Project Phoenix Progress Report
Introduction
There has been some debate recently on various media about the
progress of Project Phoenix and whether or not it is being successful in
bringing about the transformation of football in Hong Kong. Some of this debate
has been objective and informed, some has been mere opinion and speculation and
some has been plain wrong. I am perhaps uniquely qualified to comment on
Project Phoenix because I led the consultant team that wrote the report and now
I am responsible for its implementation. I have lived and breathed Project
Phoenix for the last few years and my honest appraisal of it is set out below.
Was
Project Phoenix the right Strategy for Football in Hong Kong and is it still
relevant?
Having been ‘inside’ the organization for a while now and having seen
football in Hong Kong in some detail, I am convinced that if I was to write the
Project Phoenix report again with the benefit of hindsight, it would contain
exactly the same narrative and recommendations. I hope I am not being immodest
when I say that I think it is an excellent blueprint for change. It identifies
all of the problem areas and sets out the actions required to overcome them.
There are only a few things I would change if I could re-write the
document. On reflection, some of the targets were a bit optimistic. It is not
that they are unattainable; it is just that it might take longer to achieve
them. Most people would agree that nothing happens quickly in Hong Kong and
that is especially true in a sport like football that is fragmented and where
there are so many vested interests. A few people are using the fact that some
targets have been missed to invalidate the entire strategy. That is a
ridiculous and naïve view. In some cases these are the very same people that
are deliberately slowing down the process of change because it is their
interest to do so (or so they think).
The other thing I would amend in hindsight is the budget. Again the
report was too optimistic about how quickly commercial interest would be
generated. Additional revenue is proving elusive and that remains one of the
key challenges.
In my opinion, the key issues and strategic recommendations of
Project Phoenix remain valid, relevant and important.
What
Progress has be made?
Firstly, we must acknowledge that Project Phoenix got off to a
stuttering start for a number of reasons including the early departure of the
first CEO and Head Coach. That is history now and all we can do is try and make
up the ground that was lost in the early days. That won’t be easy considering
the fact that it is only a three-year funding programme. Nevertheless, the slow
start is a material fact that should be taken into account when reviewing
progress. It’s like going one nil down in the first 15 minutes of a match –
it’s a blow but not a fatal one.
Project Phoenix was sub-titled ‘Develop-
Deliver’ because it was recognized that before it could transform football
by ‘delivering’ new activities and
programmes, the HKFA had to transform and ‘develop’
itself. Therefore many of the 33 recommendations were focused on the
transformation of the HKFA in terms of governance, management and operation. By
their very nature these changes are ‘internal’ to the organisation and not
immediately visible to the general public.
Organisational change is time-consuming and resource intensive
however, and the HKFA has been working very hard on developing itself into a well-run Governing Body of Sport. I would
like to share with you some of the things we have been doing which are ‘behind
the scenes’.
- New Constitution and Board: A new set of
constitutional documents were agreed at the outset and more independent
Directors are now in place.
- Strong Executive (creation and filling of 24 new positions): Project Phoenix identified that the HKFA was under-staffed
particularly in technical and operational positions. The organisation has
recruited, inducted and now manages 24 new positions funded through Project
Phoenix including some critical management positions such as Financial
Controller, HR Manager, Head of Corporate Governance, Head of Marketing and
Communications. All of these positions are vital in an organization of the
scale and complexity of the HKFA.
- Holistic Corporate Governance Review completed: In any organisation there are literally hundreds of policies,
procedures, working practices etc covering financial management, HR, marketing,
procurement and so on. We have reviewed all of these and streamlined them to
create a more efficient workplace. This has been a big but necessary
undertaking. Continuous improvement is fundamental in any organisation.
- Review of Financial Management Systems underway: The HKFA invited FIFA in to carry out a review of management
arrangements under its ‘Performance’ programme. We have now obtained funding
from them to install an integrated financial management system. This work is
underway.
- Enhancement of HR / admin / IT policies & procedures: The new HR Manager has done an excellent job in reviewing and
amending our human resource capability including harmonizing remuneration,
salary benchmarking, staff handbook etc.
- Cultural Change Programme: In the last
two years the HKFA has gone through significant change and growth. As anyone
involved in business will testify this is a challenging time. At the same time
the ‘day job’ of planning and administering football in Hong Kong must go on.
For us this has been made more difficult in practical terms because our office
is being refurbished to accommodate the new staff (again funded by FIFA).
I am proud of the staff of the HKFA both pre and post Project
Phoenix. They are passionate about football and diligent in their work. All of
the above changes have strengthened the organisation and put the HKFA on a firm
footing when it comes to delivering
the other more visible and externally focused recommendations of Project
Phoenix.
