The season is hotting up for the Nike Academy youngsters hoping to forge a career in the game.
Already several of the youngsters have been approached by professional clubs both in England and overseas. Click here to watch the latest video update.
Others will be aiming to win an exclusive invitation to the Premier League exit trials in March 2010 where they will have the opportunity to showcase their development to a host of club scouts.
It means the hopefuls are now entering a key stage of the campaign with the next few weeks likely to determine their hopes of breaking into the professional ranks.
Technical Ability
Nike Academy director Huw Jennings said: "The second half of the season promises to be really exciting. Hopefully it will give an opportunity to our players to demonstrate they can secure agreements with clubs."
"Youth development at clubs throws up a lot of players with great technical ability but for whatever reason they don't push on to the next level.
"For some it is mental, for some it is physical. The challenge for us is to assess each player irrespective of what has happened in the past.
"We talk to the players about that and work with them to say it is a fresh start, a fresh opportunity and a chance to assess where they can go. The rest will be down to them over the next few weeks"
The Nike Academy was set up to help players who have failed to gain or are without professional football contracts and it is proving a big success. For more information, click here.
