Strategic Plan - Aiming High

Strategic Plan - Aiming High

In 2014 and in fulfillment of one of the recommendations of Project Phoenix, the HKFA prepared a new five-year Strategic Plan entitled Aiming High – Together. This was presented to the Government’s Football Task Force and was used as the basis for the five-year funding agreement with the Government. The grant provided is conditional upon the delivery of the strategic plan and specific key performance indicators. The strategy was also used to underpin an application to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for a financial contribution to football development activities and the construction of the Football Training Centre.

As with all plans it is subject to regular review and appraisal. In 2015/16 the HKFA has been reviewing the strategy via the Strategy Committee and has produced the latest iteration in English and Chinese (see attachments below).

English version

中文版本

The Strategy Committee undertook a thorough review of the Strategic plan and drew a number of conclusions:

• The broad direction of travel and strategic priorities remain correct
• The principles cannot deviate too much from the plan already agreed with the Government and used as justification for the Jockey Club funding
• The KPI’s must remain in accordance with those already agreed with the Government
• The previous document is too long (even the Executive Summary version) if it is to be read and understood by stakeholders and partners
• The strategy focuses solely on football development ‘on the pitch’ issues
• For it to be an holistic plan, there is a need for greater focus on ‘off the pitch’ issues; specifically governance, management and organization

The latest version has been produced taking into account the above principles and comments. The new plan therefore retains the themes, priorities and targets of the original version but includes goals, strategic objectives and targets for other aspects of the HKFA, notably governance and management; all in a shorter more ‘digestible’ format. 

The document is based on the standard approach of, where are we now, where do we want to be and how are we going to get there. The plan includes a vision, mission statement and core values for the HKFA. It has goals and strategic objectives for three main areas:

• Football Development (the area focused on in the ‘old’ version)
• Governance
• Management and Organisation

The plan also has targets and milestones for each objective which are consistent with those previously agreed with the funding partners. New ones have been added for the governance and management areas. Implementation is covered also and key roles and responsibilities have been identified both for Committees and Secretarial staff.

Each HKFA Department will need to prepare individual (annual) plans (to be approved by the relevant committee) that are in accordance with and contribute to the strategic plan. For example the Technical Department will produce an annual Football Development Plan setting out detailed activities and programmes for grass roots development, youth development, high performance football, women’s football, futsal, coach education etc. This plan will incorporate the ‘game changers’ set out in the previous version of the plan. The Football Development Plan will be approved by the Technical Committee and ultimately the Board.

Annual Plans will cascade down to individual members of staff who will be given specific tasks and targets. These will form part of the annual appraisal process, thus developing a formal performance management system.

The revised plan has been approved by the HKFA Strategy Committee and subsequently formally adopted by the HKFA Board. It will now be used to communicate the priorities and direction of the HKFA to all interested parties and stakeholders. There should be no ambiguity now about the HKFA’s direction, priorities, remit and rationale.

Comments on the plan are welcomed. 

Mark Sutcliffe, CEO, June 2016

                                                                                                                                                                

力爭上游 策略性計劃

為配合及達致鳳凰計劃的建議，香港足總於2014年提出名為《力爭上游 — 萬眾一心》的足球發展計劃，並向香港特區政府所委任的足球專責小組匯報，以及作為政府五年資助的協議基礎。資助的款項亦受該計劃以及其關鍵績效指標的成效所影響。該計劃亦用作向香港賽馬會申請於足球發展活動上以及興建足球訓練中心的財政資助。

如所有計劃一樣，《力爭上游 — 萬眾一心》會定期進行審核及評價。香港足總策略委員會於2015/16球季對該計劃進行審核並修訂出最新版本。

中文版本
English version

策略委員會針對計劃進行了全面的審視並得出多個結論：

• 董事局的方向及策略的考慮優次方針維持正確
• 原計劃已經得到政府同意，並用作香港賽馬會資助的基礎，所以新版本於原則上不可與原計劃偏差太遠
• 所有已經得到政府同意的關鍵績效指標必須維持不變
• 原計劃文件太冗長 (包括執行摘要)，令持分者及工作夥伴難以理解
• 計劃過份集中於「球場上」的足球發展
• 為令計劃更全面，有必要將計劃焦點擴闊至「球場外」的事項，尤其於管治、管理及組織架構上