We have made significant progress in these (what I call ‘on the
pitch’) areas too including:
- More Professional Representative Team (improved FIFA ranking): Most people recognise that Coach KIM, his coaches and players have
improved significantly and punched above their weight in the Asian Cup
qualifiers. Our FIFA ranking is 144 (November 2013) up from 172.
- Development of HKFA Youth Academy: Our
youth teams have made good progress too culminating in the historic
qualification for the AFC finals of the U16 team.
- Fully staffed Technical Department: We
have appointed a Technical Director and Managers for Women’s Football,
Refereeing, Coach Education, Futsal, Grassroots Football. Some people have been
critical of us for spending money on people but that is what the money was
earmarked for and without these resources there would be no one here to manage
the programmes.
- Revised Football Development Plan: The
team of experts has reviewed current football development activities and
programmes and has prepared a plan to enhance, expand and improve the work we
do in football development. This plan has been endorsed by the HKFA Technical
Committee and is being ‘rolled out’ as we speak.
- National Curriculum: The Technical
Department has written a ‘syllabus’ for how football should be taught from the
grassroots up to the high performance level. This includes a consistent style
and system of play.
- Preparation of Five-year Strategy: A
five-year plan was one of the recommendations of Project Phoenix. This has been
prepared and endorsed by the HKFA Board and the Government’s Football Task
Force.
- Premier League criteria agreed: The new
Premier League will start in 2014. The criteria have been written and shared
with the Clubs. They are based on AFC standards.
- Club Development: – Two of our Clubs
have been assessed by the AFC and granted AFC Champions League Licences. South
China AA will be participating in the 2014 AFC Champions League; the first time
Hong Kong has been represented at this level.
- Improvements in Youth Development:
•
Introduction of new Age-Group
in Henderson League
• 8,000 participants in summer
youth programme in 2011, now 10,000+
- Integration of Women’s Football:
•
New Women’s league, U20 league
starting in Dec 2013
•
Regional competitions and
Training squads for U13/U15 and U18
- Redesigned Coach Education Programme and Syllabus:
•
Over 20 courses run in 2013,
(487 new coaches in 2011, 600 in 2013)
•
23% increase in registered
coaches
- Referee Development: (162 in 2011, now
221)
- Futsal: – Primary Schools initiative and
Intra-district competition
All of the examples above illustrate that Project Phoenix is having
an impact on the pitch as well as off it. We have laid the foundations for
future development.
Summary
So with just under a year to go of the three-year funded Project
Phoenix, 15 of the 33 recommendations have been implemented in full. All of the
others are either partially completed or on-going. There have been some notable
successes both on and off the pitch. We cannot be accused of inactivity but I
would accept that we could do better at publicising the changes we have made
and the successes we have had.
Off the pitch, the HKFA is unrecognizable now as an organization from
what it was two years ago. We have put the people and management systems in
place to deliver change. We have an organization that is ‘fit for purpose’ and
we have the strategic plan in place to radically improve football in Hong Kong.
The organisational development and the strategic planning have taken time and
naturally most of this has been internal and therefore gone largely unnoticed
by the public. I would contend that the ‘develop’
phase of Project Phoenix has been completed successfully.
In terms of ‘delivery’ ‘on
the pitch’ we have made significant progress too. The Representative Teams have
shown real signs of improvement reflected by an improved FIFA ranking despite
having insufficient resources. Our U16 team has qualified for the AFC finals
for the first time ever. We have secured a Club place in the AFC Champions
League for the first time ever. We have integrated Women’s football and started
a new league. We have more coaches trained, more referee development and
established Futsal in the schools. We
have a new grassroots programme planned and more young people are now playing
football through the expansion of the District training programme. These are
all positive indicators that show that progress is being made. Each on their
own is a small achievement but collectively it is evidence of a fundamental
shift in the fortunes of football in Hong Kong.
We are not satisfied with
the speed of change however and we know that there is much more that needs to
be done. Some of the other fundamental Project
Phoenix recommendations remain ‘work in progress’ but over the next few months many
of these will come to fruition too like the Hong Kong Premier League that will ‘kick
off’ in 2014.
The development of the much needed Tseung Kwan O Football Training
Centre is slower than we hoped but is now picking up pace again. The HKFA is
working in conjunction with the HKJC and Government on plans for the centre and
we hope to make some positive announcements early in 2014*(see footnote).
