Sport-locker.net have been huge followers and admirers of Nike football’s The Chance campaign – and now we can reveal its first real success story!

Because a former winner, Australian Tom Rogic, is now plying his trade for Celtic.

And what a journey it’s been!

In the winter of 2011, Rogic, a talented Australian midfielder, arrived in the UK to take part in The Chance — hoping to stand out among thousands of entrants.

There, Rogic caught the eye of Nike Academy Director of Football Jimmy Gilligan and his coaching team, making the top eight of The Chance 2011 Final and winning a place in the Nike Academy – living, training and playing as an elite footballer for a year.

After, Rogic was scouted and signed by the Central Coast Mariners back in his native Australia. His journey didn’t stop there. This January he was signed by the famous Celtic Football Club. In his debut game, Rogic was named man-of-the-match for the Glasgow giants. “I know I am at one of the biggest clubs in the world today because of the opportunity I had with The Chance,” Rogic says.

“If you’d told me, when I was going through ‘The Chance,’ that a year or 18 months later I’d be playing for the Celtic first team, I wouldn’t have believed you. My advice to the winners of this year’s ‘The Chance’ is to not give up, because you don’t know what can happen.

“The past 12 months have been amazing for me and it’s really just the beginning,” Rogic continues. “I feel very privileged to be a part of this football club and hopefully I can continue to progress.”

Neil Lennon, Manager of Celtic Football Club, says: “Tom is tall, elegant, has quick feet, excellent technique, and an eye for a goal. He has taken full advantage of the opportunity that Nike’s ‘The Chance’ gave him; he can be very proud about what he has achieved.”

So the 2012 winners (Marco Di Lauro of Italy, Gonzalo Balbi of Spain and Kevin Salazar of Colombia) can take huge inspiration from young footballer and Nike Academy graduate Tom Rogic.

The future for the three winners of this year’s ‘The Chance’ is unknown, but you can bet they’d happily follow in Rogic’s footsteps 18 months from now!

Watch the documentary below about Tom Rogic and the developing careers of the other Chance 2011 winners. For future news on The Chance sign up to www.youtube.com/nikefootball and follow @nikefootball on Twitter.

What do you think of Rogic? Do you think there will be more youngsters making it through The Chance campaign? Let us know in the comments section below or on our Twitter Facebook pages.