A great Chance for 5

The Chance in Malaysia

The chance in France

Last week, five footballers aspiring for greater heights were handpicked by Ong Kim Swee to represent Malaysia in the upcoming Chance Regional Finals.


The players had to go through a series of training drills which includes Nike SPARQ - a training and conditioning system that helps build better athletes and used by some of the best football clubs in the world.  The players then played in a friendly match against the U-16 Malaysia Football squad.

Eventually Yuhendri Rosli, Mohamed Rafef Raya, Thanabalan A/L Nadarajah, Carlos Benjamin Goonting and Mohd Raphi Azizan were chosen to represent Malaysia to set up a date in Jakarta, Indonesia for The Chance Regional Finals. Their determination, passion and skills won the coaches and the scouts over.  

“The Chance has allowed us to look for some of the best undiscovered footballers in Malaysia. It has given us extra eyes to keep a lookout for some of the talents that are out there.” said Harimau Muda Coach, Ong Kim Swee.

“The Chance was all about giving these footballers a once in a lifetime opportunity to live their dreams. And now, the 5 of them will go on to prove themselves on a regional scale. Nike will do all that it can to see that the footballers are provided with proper mentoring and equipment and ensure that they are ready to face off with the best of South East Asia.” said Joan Yeoh, Country Marketing Manager of Nike Malaysia. 

From left to right: Yuhendri B. Rosli, Mohamed Rafef B. Raya, Country Marketing Manager of Nike Malaysia, Joan Yeoh, Harimau Muda coach Ong Kim Swee, Thanabalan A/L Nadarajah, Carlos Benjamin Goonting, and Mohd Raphi B. Azizan.

At The Chance regional finals, only 4 will be selected to compete at the global finals, which will take place in Barcelona, Spain. A total of 100 players from 55 countries will be competing for 16 spots, as these 16 players will go on to experience the ultimate training tour. Facing off against some of the most renowned football academy teams in the world, including Manchester United, Juventus and a U.S. Youth National Team.

From the group of 16 players, 4 players will be chosen to train and play with the Nike Academy. From there, only one will be selected to join the Nike Academy 2012/13 full time for three months, playing with the team to showcase their talent to professional scouts and coaches. Since The Chance was launched in 2010, 6 of the original 8 winners that trained full time at the Nike Academy have secured professional playing contracts.

Over 6,000 youths between the ages of 16 and 24 participated in the nationwide search for The Chance. They were scouted either through The Chance trials which took place in Sungai Petani, Kedah, Pasir Gudang, Johor, and Petaling Jaya, Selangor or through The Chance Mobile Scouting Vehicle. The players were then evaluated by a panel of coaches and scouts that are sanctioned by the Football Association of Malaysia.