How far can talent go when ambition meets a real opportunity? bTV is giving young footballers from across Bulgaria the chance to turn their biggest dream into reality with Bulgaria’s first sports reality format - Football Trials.

The project will open the door to the big game for boys and girls aged 8 to 20, following their journey from the first trials to the opportunity to earn a contract with a professional football club. All young football talents ready to take the next step towards the big stage can apply for the casting at btv.bg.

Applicants will be divided into four age groups – 8–10, 11–13, 14–16 and 17–20 years old. The trials will take place in September in seven cities across Bulgaria – Plovdiv, Burgas, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Vratsa, Blagoevgrad and Sofia. A total of 76 children and young people will make it through the final selection. They will take part in a series of game-based challenges designed to showcase their talent, with the best-performing players advancing to the next stages – a training camp and the final phase of the selection process.

The innovative bTV format will be hosted by professional footballer Ivaylo Krusharski, who will stand alongside the young participants throughout every stage of their journey towards professional sport. In 2018, he entered the world of English football and experienced the Premier League as part of the iconic West Ham United F.C. After returning to Bulgaria, he founded an initiative dedicated to discovering and developing young football talent, with the first trials involving scouts from football clubs across the country taking place in 2021. To date, more than 5.000 children and young people have taken part in the initiative, resulting in more than 450 contracts with professional football clubs. The project is now taking its next step as a large-scale television format, aiming to reach talent from across Bulgaria and give even more young footballers the opportunity to be seen and demonstrate their abilities.

„There are so many exceptionally talented children and young people in Bulgaria who have the skills but sometimes lack the most important thing – the opportunity to be seen. That is exactly the mission of Football Trials – to give talent a chance and open the door to professional sport. We have already proven that this model works, and together with bTV we are now taking the next major step – transforming a successful initiative into a nationwide platform that will connect young talent with real opportunities in professional football”, said Ivaylo Krusharski.

Football Trials will also bring the young footballers face to face with people who know first-hand what it takes to succeed at the highest level. Some of the most recognisable and established names in Bulgarian sport, including football legends, current professionals and leading experts, will share their experience and valuable lessons from the game, challenge the children and young people in new ways and help them understand what truly lies behind success at the highest level.

Beyond the competition itself, Football Trials will also highlight the importance of an active lifestyle and sport in the development of children and young people in Bulgaria. The format will demonstrate how training, discipline and perseverance build not only better athletes, but also character, determination and confidence. On the pitch, the young talents will learn not only how to win, but also how to deal with defeat, get back up, work as a team and never give up on their goals.