Nike Academy

Nike Academy
Full name Nike Academy
Nickname(s) The Academy
Founded 2009
Dissolved 2017
Ground St George's Park
Burton upon Trent, England
Capacity 3,100[1]
League Friendlies

The Nike Football Academy was an English football academy funded and administered by Nike, Inc.. The academy had a revolving squad of unsigned under-20 players and is run with the intention of helping them find a professional club. The academy was based at St George's Park National Football Centre.[2] The squad was made up of players scouted worldwide and drafted to the squad through Nike Most Wanted trials. Over 50 players have gone on to play professional football over the years. The programme was led by Manager Jon Goodman, with former Wolverhampton Wanderers player Matt Murray who worked as Assistant Manager.

The programme was also known for its collaborations with world class professional players, most notably Sami Khedira, Joe Hart, Rio Ferdinand, Francesco Totti, Mario Gotze and others.

Players such as David Accam, Michael Lewis Cunningham, Tom Rogic, Majeed Waris, Petar Golubovic, Kevin Salazar and Sergio Galeano are graduates of the programme.

The Academy regularly played teams like FC Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Manchester United and others.

The Academy closed at the end of the 2016/17 season.[3]

Technical staff

NameRole[4]
England Jon GoodmanHead coach
England Matt MurrayAssistant coach
England Josh DixonS&C coach
England Hannah PittSports Scientist

Notable participants

Players who participated in Nike's The Chance, or played for the Nike Academy who have gone on to play in a professional league or competition. Players in bold have full international caps.

References

  1. ↑ "Stadium launch: Loughborough University FC v Tottenham Hotspur U18s". Loughborough Football on Facebook. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  2. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/mar/20/barcelona-nike-fc-football-future
  3. ↑ "WHY DID THE NIKE ACADEMY CLOSE?". Youtube. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  4. ↑ NikeAcademy.com
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