The unique partnership was officially launched in Wollongong on Thursday night with $US500,000 in scholarships available for successful applicants.

The program, hailed as a world first, blends the expertise of one of the world's biggest football clubs with a leading university.

The academy gives participants a chance to hone their football skills under the watchful eye of coaches from the English Premier League club as well as furthering their academic studies.

The association between Tottenham and UOW is a unique partnership.

It's an incredible opportunity for UOW and indeed our region.

For those unaware of the significance of the Tottenham  Hotspurs, the club is a true giant of the sporting world.

The club has just completed construction of and will now reside at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The project cost $850million pounds. Pounds. That's an awful lot of Aussie dollars.

It will house over 60,000 people and will be filled to absolute capacity. Each and every game.

The club is owned by an investment company established by British billionaire Joe Lewis, one of the richest people in the world.

Writing exclusively for the Illawarra Mercury after the announcement last year, UOW Vice Chancellor Alex Frino heralded the significance of the association.

"We anticipate that the students participating in this program will come from around Australia and internationally, with China an obvious target market," Mr Frino wrote.

"This is a marriage between one of the most international universities in the world with access to Asia and one of the best clubs in the world seeking to increase its international profile especially in Asia.

"It's a world first, and in my opinion, also a 'marriage made in heaven'."

This is an extraordinary partnership.