NIKE GIVES CAPE TOWN’S FOOTBALL HOPEFULS ANOTHER CHANCE TO GET NOTICED

Nike gives Cape Town’s football hopefuls another opportunity with ‘The Chance’

Nike returns to Cape Town in search of the best young footballers to represent South Africa at the Nike Academy trials in the United Kingdom

Nike’s youth football programme, The Chance, is a global search for talented footballers to get an opportunity to join the Nike Academy, a high performance training programme, supported by the English Premier League, in the United Kingdom.

Locally, Nike set out its search for South Africa’s top young guns in August, with trials already conducted in Johannesburg, and Cape Town.  However, the interest from youngsters in Cape Town has increased, and Nike will host a second round of trials for those players who did not get a chance to register in August.

Already more than 300 hopefuls aged 16 and 17 years joined The Chance South Africa trials with football legends-turned-pro-coaches Shaun Bartlett, Eric Tinkler and Tebogo Moloi heading up the scouting.

Nike will be rolling out their final leg of the trials in Durban at the end of September.  The player’s who make the grade and get noticed during the regional trials, will be called back for the final trial in Johannesburg.  Only four South African players have the chance to slot into the best 100 players from across 40 countries, to join Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger at the UK trials in January 2011, to compete for one of eight international places in the Nike Academy.  These eight will have all their expenses paid to live in the UK for a year starting in July 2011 and be a full time member of the Nike Academy.

As members of the Nike Academy, players become full-time participants at a residential training centre in England with access to elite coaches, nutritionists, psychologists and fitness conditioners, along with world class facilities to perform at the highest level.

Date:  Sunday, 12 September 2010
Time: 8am until 4pm
Venue: Old Mutual Academy, Mutual Park, Jan Smuts Drive, Pinelands