Nike Academy

Last updated

Nike Academy
Nike academy logo.png
Founded2009
Dissolved2017;7 years ago (2017)
Ground St George's Park
Burton upon Trent, England
Capacity3,100 [1]
LeagueFriendlies

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]

Contents

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

NameRole [9]
Flag of Ireland.svg Jon Goodman Head coach
Flag of England.svg Matt Murray Assistant coach
Flag of Mexico.svg Jesús Vázquez Featured player
Flag of Argentina.svg Lautaro AlegriniFeatured player
Flag of Scotland.svg Jacob DonnelyJugador Destacado
Flag of Turkey.svg Utku KolkoparanHeadcoach of Turkey

Notable participants

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Vieira</span> French football player and manager (born 1976)

Patrick Paul Vieira is a French professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Ligue 1 club Strasbourg. He was named in the FIFA 100 of greatest living footballers in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashley Cole</span> English footballer (born 1980)

Ashley Cole is an English football coach and former player. As a player, he played as a left-back, most notably for Arsenal and Chelsea. Cole is considered by many critics and fellow professional players as one of the best defenders of his generation, one of the greatest English players of all time as well as one of the greatest left-backs in the history of the sport. Born in Stepney, London, Cole began his youth career at Arsenal and made his full debut for the club in November 1999, going on to make 228 appearances and scoring nine goals for the North London club. With Arsenal he won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, and was an integral member of the "Invincibles" team of the 2003–04 season, who went the entire league season undefeated. Cole also made an appearance in Arsenal's first UEFA Champions League final in 2006; the club lost 2–1 to Barcelona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cesc Fàbregas</span> Spanish footballer (born 1987)

Francesc Fàbregas Soler is a Spanish football manager and former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. He is the current assistant coach of Como in the Italian Serie B.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikel Arteta</span> Spanish football manager and former player (born 1982)

Mikel Arteta Amatriain is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Arsenal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Vermaelen</span> Belgian association football player (born 1985)

Thomas Vermaelen is a Belgian former professional footballer. Being left-footed, he usually played as a left-sided centre-back and could play at left-back as well. His key attributes included aerial ability, leadership skills, and his quickness with the ball at his feet. He was also known for his goalscoring ability as a defender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexis Sánchez</span> Chilean footballer (born 1988)

Alexis Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez, also known mononymously as Alexis, is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Inter Milan and the Chile national team. He is often regarded as the greatest Chilean player of all time.

James Martin Gilligan is an English former professional footballer. He is currently at Watford in the role of Head of Technical Development and has also coached at Nottingham Forest, Wimbledon, Milton Keynes Dons and with The FA. He holds a UEFA Pro License.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang</span> Gabon international footballer (born 1989)

Pierre-Emerick Emiliano François Aubameyang is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Ligue 1 club Marseille and captains the Gabon national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippe Coutinho</span> Brazilian footballer (born 1992)

Philippe Coutinho Correia is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Qatar Stars League club Al-Duhail, on loan from Premier League club Aston Villa. He is known for his combination of vision, passing, dribbling and ability to conjure curling long-range shots.

Joe Bradshaw was an English football player and manager.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Nobbs</span> English footballer

Jordan Nobbs is an English professional footballer who plays for Women's Super League club Aston Villa. She previously played for Sunderland and Arsenal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdul Majeed Waris</span> Ghanaian footballer

Abdul Majeed Waris is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Cypriot club Anorthosis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Rogic</span> Australian footballer

Tomas Petar Rogic is an Australian former professional footballer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Accam</span> Ghanaian footballer (born 1990)

David Accam is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a winger. He has won 11 caps for the Ghana national team.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup was an international football tournament that was held in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014. The 32 national teams involved in the tournament were required to register a squad of 23 players, including three goalkeepers. Only players in these squads were eligible to take part in the tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asisat Oshoala</span> Nigerian footballer

Asisat Lamina OshoalaMON is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club Bay FC and the Nigeria women's national team. She is one of the most celebrated African female footballers of all time, having won African Women's Footballer of the Year a record six times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evan Dimas</span> Indonesian footballer (born 1995)

Evan Dimas Darmono is an Indonesian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga 1 club Persik Kediri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucas Torreira</span> Uruguayan footballer (born 1996)

Lucas Sebastián Torreira Di Pascua is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Süper Lig club Galatasaray and the Uruguay national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Ramsdale</span> English footballer (born 1998)

Aaron Christopher Ramsdale is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Arsenal and the England national team.

Dejan Pandurevic is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Manly United.

References

  1. "Stadium launch: Loughborough University FC v Tottenham Hotspur U18s". Loughborough Football on Facebook. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  2. "Barcelona 0-3 Nike FC: Is this a glimpse of football's future? | Barney Ronay". TheGuardian.com . 20 March 2015.
  3. Inside the Nike Academy: the branded alternative for reaching the big time on The Guardian
  4. Barcelona 0-3 Nike FC: is this a glimpse of football’s future? by Barney Ronay on The Guardian
  5. Nike Academy vs FC Barcelona, 24 February 2015
  6. The Arsenal test by Huw Davies on Four Four Two, 8 February 2012
  7. Nike Academy vs Inter
  8. "WHY DID THE NIKE ACADEMY CLOSE?". Youtube. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  9. NikeAcademy.com