When you’re a soccer-crazy kid growing up in the HDB estates of Singapore, playing your favourite game can be a right pain in the behind. Void decks have ample space and natural goalposts for you to express your inner Ronaldinho, but you find many games interrupted by complaining neighbours or worse, the police.

Frustrated? Nike gives you your rebel yell: The Nike Cup.

Taking football to the urban heart of Singapore, the Nike Cup advocates that the beautiful game is meant to be played anywhere – from void decks, to fields, multi-storey carparks and even abandoned schools. With the Nike Cup, you can nutmeg a defender, launch exquisite volleys at goal or execute stylish stepovers in a public space without having to seek bureaucratic permission to do so.

Its opening day saw 120 teams of youths between 14 to 19 years old battle it out at *SCAPE in Orchard Road. The action was fast-paced, and filled with the intense thrills and spills that is typical of soccer in this simple, purest form. The action will move on to other unconventional locales, including a multi-storey carpark, in Singapore, before culminating in the finals on the 4th of July.

The winning team will get to spend 5 days in Granja Comary, the training ground of the Brazillian national team. There, they will attend a training program organized by the Brazilian Football Federation.

The chance at winning the top prize has excited the participants, and left them writing their own grandiose futures in their heads. “Getting to train under the Brazilian Football Confederation would be a once-in-a-lifetime dream come true for us!” 18-year-old participant Marcus enthused.

Registration for the Nike Cup is still open, and we encourage you to participate, and bring the spirit of joga bonito back to the streets of Singapore, where it belongs.

Photos courtesy of Nike Singapore.