Archer's Mark » Nike Football

Nike Academy vs Southampton

Steve — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:19:48 +0000

There's not shame in taking a beating from a top-quality side, and fielding several league-one first-teamers, Southampton were always going to be too strong for the Academy lads. As coach Jon Goodman says, defeats like this can be a huge learning experience and it's important to build from the positives rather than the scoreline.

Nike Academy vs Watford

Steve — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 15:39:39 +0000

After defeat at Wycombe, the Academy boys all had a point to prove against Watford, but none more so than Kieron Forbes and Andy Yiadom who were both returning to their old club. The greasy surface made for a quick passing game and the lads dug deep to twice come back from behind and clinch victory. Cover your eyes, there are a few hefty tackles in this one!

Nike – Code Red (Directors’ Cut)

Steve — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:21:39 +0000

‘Pre-season. It’s not glamorous. It’s not pretty. It’s just graft.’

Commissioned to coincide with the launch of Manchester United’s new replica and training kits, Nike wanted a film that would communicate the true blood, sweat and tears that go into pre-season training at an elite professional club.

Sneaking into the team’s Carrington training facility at 3am to watch the sun rise was our first challenge, but putting Sir Alex’s prize assets through their paces without getting caught by the gaffer was another problem altogether. Fortunately, Rooney, Rio and friends turned in performances that would shame some Hollywood stars and early reviews point towards Oscar nominations for Darren Fletcher and Three-Lungs Park.

Nike – The Chance

Steve — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:00:26 +0000

When Arsene Wenger has his eyes peeled to find the freshest football talent on the planet, young players start pulling their socks up. That's the message of Nike's latest campaign piece, The Chance, where the best players from across the globe compete to win a place in the Nike Academy.

AKQA London co-ordinated shoots across five different continents, and it fell to us to execute the London anchor leg with Mssr Wenger himself, bagging a host of beauty shots and a dramatic voiceover at the Arsenal training facility.

For the full lowdown on how young players can step forward and take The Chance, click here.

Nike Academy – Barcelona Training Camp

Steve — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:31:13 +0000

You can't just walk through the front door of the best club in the world - so when the Nike Academy were invited to visit Barcelona's training complex, expectations were as high as the security at the front gate. And with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Andrés Iniesta training on the next pitch, an exhibition match against Barcelona B played host to the sublime skill and killer instinct you'd expect from a team brought up in the image of Head Coach Pep Guardiola.

Click here to see the rest of the Academy films.

Nike Academy – Aston Villa Visit

Steve — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:00:38 +0000

With an Aston Villa team packed with fresh talent chasing a top four finish, there can't be a better place for aspiring young pros to learn their game. So when the Nike Academy dropped in for a day at Villa's Bodymoor Heath training ground, not even a freak snowstorm could stop the young stars soaking up advice from club legends like Gordan Cowans and Kevin McDonald.

Click here to see the rest of the Academy films.