Nike Axes Run London For Urban Football Project

Nike is replacing its highly successful Run London event with an ‘urban
football’ initiative which will encourage youngsters to get involved with the
sport in the run-up to the Euro2008 Championships.

Nike Run London, an annual 10km road race that has been held since 2001, will
be replaced in the future by a similar event targeting Londoners but the focus
for the remainder of this year will be on the ‘urban football’ project.

The urban football project will comprise a series of Nike-branded sports
events across the UK starting next month when Run London would habitually have
been launched.

The scheme will be supported by an advertising campaign handled by incumbent
agency Wieden & Kennedy, as well as an online social network developed by
digital specialists AKQA.

Nike is still finalising the exact structure of the project but it is likely
to target youngsters in cities through a largely informal environment.