Nike Academy
We wanted to showcase Nike’s football gear to a young, football-obsessed audience, while offering them the training plans and insights needed to train like the professionals. So we recruited the best unsigned players, built a set-up designed to get them scouted by professional clubs, and documented their progress across the season on Nike.com and a dedicated Facebook page (where young footballers could ask elite coaches how to improve their game).
Every moment told their story. From high stakes matches and coaching guidance, to training sessions and contract negotiations, we captured what it’s like trying to make it as a pro footballer. But it wasn’t only about documenting what happened. Each episode of our series was focused on developing the players and getting them a pro contract. Those contracts were the sweetest reward for all involved with the project.
The Academy players faced off against the youth academies from the world’s top teams. Each of these matches served as a crucial point in the series. How much had the players progressed? Could rising stars continue to make their name? Would scouts turn their interest into offers? Those moments through the season allowed us to build a compelling arc across the season and keep our audience coming back for more.
We also created a training plan for young footballers to follow, helping them hit peak fitness in pre-season like never before and stay healthy through the season. Below is a taster of the content we created for the program — each video was accompanied by a series of instructional cards in the football app and on Nike.com. We created 16 weeks of content, with each of our films also showcasing a range of Nike gear.