Looking ahead beyond the current three year funding cycle, we will need
more resources to implement all of the strategic plan recommendations but we
are working on that too. If we don’t get as much as we would like, we will have
to make difficult choices and prioritise our work. Over the next few months we
must continue to move forward and we will be working with our partners to
deliver the other changes identified in Project Phoenix. The three year funding
finishes at the end of October 2014. We must demonstrate that the project has
been worthwhile to persuade the Government and other partners including the
commercial sector to invest in football long term. We hope all of the football stakeholders in
Hong Kong will join forces to demonstrate the positive progress that is being
made and to support the call for the future long term funding of football in
Hong Kong. We have reached a critical point in time.
I would like to correct an error that was transmitted in a recent
RTHK programme on Project Phoenix. It was incorrectly stated that the HKFA had
only requested HK$25m of the total HK$60m of the Government’s Project Phoenix
funding. In actual fact, HK$58m (97%) has been requested, committed and agreed.
As you would expect at this stage of the project not all of it has been claimed
because the expenditure has yet to be incurred. It is a cash flow issue. Indeed
we also have an agreement in principle with the Government to spend the
unallocated HK$2m on Project Phoenix related items. I don’t know how the
programme got their facts so wrong but we will use all of the funding
available, why wouldn’t we?
Conclusion
For me, there is no doubt that Project Phoenix remains the right
plan for the HKFA and for football. We are making good progress on its
implementation and there have been some real results. Given the slow start and
given how difficult it is to implement change, I am generally satisfied with
progress, but certainly not complacent. I
also know that there is a lot of work still to be done. I am not worried
about the detractors, there will always be those that resist change; that is
human nature. Effective leadership is about having a clear vision and the
resilience to see things through. I remain committed to improving football in
Hong Kong for the benefit of the sport and the countless thousands of people
who understand why things MUST change.
Mark
Sutcliffe, CEO, December 2013
*Footnote:
The proposed Football Training Centre at Tseung Kwan O is to be built on a
former landfill site. As such it is not suitable for housing development.
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「鳳凰計劃」成效報告
簡介
最近不少媒體討論有關「鳳凰計劃」的成效，是否能夠為香港足球事業帶來革命性的成功。某些屬客觀及資料性的報道，某些較多主觀論點及揣測，某些則偏離事實真相。我或許較有資格對「鳳凰計劃」發表自己的見解，畢竟我曾率領顧問團隊撰寫該份報告，而現時我又負責將其付諸實行。過去數年間我一直與「鳳凰計劃」為伴，因此以下是本人忠誠的評審意見。
對於香港足球發展，「鳳凰計劃」是一項正確的策略嗎？現時仍持之有效？
身處在足總「內部」已有一段日子，亦見證香港足球事業發展的變遷。我深信一點，如果可以再次撰寫「鳳凰計劃」，縱使「事後孔明」，但現時的我仍會如當初一樣，撰寫相同的內容及建議。若從我口中講出這是一份優秀的改革藍圖，我希望自己不會成為傲慢的人，它確實指出全部問題所在，並設定相關的解決方案。
如果可以重新撰寫報告，其中數項我想會作出修訂。事實上，部分目標可能設定得過於樂觀，但不代表它們無法達成；而是可能需要更長時間才能達標。大部分人同意香港狀況不會馬上改變，特別是發生在支離零碎的足球運動身上，當中涉及不少特權利益。一小撮人引用事實，認為數項目標無法達成而導致整個計劃失效，可謂荒謬及天真的見解。在某些案例中，總有志同道合者故意拖慢改變的進程，皆因涉及他們的利益所在（或他們所想）。
另一項「預算」亦是我想要作出修改的內容，再次重申一點，報告提及有關能夠盡快獲得商業利益的判斷似乎過於樂觀，額外的收入證明難以掌握，並成為其中一項重要挑戰。.
在我看來，「鳳凰計劃」的重心議題及策略建議仍然是有效、關聯及重要的。.
計劃取得任何成效嗎？
首先，我們必須承認「鳳凰計劃」的推出初期不算理想，或受首任行政總裁及主教練離任等諸多因素所影響，但一切已成為歷史，現在我們需要奮勇直追，嘗試追回以前失去的時間。不能否定事實是，這是一項為期三年的資助計劃。無可否認，起步較慢是一個基本事實，在審視進度時必須將其考慮在內，正如球賽一樣，賽事開始僅十五分鐘已落後0：1，雖然帶來一記悶棍，但並非造成致命一擊。
「鳳凰計劃」的副標題是「發展—發放」，原因是足球改革前必須先「發放」新活動及項目，其後香港足球總會才會落實改革方案並加以「發展」。因此，三十三項中建議方案的大部分內容都聚焦在香港足球總會的革新上，例如管治、管理及營運工作等，這是一項「內部」架構的改變工程，並非普羅大眾能夠即時察覺。
組織架構上的改變涉及耗時長及大量資源，然而香港足球總會已經積極朝著成為有效管治的體育團體的方向發展，我願意和大家共同分享一些「幕後」不為人知的事情。.
