For the past three years, a football academy at Waikato University has benefited from the tuition of former All White Che Bunce, and now plans are in place for a tour to the USA to showcase some of the talent.
"The ultimate goal is for these boys to be seen in the shop window," Bunce said.
The academy has already seen one player, Xavier Pratt, recruited to the Wellington Phoenix squad and two others awarded scholarships in the USA.
Bunce said the contacts he had made over a long career in international football would also be advantageous to his young charges.
The upcoming trip will see the boys playing five games over 14 days, most to be played in Buffalo in New York State, and one to be played in Hawaii.
Bunce said the upcoming trip was open to anyone from year 13 up and that 10 spots were currently unfilled.
"It helps if you're academic, this is a fantastic gateway into football. Some of these scholarships are worth US$30,000-60,000," he said.
Bunce said he hoped by running the academy the students would get a taste of what was involved in playing the game professionally, while learning from the mistakes he made in his early years.
"I left school at 17 for my football career. Professional football is pretty fickle. You need a backup plan," he said.
Bunce was inspired by the American system, where he said students are treated like professional athletes while also earning a degree they could fall back on.
Most of the 14 players Bunce currently trains also play for clubs in the area, meaning they have between five and six training sessions per week.
"That's something like what they can expect if they went professional," he said.
In a few months Bunce will be a qualified lawyer, and admits running the academy while studying has been a challenge.
"It would have been a fulltime job but now I'm on campus everyday. It's been even more difficult with three little kids as well."
But that doesn't mean he's throwing in the towel. In fact his workload looks like it may get even bigger next year.
"It's always been on the back burner to get a female academy going, which I hope to set up for next year."
He said the Waikato is already strong for female football, with the Waikato women's team currently leading the Northern League.
Those interested in joining the team in the States go to www.wufa.co.nz/tours. Applications close September 15.