FIFA U-20 World Cup: Keepie-up at the Skytower - 192m above ground

Don't drop the ball: The Herald takes part in a terrifying keepie-up challenge.

The original premise seemed simple enough; do some "keepie-up" with a football on the Skytower Skywalk with two members of the Junior All Whites.

It was a publicity stunt designed to draw attention to the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is now less than 30 days away, and I was more than happy to play a part on behalf of NZME. I thought if I could somehow help draw attention to the fact that New Zealand kick off the tournament at North Harbour Stadium against Ukraine on May 30, by walking on a high ledge, then I should.

With keepy-uppy champion @Shollow1 - suffice it to say, I was terrible at juggling a football on top of the Sky Tower pic.twitter.com/xWtj0rAzyC

— Chris Chang (@ChrisChang) April 30, 2015

I had never sky dived, bungee-jumped or Skywalked before so wasn't really sure how I would deal with the whole height issue, but I was pretty relaxed about it. I figured there would be a few photos, a bit of video, a chance to chat with some key members of the tournament's organising committee, and the whole thing would be a breeze.

But then the creative types got involved.

"How do you feel about challenging TVNZ reporter Chris Chang to a keepie-uppie challenge instead?", I was asked. Ok..

Next it was, "What if we do the challenge live on TVNZ during primetime on Breakfast?" Ummmmm...

And finally, "What if we make the loser of the challenge jump off?" Oh dear...

Safety first: The footballers were hooked to the Skytower.

The simple stunt had taken a life of its own.

And as the lift shot up to the top of the tower, I started to question exactly what I had signed up for.

Junior All Whites Deklan Wynne and Clayton Lewis were already out on the ledge by the time our media contingent reached the top. I watched Wynne, who has always looked a pretty composed bloke on the footy field, cling desperately to his safety rope as he struggled to juggle a tethered ball on a 1m wide platform, 192 metres above the city centre.

Chang and I both exchanged glances as we thought the same thing, 'might be a pretty quick competition.'

As we stepped out onto the platform I was noticeably more composed than Chang, who gave the impression that he would rather be anywhere else in the world.

The views up and across were amazing, the view down was terrifying. Chang, who is a technically proficient footballer at sea level, was now talking with confidence, but his body was still frozen in fear. 'He's there for the taking' I thought.

We didn't have long to practice before we went live on air, and the results weren't pretty. My mind was trying to balance a unique combo of timing, technique, balance and the inane thought of falling to my death.

But I won the competition with a total of seven consecutive juggles, while Chang made it to about three.

"Seven, that's more than you can do on the ground," I was quickly informed by a 'friend' on Facebook.

I spent the next 40 minutes needling Chang about his impending 'losers' jump. I told him that in the worst case scenario he would at least be leading the 6pm bulletin.

Winning a keepie-uppie competition with a score of seven is not usually something to brag about. But beating a TV reporter at a juggling competition, on a ledge 192 metres above ground, on live TV, with a total of seven, could well be the highlight of my footy career.

The FIFA U-20 World Cup kicks off in Auckland on Saturday May 30, when New Zealand take on Ukraine.

Steven is a five-time Northern Premier League winner and former New Zealand Secondary Schools international. He currently plays for Glenfield Rovers in Auckland's Northern Premier League.