V Sundramoorthy, Head Coach of The Chance Singapore, with the selected 5

Just as the Idol series around the world promises a recording contract and super stardom for an amateur singer, The Chance 2012 holds out the offer of a pro football contract and fame on an international stage for the winners.

The hunt that has been spearheaded by Nike since 2010 is on in 55 countries. Each will field 5 football talents for a trial that will shortlist a mere 100, who will be flown to Spain for a final international showdown.

V Sundramoorthy, Lions XII coach, helms the coaching team in Singapore for The Chance 2012, kicked off the talent search by scouting 5 footballers during a match played between Meridian Junior College and Team Eastchester on Mar 30.


Talent is key in propelling young players all the way to the top of the sporting world. Sundram pointed out the qualities present in a successful footballer – “technique and ability”. He added, “Day in day out putting in hours in training, eventually you will make the cut if you have the talent. The talent is the most important factor.”

19-year-old Muhammad Hairi was elated at getting a shot at being among the top 5. He told UrbanWire “This means a lot to me for my football career especially in this school. Given this chance, I’ll see where it takes me to.”

Mohammed Naufal nur Hakim, 19, Mohd Amsyar, 18, Syabil Anwar 16, Mohd Khairul, 23, join him to be part of the 150 local talents who will undergo training and competition under Sundram in May- all to sieve out 5 of the country’s best amateur footballers.

Mohd Khairul was the only player from Team Eastchester to receive the invite

Photos Courtesy of IMSG.

Sundram stated, “Out of the 150, if you can get 1 or 2 players representing the nation in any level, it’ll be a success. I think The Chance has created some players for the country. That is important.” Ahmad Fahmie Bin Jamil is one such star, having emerged champion of The Chance Singapore in 2010.
The regional finals in Jakarta, Indonesia in June will see the 5 players each from Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand whittle down to the best 4, who will attend the global finals in Barcelona, where they will get to play in world-class sports facilities and benefit from the best coaching.

As exciting as this prospect may sound, it also holds an immense load of pressure on these young boys. Hairi, however, shows a role-model attitude towards this. “Pressure is what makes diamonds,” he told UrbanWire. “I think intense pressure brings about your greatest abilities, and that is where you show your true qualities.”

However, in a country that focuses largely on academic ability, juggling school and playing football for leisure is especially tough, much less professional football. “Soccer and studies are very tough to handle in Singapore, you need to have good time management,” Naufal shared.

Sundram knows first-hand that this is not insurmountable. “I’ve been a national player, and I’ve played with players who were in university and played in the national team, so I think it’s more of just balancing their lifestyle- putting the right time for study and enough time for training, and they’ll eventually be successful.”

Future Lions XII players could even be identified from The Chance 2012. Says Sundram,  “I believe that if a player … is good enough, why not give him an opportunity?”

The Chance 2012 in Singapore is open to all players aged 16 to 24. To register, players can build a ‘team page’ for their teams on The Chance app via facebook.com/nikefootball. The Chance will also scout for players through a Football Festival from Apr 27 to 29 and players can register for the festival at the hotline, 6570 6315.