Nike’s
‘The Chance’ football trial competition gets underway this weekend, with the
first of five regional open trial events starting in Johannesburg.
The
two-day event which will be hosted at the Nike Football Training Centre in
Soweto, will be facilitated by Nike’s core team of professional coaches Shaun
Bartlett and Craig Rosslee.
Hundreds
of players are expected to showcase their talent and impress the panel of
coaches who will select only 10 stand-out players who demonstrate the most
skill and football prowess, to be invited to ‘The Chance’ South Africa Finals
in Johannesburg in July.
There
are only a few spots available for this weekend’s trials, and young aspiring
footballers between the ages of 16 and 19 years, who are not signed to a
professional club and who reside within Gauteng can register by sending an SMS
with their name and ID numbers to 45182.
Nike’s
global search for the best young talent kicked off recently in 55 countries,
with South Africa hosting its local launch in April, announcing head coach
Johan Neeskens and professional footballer Benni McCarthy as ‘The Chance’
scouts. Neeskens and McCarthy, supported
by the core team of coaches, will have to find the best three South African
players to attend ‘The Chance’ global finals at FC Barcelona in August.
Only
100 players will take part in the global finals, where the best 16 players will
be selected. They will then embark on
the ultimate training tour of the most renowned academy teams in world
football, including Manchester United, Juventus and a U.S. Youth National Team
- a once-in-a-lifetime four week tour.
One
player will earn a place at the Nike Academy, now in its second year, in
partnership with the Premier League, based in the United Kingdom.
