According to the company, the District Football Teams Training Scheme and the Nike All Hong Kong Football Challenge Cup 2003 is the most authentic football training scheme held in Hong Kong. It involves professional coaches, real football pitches and a proper 11-a-side format, which is rare in Hong Kong because of space constraints.
Florance Yip, advertising and communications manager at Nike, said the programme - jointly organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Hong Kong Football Association - aimed to attract more than 1,400 young footballers.
"Football is the most watched sport in Hong Kong. However, when it comes to playing the game, football ranks second to basketball. That is partly because there are not many venues available here, said Yip.
The training will target males aged 16 to 18 years old. Nike will also bring to Hong Kong a professional coach to train selected youth.
"We have a lot of grass root programmes for sports such as basketball and running, Yip said, adding that Nike had launched a print and online campaign to drive interest in the football scheme.
The J. Walter Thompson-created ad highlights the professional training Nike will offer. "It's an opportunity to learn what football is truly about and to ask if you are willing to challenge yourself to become a true footballer.
"The ad drives recruitment by demonstrating the Nike spirit of football.
It is about playing aggressively and creatively. When you play with such passion and imagination, the positions become interchangeable, and every move becomes an attack."
The training programme will also coincide with the Nike Football Five event.
Nike holds similar training camps in the US. The camps have become the venue for talented high school players to learn the drill from leading trainers. The camps have also become a showcase of the top prospects in the country for university scouts looking to sign up promising young athletes.