新版本充分考慮到以上的原則及意見，所以維持了原有的主題、優先事項以及目標，並以更簡短及「較易消化」的方式涵蓋了香港足總於管治及管理等範疇中的目的、策略性目標及指標。

此計劃以我們的現況、目標以及達成目標的方法作鋪排，亦闡釋香港足總的宗旨、願景及企業價值觀。其涵蓋了以下3大範疇的目的及策略性目標：

• 足球發展 (「舊版本」所聚焦的範圍)
• 管治
• 管理及組織架構

此版本中有關各策略性目標之指標及里程碑與早前資助夥伴所認同的一致，但在管治及管理範疇上亦有所增潤。同時，計劃亦涵蓋了各委員會和秘書處職員的角色及責任，以讓計劃內容得以實踐。

香港足總的各個部門必須依據計劃內容及方針，制定其自身的部門計劃書(年度計劃書，並由對應之委員會審批)。例如，技術部門會制定年度足球發展計劃書，包含針對草根及青少年足球發展、精英足球、女子足球、五人足球及教練培訓等的詳細活動及計劃，並收錄原有策略性計劃書提及的「扭轉局勢」項目。此足球發展計劃書會經由技術委員會及董事局通過。

年度計劃書會傳遞至該部門所屬的員工，並分配他們對應之職責及目標。這亦會是年度表現評核的部分依歸，並逐步組成完善的員工表現管理系統。

此修訂版本經由香港足總的策略委員會通過，隨後由董事局正式採用。此計劃書會用作於與所有持分者及相關人士及團體表達香港足總的方向及優先事項。現在，對於香港足總的方向、優先事項、職權範圍及邏輯依據應該再沒有任何含糊的地方了。

歡迎大家對此計劃發表任何意見。

香港足球總會行政總裁薛基輔

二○一六年六月

It’s time to get behind the Referees

It’s time to get behind the Referees

As I reflect on another season, there are some things I feel very strongly about. Refereeing is one of them. To be honest I am getting a bit fed up of people complaining about the standard of refereeing in Hong Kong. It is unnecessary and ultimately counter-productive.

I would say, 90% of the complaints are unjustified. By that I mean that the decisions taken on the pitch are actually correct under the laws of the game. I know this is true because every time someone complains about a specific event, I go back and review the incident on DVD (we record all of our matches). So why do people feel the need to complain? Well actually there are a number of reasons;

·         They genuinely believe decision was incorrect

·         The complainant doesn’t know the laws (it’s surprising how often this is the case even among players, coaches and team officials)

·         It’s an emotional over-reaction when decisions have not gone their way

·         The result was poor, so they must find someone else to blame

·         They’re jumping on a popular band wagon, ‘Fergie, Wenger, Mourinho etc complain about referees, so I should too’

·         In extreme cases it can even be pure vindictiveness

Some people may have other reasons that I don’t know about but I think they should take a leaf out of Claudio Ranieri’s book. When decisions didn’t go his way recently he refused to criticize the referee saying that the result would not change anyway and that bad decisions even out over the course of the season, so what is the point of complaining?

Everyone and I mean everyone makes mistakes from time to time and as fallible human beings, it is inevitable that referees will do so too. During the course of a match, officials make hundreds of decisions, the vast majority of which go unnoticed simply because they are correct and play continues. These decisions are made in a split second without the advantage of an elevated viewing position or instant replay. And like I say, even when complaints are made, the decision turns out to be correct nine times out of ten.

