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 was 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.[3]
 | |||
| Founded | 2009 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dissolved | 2017 | ||
| Ground | St George's Park Burton upon Trent, England | ||
| Capacity | 3,100[1] | ||
| League | Friendlies | ||
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| |||
The programme was also known for its collaborations with world class players, including Sami Khedira, Joe Hart, Rio Ferdinand, Francesco Totti, Mario Götze and others. Players such as David Accam, Tom Rogić, Majeed Waris, Petar Golubović and Evan Dimas are graduates of the programme.[4]
The academy regularly played exhibition matches facing teams like FC Barcelona,[5] Arsenal,[6] Inter Milan,[7] Manchester United and others.
The academy closed at the end of the 2016–17 season.[8]
Technical staff
edit| Name | Role[9] |
|---|---|
 Jon Goodman |
Head coach |
 Matt Murray |
Assistant coach |
 Jesús Vázquez |
Featured player |
 Lautaro Alegrini |
Featured player |
 Jacob Donnely |
Jugador Destacado |
 Utku Kolkoparan |
Headcoach of Turkey |
Notable participants
edit
Dejan Pandurevic- Tom Rogic
Dario Van den Buijs
Alvin Fortes
Josip Juranović- Conor Branson
- Sean Clare
- David Goldsmith
- Jorge Grant
- Rarmani Edmonds-Green
- Billy Ions
- Alex Parsons
- Jordan Rose
- Bilal Sayoud
- Ryan Sellers
- Jordan Tillson
- Jordan Tunnicliffe
- Alex Whittle
Fabian Senninger
David Accam- Abdul Majeed Waris
Dimitris Komnos
Evan Dimas- Muhammad Rafli
Shazuan Ashraf Mathews
Saifeddine Alami- Ismail H'Maidat
- Brahim Sabaouni
- Alexis André Jr.
Delvin Pinheiro Frederico
Lars Herlofsen
Myer Bevan
Kayro Flores Heatley
Fernando Canales- José Guidino
Matty Cash
Maksim Boychuk- Artemi Ukomsky
- Siriki Dembélé
Youssef Ezzejjari- Ignacio Varona
Petar Golubović
Cameron Edwards
Reyaad Pieterse
Moon Seon-min
Anfernee Dijksteel
Pontus Almqvist
Apirat Heemkhao- Napapon Sripratheep
Gonzalo Balbi
Ahmad Chaudhry
References
edit- ^ "Stadium launch: Loughborough University FC v Tottenham Hotspur U18s". Loughborough Football on Facebook. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
- ^ "Barcelona 0-3 Nike FC: Is this a glimpse of football's future? | Barney Ronay". TheGuardian.com. 20 March 2015.
- ^ Inside the Nike Academy: the branded alternative for reaching the big time on The Guardian
- ^ Barcelona 0-3 Nike FC: is this a glimpse of football’s future? by Barney Ronay on The Guardian
- ^ Nike Academy vs FC Barcelona, 24 February 2015
- ^ The Arsenal test by Huw Davies on Four Four Two, 8 February 2012
- ^ Nike Academy vs Inter
- ^ "WHY DID THE NIKE ACADEMY CLOSE?". Youtube. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- ^ NikeAcademy.com