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. 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. The programme was also known for its collaborations with top class professional players, including Sami Khedira, Joe Hart, Rio Ferdinand, Francesco Totti, Mario Gotze and others. Players such as David Accam, Tom Rogic, Majeed Waris, Petar Golubovic and Kevin Salazar are graduates of the programme. The academy regularly played exhibition matches facing teams like FC Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Manchester United and others. The academy closed at the end of the 2016–17 season. Technical staff Notable participants Dejan Pandurevic Tom Rogic Dario Van den Buijs Alvin Fortes Josip Juranović Conor Branson Sean Clare David Goldsmith Jorge Grant Billy Ions Alex Parsons Jordan Rose Bilal Sayoud Ryan Sellers Jordan Tillson Alex Whittle Youssef Ezzejjari Fabian Senninger David Accam Abdul Majeed Waris Dimitris Komnos Siriki Dembélé Evan Dimas Muhammad Rafli Shazuan Ashraf Mathews Saifeddine Alami Ismail H'Maidat Brahim Sabaouni Alexis André Jr. Anfernee Dijksteel Delvin Pinheiro Frederico Lars Herlofsen Myer Bevan Kayro Flores Heatley Fernando Canales José Guidino Matty Cash Maksim Boychuk Artemi Ukomsky Petar Golubović Cameron Edwards Reyaad Pieterse Moon Seon-min Pontus Almqvist Apirat Heemkhao Napapon Sripratheep Gonzalo Balbi References Football academies in England Nike, Inc. 2009 establishments in England Association football clubs established in 2009