Nike and Premier League Take Academy Full-Time
Nike and the Premier League have announced that the Nike Academy will be run as a full-time football development programme for the 2011/12 season. A dedicated pro-level football development programme, it has one aim - to help and support highly skilled and committed young footballers to reach their potential and make it as a professional.
Chris Smalling of Manchester United said: 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.
Since its inception in 2009, the academy has been run on a part time basis but this season will see the 22-man squad operate as a full time organisation, with their base at Loughborough University, funded by both Nike and the Premier League.
It offers young players without professional clubs a chance to enter or re-enter the professional game through world-class coaching, innovative training facilities and a weekly fixtures programme against elite academies and professional reserve teams across the globe.
Jimmy Gilligan, the Nike Academy Head Coach, said: The Nike Academy provides young footballers with the opportunity to develop as players and showcase their talent. The Nike Academy coaches and I are dedicated to providing these players with the best training programmes, best football networks and sporting facilities to help them realise their full potential.
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. What do you thin of the Nike Academy? Have your say and share your thoughts with the SoccerBible community online.