Believe me I would have a big problem if I thought the few mistakes that happen were made deliberately e.g. to favour a particular team or to influence the outcome of a match. But that’s not the case, I’m sure of that. Genuine mistakes I can accept and so should everyone else. The most important thing is that we learn from our mistakes. The performance of every HKFA referee is scrutinized by a qualified assessor. If corrective action is deemed necessary by our Referee Manager and the Referee Committee, it is taken. This can mean suspension, a period of re-education or other sanctions. Our Referee Department is trying hard to recruit, train, evaluate and improve referees.

I’m not saying there isn’t room for improvement because there always is and I think the referees themselves would be the first to admit that. In the same way as there is room for improvement in all aspects of football in Hong Kong including the quality of players, coaches, team officials, infrastructure etc. We are on a journey and we all need to work together, rather than be divisive.

The reason why I say complaining is counter-productive is because football needs referees. Without them there is no match, full stop! The more we complain, the less likely it is that we get people wanting to be referees.

So in my opinion people should accept that mistakes will occur and let the HKFA get on with selecting, training and (where necessary) re-training referees.

Where these people are associated with football clubs they also have a responsibility to educate their players and coaches to respect the referee’s decision and get on with the game. Far too often this season we have seen players surrounding referees shouting and swearing and far too often we have seen coaches screaming and gesticulating wildly, sometimes even coming onto the pitch (for which they should be disciplined). This sort of behaviour is unacceptable, sets a bad example and is far worse in my opinion than a referee making an occasional honest mistake.

It’s time to support our referees not disrespect them and if people can’t do that then perhaps they should put on a black jersey themselves and see if they can do a better job.

Mark Sutcliffe, CEO    

Justice at last!

Justice at last!

After yesterday’s announcement, I feel compelled to write something about Hillsborough.

When you attend a football match, or any other public event for that matter, you have a right to expect certain things. These include:

• A venue that is safe and where risk assessments have been carried out
• That organisers can manage the crowd at all times and have systems to avoid over-crowding
• Having in place emergency procedures to deal with any eventuality
• Experienced, well-trained and responsive staff on duty
• Effective and timely response from Emergency Services when required

Tragically none of these basic prerequisites were in place at Hillsborough on 15^th April 1989 for the FA Cup Semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forrest. As a direct result of inept planning and mis-management on the day 96 fans had the life literally squeezed out of them. As if that were not bad enough, worse was to come, much, much worse. In fact what followed was one of the most shameful, disgraceful episodes in English sport.

Firstly, and even as the horror was unfolding, the Match Commander, Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield lied about his decision to open one of the gates; an act that led directly to the crush. He perpetuated the lie that fans had forced the gate to gain entry for many years. His lies precipitated a huge cover up by people who should be beyond reproach but who sadly were complicit. Crucial documents were withheld from the initial and subsequent enquiries, 164 police statements were altered and 55 officers gave false information and were described as ‘defensive and evasive’ when giving evidence. All of this was in an attempt to conceal what actually happened on that fateful day and who was ultimately responsible for the death of 96 people. Public authorities, Members of Parliament and countless others colluded to deflect the blame onto the fans.

This went right to the very top. The then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher all too readily believed the lies she was told. The stories probably rang true to her because she accepted the stereotypical portrayal of Liverpudlians’. From a political standpoint, she did not want to admit that the police and other emergency services had not only reacted ineffectively but had actually caused the problems in the first place. And so the establishment created a myth that the fans were to blame by turning up late, being drunk and forcing their way into already crowded spectator areas.

The contemptible Sir Bernard Ingham, Margaret Thatcher’s Press Secretary at the time briefed the media with this misinformation. In a hideously unsympathetic letter to one of the families he infamously described the Liverpool fans as ‘tanked up yobs’; colourful language which basically means drunken hooligans. Even to this day, this odious man refuses to apologise for this abhorrent and ignorant slur. What a pompous loathsome, pitiful man. He was talking about innocent, grief-stricken human beings. Now has been proven to be both wrong and prejudiced, I for one think he should have his knighthood summarily rescinded.

