Women’s
Football
Girls and Women’s football in Hong Kong is
really starting to take off and I’m absolutely delighted about that. One of the
main recommendations of Project Phoenix was the integration of Women’s football
into the HKFA. The report recognized the potential to harness increasing
interest in and demand for girls and women’s football. It is after all the
fasted growing sport in the world!
In recent months we have appointed a
Women’s Football Manager, Ms Betty Wong who has outstanding credentials to lead
this important and growing area of work. Together with our Women’s Head Coach, Ms
Chan Shuk Chi we have people with limitless energy and passion for the sport as
well as the expertise and knowledge to make a real difference.
I have had the pleasure to witness some of
our female players in action both at Futsal and football and I have been
genuinely impressed by the quality. What comes across more than anything
however is the desire to improve, the enthusiasm and the obvious love of the
game. It is uplifting to see such commitment. The HKFA must respond by building
on this drive and putting in place the systems and resources necessary to take
this facet of the sport forward.
There is huge potential and we want to
ensure that every girl and woman in Hong Kong who wants to play football has
the opportunity to do so. We also need to put in place the programmes and
‘pathways’ to ensure that our female players can progress to being elite
footballers if they have the interest and talent.
We will soon have a five-year plan to do
just that.
One of the first initiatives we have
organized is a Girls Football Festival ‘Let’s Kick for Fun’ which was held on 6th
July. This project was funded by FIFA and involved over 150 girls between the
ages of 5-14. As well as being fun, the girls learned new skills and hopefully
reinforced their desire to make football their chosen sport. Of course I am
biased but I truly believe that football is a wonderful sport for girls as much
as it is for boys. It encourages physical health and well-being, teamwork,
respect for self and others, discipline and self-confidence.
I believe that playing football should be
encouraged by parents of both boys and girls, and by the way, it has been
proven that playing sport boosts cognitive development so sport and education
should go hand in hand not be mutually exclusive!
So Women’s football in Hong Kong has a bright
future, of that I have no doubt.
It would be remiss of me not to mention a
pioneer of women’s football in Hong Kong, Ms Veronica Chan Yiu-kam. Veronica
has devoted her life to women’s football in Hong Kong and almost
single-handedly kept the ball rolling, literally. The current custodians of
women’s football, myself included will ensure that this dedication is not
wasted, that the foundations are built upon and that there is a sustainable
legacy.
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女子足球
對於香港女子足球發展正朝著發展步伐邁進，本人深表高興，「鳳凰計劃」其中一項重點建議是將女子足球與香港足球總會整合，報告認為該項建議有利促進本地女子足球項目的發展，能夠與全球高速運動發展緊密相連。最近，足總聘請了女子足球經理黃若玲小姐，相信憑藉其傑出表現，她將會引領這項任重道遠的項目走向成功；與此同時，香港女子代表隊教練陳淑芝小姐抱著對足球用之不竭的精力和熱情，加上其專業獨到的知識，相信將與黃小姐合作無間，共創輝煌！
本人有幸親身目睹部分女子足球運動員曾在五人或十一人比賽中亮相，並對其在場上的表現印象難忘，沒有任何東西比渴望追求完美、激情以及熱愛足球更為重要，這正是提升競技水平的重要承諾，足總將全力朝著這個目標進發，投入充足資源及相關系統配合，務求將這項運動獨樹一幟。
面對這項擁有龐大發展潛力的運動，我們保證每位香港女孩能夠有機會一嘗足球所帶來的樂趣，足總將會舉辦各適其適的發展項目，以配合一些具天賦和興趣的女子足球選手一躍成為精英運動員！
足總將為此定下一個長達五年的發展計劃。
其中首項目標經已達成，足總已成功於今年七月六日舉辦了「女子足球節」(踢出快樂足球)。這項由國際足協贊助的大型戶外活動，當日超過一百五十名、年齡由五至十四歲的少女參加。她們除可在當日享受足球樂趣外，更可學習新技能以及強化她們將足球選定為心目中喜愛運動的願望。雖然我承認存有偏見，但我衷心相信足球是一項無分性別的運動，而非男士專利。足球運動不但可以鍛鍊體魄，同時亦可訓練團隊合作、尊重自己和他人、嚴守紀律和加強自信心的益處。
與此同時，本人認為家長應鼓勵子女多參與足球運動，因為足球本身有助孩子的認知發展，所以教育與運動兩者理應環環相扣，絕不能獨善其身！
毫無疑問，女子足球項目在本地的發展前景將會大放異彩！
提及本地女子足球的先驅者，不得不提陳瑤琴女士所作出的偉大貢獻。她將其大半生奉獻在足球事業上，得以令本地女子足球持續向前。因此，作為現時女子足球發展的監督者，包括本人在內，肯定陳女士所作出的努力絕不會輕易浪費，其辛苦經營的基業和心血將會薪火相傳，繼續發揚光大。
