Nike Academy Most Wanted Is Coming to Unearth New Zealand’s Next Gen Football Talent

This article is presented in partnership with Nike Football

The rags to riches story of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy captured the imagination of football fans the world over.

Once a factory worker on a semi-pro contract at a lower league club, a goal-hungry Vardy helped the Foxes win a famous upset Premier League title last season.

If Nike Academy Most Wanted fulfils its potential in New Zealand, the next Vardy-like character could hail from Auckland or Wellington.

Since 2009, the program has become a diamond in the rough football talent search, unearthing 58 now-professional players globally.

Held in a number of countries—including Australia and New Zealand—unsigned amateur teenage players are invited to train in mini-camps with the chance of being selected to attend the Nike Academy at St George's Park in England.

The official training and preparation base for the English national team, St George's Park opened in October 2012 and is considered one of the world's top football training centers. It gives emerging athletes access to some of the UK's best coaches, football facilities and—crucially—scouts' attention.

Among the biggest stars to emerge from the Nike Academy is Socceroo Tom Rogic, who is now a first-team regular for Celtic. Dylan Burns is arguably the top Kiwi prospect unearthed by the program. The 19-year-old Aucklander was snapped up by Nottingham Forest in 2014 after two weeks into his stint at St George's Park.

Burns told VICE Sports this week that the program has been a springboard for his football career.

"It allowed me to compete with the world's best unsigned players and showed me how tough it is physically and mentally to make a career in this sport."

Academy coach Danny Hay agrees with the Kiwi teenager, though the grizzled former All Whites captain certainly comes at the program from a different angle.

One of only six New Zealanders to play in the Premier League, the former Leeds defender knows exactly what it takes to reach football's highest levels.

Hay freely acknowledges that Europe is a fair better platform for young footballers to showcase their talents in front of bigger English and European clubs—and believes that the program provides an in.

"The Nike Academy is not only a realistic pathway into professional football abroad, but a proven one."

The Nike Academy Most Wanted trials will be held this coming Sunday and Monday in Auckland and Wellington. The Auckland trials will be held between 10.30am and 5pm at Bill McKinlay Park on Sunday October 9. The Wellington trials will be held between 4pm and 9pm at Wakefield Park on Monday October 10. Players must register to take part. You can do so here. Up your training game through the Nike Football App.