As Met sports

Does it all come down to an athlete’s natural ability, or superior training and preparation? Nivea for Men sought to answer this age old question in the form of “The Great Football Experiment.” The idea was to take a group of amateur Sunday League players and lavish them with FA coaching legends — such as Ray Wilkins and Terry Venables — as well as a team of top physio’s and nutritionists. Once the team trained under this new regime they would then square off against a team of British legends, including Clive Allen, Ray Parlour and Luther Blissett. All Nivea had to do was find the right scrappers for the job.
A nationwide search went underway and after a final vote it was announced that Ivory FC, a Sunday League from Brentwood, would be the nation’s underdogs. They began training in May in anticipation of the Nov. 28th matchup. That meant a lot of time working with coaches and trainers on their playing as well as their bodies. Armed with their new training and new Umbro kits, the boys were ready for battle.
The game kicked off on November 28th at Victoria RD. The fans in attendance were accepting a nothing more than a good time and a bit of novelty, but they got much more than they bargained for.
At first, Ivory FC played like the amateurs they were, with nary a touch in the first two minutes of the game. Then they came on. Their training and nutrition seemed to pay off as Craig Harrington of Ivory intercepted a ball played across the back 4 and passed a rusher to place the ball in the bottom corner for a 1-0 lead. Ivory maintained their single-point lead throughout the first half with the help of some effective and aggressive tackling.
The second half started about as well as it possible could have for Ivory, with a free kick being powered in by Peter Harlow for a 2-0 lead. A demoralised team of legends never could find their way back in the game and, leading to a shutout from the British amateurs.
Nivea seems to have proven superior training and preparation can make all the difference in the world.