U.K. TV shingle Zig Zag Productions has inked a deal with English soccer star Jamie Vardy’s V9 Academy to produce a docu series that will see him search for the next big player in the game.
Dubbed “Jamie Vardy’s Having an Academy,” the three-part series (each 60 minutes) will see the Leicester City and England striker seek to discover non league talent and promote them to the professional game, whilst providing them with an educational experience into what it takes to play at the sport’s top level.
It marks the first fruits of a development deal with Fleet Street Sport & Media Group, the media services biz led by former international soccer star and Sunderland FC chairman Niall Quinn.
The V9 Academy will hold its first intake of players in May 2017 at Manchester City Football Club’s training complex. It will host 42 successful applicants who will be split into three teams of 14 players for a 5-day residential program.
Series will provide insight into coaching, sport science, fitness methodology, talent identification and mental training in addition to following the stories of the hopeful players. Scouts from professional clubs and football management company Key Sports Management will be on hand to help spot key talent.
“I’m looking forward to working with the Zig Zag Productions team on the documentary about the V9 Academy,” said Vardy, whose team Leicester City defied odds to become Premier League champions in Blighty this year. “I hope the series encourages footballers to give it another go and keep on fighting like I did.”
Zig Zag CEO Danny Fenton said: “Jamie Vardy is the biggest success in world football at the moment, having risen from a non league player to becoming a Premier League champion with Leicester City. He’s now launching his own Academy to help players rise up from the non league to become elite professionals and Zig Zag will be there to film the journey.”
The docu is the latest in a series of TV sports projects from Zig Zag Productions including “Fashanu’s Football Challenge” (Bravo), “Eddie Jordan’s Bad Boy Racers” (Channel 5), “The Premier League’s Most Amazing Moments” (BBC Three) and “Football Years” (Sky One).
