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.
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 U.S. Youth National Team for 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 yet to be confirmed Premier League side, based in the United Kingdom.