Some of the gutter press, most notably Kelvin MacKenzie of the Sun newspaper barbarically ignored the grief of the relatives, the injured, the Club and the traumatized City and published some of the most despicable and repugnant headlines and copy ever printed. Some of the accusations levelled at the Liverpool fans were so vile, I can’t even bear to mention them. At least Mr MacKenzie eventually had the decency to apologise (although it was a long time coming).

The cover up might have worked too if not for the Hillsborough Family Support Group and associated people who knew the truth and tenaciously never gave up the fight for justice.

The far-reaching Taylor Report into the tragedy published in 1990 stated that the main reason for the disaster was the failure of police control and yet the authorities refused to accept responsibility and no action was taken against any individual or body. Again the establishment closed ranks and ignored the truth.

The Hillsborough Family Support Group dug in for what they knew was to be a long and difficult battle to unearth the truth and to clear the names of their loved ones and fellow fans. They would never give up.

In 1997 there was another investigation. It concluded that there was no need for a Judicial Review on the basis that altered police statements were inadmissible. Inexplicably the Coroner refused to hear any evidence relating to events taking place after 3.15pm on the day. This decision meant that the response of the police and other emergency services never came under scrutiny.

And still the Family Support Group carried on with their fight to exonerate the erroneously vilified fans.

In 2009, 20 years after the horrific events, an Independent Panel set up by the Government finally concluded that the fans were not responsible in any way for the disaster. It also highlighted the unbearable fact that 41 of the 96 victims might have survived had the emergency services’ reaction been more coordinated and effective. In September 2012 the original inquest verdicts were quashed and the High Court ordered a new inquest. That started in March 2014 and the new hearing lasted for 279 days.

Yesterday, 27 years, 27 YEARS! After the disaster the jury finally confirmed that the Hillsborough 96 were ‘unlawfully killed’ due to the deficiencies in policing and ambulance response as well as the design of the stadium.

As a Liverpool fan, a football fan and a human being I have very mixed emotions about yesterday’s verdict. I am happy for the families because their long dignified fight for justice is over but I remain deeply sad for their loss and pain. It will never be removed. The poor people that died that day didn’t deserve to be treated like that in life or to be further maligned in death.

I am also very angry. Angry that it happened in the first place due to negligence and incompetence. Angry for the cover up and conspiracies. Angry with the media. Most of all I am angry on behalf of the families who have had to wait 27 years for the truth to be told. For all this time they have had to re-live those terrible events over and over again. Their suffering was made worse by many people who could and should have expedited the truth. These people should be hanging their heads in shame today. They should also face criminal action, and I believe and hope they will. Sadly, for some of the worst perpetrators this will be too little too late.

In a civilized society, the Police and Emergency Services should be the rock of the community, they should serve and protect. Politicians should be honest and always seek the truth no matter how uncomfortable. The media should report accurately and dispassionately. None of this happened in the case of Hillsborough. The fact that it has taken 27 years for the truth to come out makes me ashamed of my country. These miscarriages should never be allowed to happen again.

On the other hand, I am so proud of the Hillsborough Family Support Group and other friends and supporters that never gave up. Thanks to their unstinting and diligent fight, their loved ones can now finally rest in peace. They will never walk alone.

Mark Sutcliffe, CEO April 2016 

End of Season Excitement 季尾激情 戮力爭勝

End of Season Excitement

I don’t know whether it is my imagination or not but this season seems even more exciting than usual as we come to the ‘business end’. It won’t surprise people that I follow a lot of football and it seems that drama is unfolding in just about every league and competition that I am interested in.

Taking the Hong Kong Premier League as an example, with only a few games left at this point in time, both the top and the bottom of the division remain actively competitive with neither the Champions nor the team to be relegated 100% certain. This is good for the sport and especially the fans.

