/blog/category/bip-tour-journals.