Thirty-eight carefully selected footballers lived, trained and played like professional footballers at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra last week. The potentially life changing experience, which formed part of Nike’s global ‘The Chance’ campaign, saw the boys fight it out for one of three coveted spots at the Global Finals in Barcelona in August of this year.
Selected by some of Australia and New Zealand’s strongest football scouts, including Ron Smith and Danny Hay, the players lived on site at the AIS and participated in three days of strenuous football activity and physical testing. Evenings consisted of the information sessions, presentation of physical testing and GPS tracking results, as well as special guest appearances by professional football players including Tom Rogic – whose pro career was kick started when he won The Chance event in 2010.
The Chance The Pacific campaign ran throughout May and June of this year, where 16 free to attend trials were held all over Australia and New Zealand, culminating in the Pacific Finals at the AIS. Any ‘Football Obessed Teen’ matching the criteria was invited to participate through the Nike Australia Facebook page. This was their ‘Chance’ at the big time, their ‘Chance’ to get noticed.
Limelight Sports were responsible for coordinating the 16 trial sessions across Australia and New Zealand, including all football and operational scheduling, staffing, logistics and infrastructure, plus CRM activity across the campaign, and were also responsible for delivering The Chance Pacific Finals event in Canberra. Run over four days, all event planning, logistics, branding, infrastructure and equipment requirements, venue management, participant communications, accommodation, travel arrangements, daily schedules and sustenance for the players and staff, Nike apparel, presentations including AV requirements, and all staffing requirements were coordinated by the Limelight team.
A huge congratulations goes out to Devante Clut, Matthew Bilic from Australia, and Stephen Carmichael from New Zealand, who will be representing the Pacific team in Barcelona. Best of luck boys!
Visit the Nike Football Australia page
