Nike & Pl Team Up For Academy

The Nike Academy – a dedicated, pro-level training programme to help
highly skilled and committed footballers bring out the best in their
game – will now be a full time operation, after Nike and the Barclays
Premier League reaffirmed their commitment to the talent development
programme.

The Nike Academy offers young players without
professional clubs from across the globe a chance to enter the
professional game through world-class coaching, alongside games against
elite academies and professional reserve teams.

Since the
Academy’s inception in 2009, fixtures have been played against the likes
of FC Barcelona, Celtic and Paris Saint-Germain and resulted in nine
academy graduates winning full time contracts to professional teams.

Huw
Jennings, former academy head at Fulham, is the Academy director and
under his watch the 22 man squad train six days a week at Loughborough
University where they have use of grass pitches, an Olympic size
swimming pool, Hipac running track and Powerbase gym.

Access to these elite facilities is complemented by the full range of Nike Football equipment and apparel.

Check out a video of the Nike Academy squad at SITV.

To
date six Nike Academy graduates have won full time contracts to
professional teams as result of playing in these games and training
under the Nike Academy coaching team.

Most recently Ryan James, a former Nike Academy player, has been signed by Oxford United.

Ryan
James said: ‘The Nike Academy has given me the chance to prove myself
and get signed by a professional team.  The coaching staff and set-up
really helped me get a contract at Oxford United this season and I wish
the current Nike Academy squad the best of luck for the coming months’.

?Mike
Foster, director of Football at the Premier League, added: ‘The Nike
Academy is an excellent example of the growing partnership between the
Premier League and Nike. We have worked together now for 11 seasons and
over the last few years we have seen the Nike Academy develop into a
first class facility for young talent to continue their careers in
football’.

??’It will be an exciting season for the squad, and
going full-time will only help them improve as athletes to give
themselves the best chance of being signed by professional clubs’.

Chris
Smalling of Manchester United concluded: ‘Two seasons ago I was in a
similar position to the Nike Academy players, playing non-league
football and was fortunate enough to get scouted by Fulham under the
stewardship of Huw Jennings, the Nike Academy director of Football. The
Nike Academy really helps young footballers stay on the path to making
it as a pro and I wish the lads all the best for the new season’.

Throughout the year the Academy’s progress will be documented at www.nike.com/nikefootball/, and www.facebook.com/NikeAcademy.