- 新憲法及董事局：一套全新的憲法文件經已落實執行，同時更多的獨立董事亦已就任。
- 強大的行政團隊（創造24個新職位）：「鳳凰計劃」表明香港足球總會面對人手不足問題，尤以技術及操作職位為甚，因此足總透過「鳳凰計劃」的資助下，進行一連串招聘及委任工作，而二十四位新同事亦先後到任，其中包括一些較重要的管理層職位，例如財務總監、人力資源經理、公司管治總監、市場推廣及傳訊部總監等。上述所有職位都屬於足總的核心所在，令組織架構得以更加完整。
- 完成審查全盤的公司管治政策：
在任何一間機構中，都會存在數以百計的政策、程序、工作守則等，全面涵蓋財務管理部、人力資源部、市場部、採購部等。足總對所有相關政策作出檢討及加以簡化，從而建立一個具效率的工作環境。雖然工程浩大，但必須落實執行，持續改變是任何一間機構的基本事情。
- 檢討進行中的財政管理制度：香港足球總會邀請國際足協，在其「效能」計劃下，共同執行管理安排的審查工作。這項工作正在進行中，我們從國際足協獲得資助，安裝一套整合的財政管理系統。
- 強化人力資源 / 行政 / 資訊科技政策及程序：新委任的人力資源經理在工作崗位作出重大貢獻，全面檢討及修訂人力資源相關的政策，包括協調報酬制度、薪酬基準、員工手冊等。
- 改變文化項目：過去兩年，香港足球總會銳意改變及成長，任何人涉及其中，都會證明這是一段充滿挑戰的時刻。與此同時，同事依舊為籌劃及落實香港足球發展而需要「每天工作」。由於需要容納更多新同事的加入，因此足總辦事處正在進行翻新工程（由國際足協資助），對於我們而言，箇中辛勞可想而知！
本人對任職於香港足球總會、無論是「鳳凰計劃」前期或後期加入的同事都感到無比驕傲，他們對足球充滿熱誠以及勤奮辦事。上述所有改革已令組織架構進一步加強，這對發放「鳳凰計劃」其他可見及對外為主的推薦方案，將有助足總穩固基礎。
我們已在以下範圍（我稱作為「賽場上」）取得顯著成效，當中包括：
- 香港代表隊大躍進（提升國際足協排名）：大部分獲悉在金判坤主教練及其團隊的帶領下，香港代表隊已在亞洲盃外圍賽中取得明顯進步，國際足協排名已從172位躍升至144位（2013年11月）。
- 香港足球總會青年軍發展：我們的青年代表隊取得美滿成績，U16代表隊歷史性取得亞洲足協決賽週的入場門券。
- 技術部門 全部人才到位：我們經已委任技術總監及女子足球經理、裁判經理、教練培訓經理、五人足球經理、草根足球經理等。某些批評聲音認為我們大灑金錢在人事招聘上，但當初預算的支出正正是用於這方面。假如這些資源欠奉，相信沒有人願意管理這些不同範疇的項目。
- 已修訂的足球發展計劃：專家團隊已檢討目前的足球發展計劃，並已計劃作出如何強化、擴展及改善該項目，該計劃已獲得香港足球總會技術委員會審批及正式「出爐」。
- 香港課程：技術部已編制「課程大綱」，著重講解如何由草根足球晉升至高效能程度上，大綱包含了持續模式及比賽制度。
- 五年策略計劃的籌備工作：五年計劃是「鳳凰計劃」其中一項建議方案，該計劃書已籌備妥當並獲得香港足球總會董事局及香港特區政府足球專責小組的簽署。
- 職業聯賽已同意的準則：全新的職業聯賽將會於二○一四年展開，相關準則已編寫完成並與各球會分享，所有準則都建基於亞洲足協標準。
- 球會發展: 本地兩間甲組球會已經獲得亞洲足協評審並成功取得亞洲足協亞洲盃的牌照。南華體育會將參加二○一四年的亞冠盃賽事，這是香港首次成功派出代表參加這項亞洲頂級球會賽事。
•
在恒基青少年聯賽中引入新年齡組別
•
二○一一年大約有八千名參加者加入暑期青少年計劃，目前已超過一萬名
•
全新的女子足球聯賽、女子U20足球聯賽於二○一三年十二月展開
• 女子U13/U15和U18球隊的地區比賽和訓練
•
二○一三年開辦超過二十項課程（2011年有487名新教練，2013年有600名）
•
註冊教練的人數激增23%
上述例子說明「鳳凰計劃」已在賽場內外取得成效，我們以此為基石作為日後的發展方向。
結論
為期三年的「鳳凰計劃」，目前只餘下一年的時間，三十三項建議方案中的十五項已經圓滿實施，其餘的則處於部分完成或進行中。事實上，我們在賽場內外已取得一定成功，因此不能控訴我們「毫無動靜」，不過本人同意足總可以在公共推廣上做得更好，將任何已完成的改革或成功案例公諸於世。
至於「比賽場外」，與兩年前比較，香港足球總會可謂今非昔比，我們在人事及管理上作出重大改變。我們是一個「符合目的」的組織，已有合適到位的策略計劃去改變香港足球狀況。無論在組織架構
以至方案策劃都需要時間執行，自然地大部分轉變都成為了「份內事」，公眾未必容易獲悉。我認為「鳳凰計劃」的「發展」階段已經大功告成。
關於「發放」及「比賽場上」，我們同樣取得顯著成效。香港代表隊在缺乏足夠的資源下，已取得標誌性的進步，從國際足協排名中獲得改善已可見一斑；香港U16代表隊已成功晉身亞洲足協決賽週，屬香港首次；我們成功取得球會牌照，得以參加亞冠盃賽事，亦屬香港首次；我們整合了女子足球及展開全新聯賽；我們擁有更多符合資格的教練、更多裁判培訓及在學校建立五人足球；我們有全新的草根足球計劃，以及透過規模不斷擴大的地區訓練計劃，讓更多青年人參與足球運動中。凡此種種，引證著所有目標都朝著正面發展，正所謂「聚沙成塔，集腋成裘」，引領香港足球事業邁向改變。
我們不能對目前改革的速度表示滿意，然而我們明白仍有更多事情有待完成。「鳳凰計劃」中部分基本建議仍舊「正在進行中」，但未來數月將有更多事項進入收成期，如二○一四年正式揭幕的香港職業聯賽。
有關重中之重的將軍澳足球發展中心，雖然其發展進度較我們預期落後，但現時已加緊步伐進行。香港足球總會已與香港賽馬會和特區政府共同籌劃中心工程，並希望能在二○一四年*早期發表更多實質性的消息（請參閱註腳）。
對於三年資助期後的展望，我們將需要投入更多資源來執行所有策略建議方案，但我們仍舊努力完成目標。倘若我們無法獲得所想的資源時，我們將會於選擇上出現困難，並會決定執行工作時的優先次序。未來數月，我們必須繼續前進，並與合作夥伴攜手為「鳳凰計劃」訂下的目標而努力。三年資助期將於二○一四年十月完結，我們必須展示該計劃值得繼續執行，並會游說政府及包含商業性質的合作夥伴以長遠方式繼續注資。我們由衷希望本港球圈的業界人士共同合力展示已取得的正面成果，以及支持香港足球事業應以長遠投資的方案為依歸，因為我們正身處在關鍵時刻中。
最近，香港電台電視部節目《鏗鏘集》播出有關「鳳凰計劃」的報道，本人藉此機會澄清一些失實的資料。據報道，在「鳳凰計劃」港幣六千萬元的撥款總額中，香港足球總會僅向政府申請了港幣二千五百萬元。事實上，足總申請並獲審批的金額為港幣五千八百萬元(百分之九十七)，必須明白足總在現階段並非所有項目的費用都已向政府報銷，因此某些支出所引起的費用才剛剛入帳，這屬於正常的現金流情況。事實上，足總亦和特區政府原則上達成協議，該計劃餘下的未獲分配金額(港幣二百萬元)亦會用於計劃之內。我們不知道該節目如何獲得相關失實數據，惟足總承諾所有撥款將會用得其所。
總結
就本人而言，對於香港足球總會和本地足球發展，毫無疑問「鳳凰計劃」依舊是一項合適的計劃，自計劃實施後，我們已取得進步和實際成果。縱使起步較慢及在改革上遇到不少阻力，我仍然滿意目前所取得的成果，但肯定不能自滿。我深明仍有大量工作必須完成，但我從不擔心任何惡意批評者的言論，因為改革總會遇上阻力，這是人之常情。有效的領導能力即指擁有清晰的視野及凡事都能看透的能力，我依舊承諾為香港體育事業的利益以及那些明白必須改變的廣大市民著想，繼續踏上香港足球的改革之路！
二○一三年十二月 行政總裁薜基輔
*註腳：建議中的將軍澳足球發展中心將會興建在初期的山坡上，因此該地段不適合作為住宅發展用途。
上述內容以英文版本為準