The same is true of the English Premier League of which I am of course an avid fan. Whatever happens, 2015/16 will be remembered as a remarkable season. It is getting nail-biting now as Tottenham look to claw back a 5 point deficit from Leicester City with 4 matches remaining. Leicester City was 5,000 to 1 at the start of the season (you could get lower odds on Elvis being found alive!). It must be excruciating for the fans that backed them to win at that price. It’s tight at the bottom too (apart from poor old Villa) with three teams battling to avoid the dreaded (and expensive) drop.

I follow the Championship too because although I am a Liverpool fan, I have a soft spot for Burnley because my Grandad lived there and used to take me and my brother to Turf Moor on a regular basis. Getting promoted from this division is one of the hardest things to do in sport because there are so many good teams competing (there are 24 teams and more of half of them have been in the Premier League). There are two automatic promotion places and one play-off slot. With three games to go Burnley are in the second automatic place on goal difference. It’s getting unbearable now!

In La Liga there are three teams separated by one point at the top; Barcelona, Athletico Madrid and Real Madrid and 2 points separating the bottom four! However this contrasts sharply with Ligue1 in France where PSG are 28 points clear at the top with four games to go (that one’s not quite so exciting – unless you are a PSG fan). 

All of these leagues, with the exception of Ligue1, are going ‘down to the wire’. The excitement is building to a crescendo as results come in thick and fast. There are so many crucial matches to look forward to – it’s difficult to keep up and to plan the viewing schedule, particularly with the time difference. And then there are the major Cup Competitions. The Champions League is getting interesting now and my own beloved Liverpool is in the semi-final of the Europa Cup following their astonishing win in the quarter final. What a game that was.

But that is what football is all about, competition, the thrill, the adrenaline, the uncertainty. And that’s why people love it!

When all of the drama of these leagues has concluded and tears of joy and despair have subsided, we have still got the European Championships to look forward to! More Football – Hurray Come on England!

Mark Sutcliffe, CEO      

                                                                                                                                           

季尾激情  戮力爭勝

臨近季尾，今個球季的各項賽事似乎比起以往的變得更加激烈。而作為一個球迷，本人所關注的各個賽事及聯賽亦看似變得更緊湊及戲劇性。

就以香港超級聯賽為例，雖然只剩餘2週賽事，但榜首及榜尾情況依然激烈，冠軍誰屬仍屬未知之數，而哪一支球隊需要降班亦未明朗。當然，這競爭性對於足球比賽，甚至球迷來說絕對是好事。

而本人熱愛的英格蘭超級聯賽情況亦一樣。無論最終結果如何，2015/16年度都一定是難忘的球季。現在尚餘4週賽事，處於聯賽榜次席的熱刺亦步亦趨，僅落後榜首李斯特城5分。而另一方面，相信季前亦沒有球迷可猜到李斯特城今季的成績。榜尾形勢同樣緊湊，除了阿士東維拉已篤定降班外，仍有3支球隊作最後衝刺，避免落得降班下場。

雖然本人是利物浦的球迷，但亦不時留意英冠的賽事。我非常喜歡般尼，皆因以前我爺爺經常帶著我跟哥哥 到摩亞球場 (般尼主場)觀看賽事。英冠強隊林立 (共24支球隊，超過一半曾於英超作賽)，要升班至英超絕對是體壇中最困難的事情之一。英冠每季有3支球隊可升班，當中聯賽榜頭兩位自動升班，而另一名額則必須由第3至6位球隊以附加淘汰賽形式爭逐。現剩餘3場賽事，般尼憑較佳得失球暫時處於第2位置，形勢非常緊湊！

西班牙甲組聯賽方面，榜首3支球隊：巴塞隆拿、馬德里體育會及皇家馬德里只有1分差距，而榜尾4隊之間亦只有2分之差！反之，巴黎聖日耳門則於只剩4輪賽事的法國甲組聯賽中以28分之差遙遙領先 ，相對之下情況沒那麼引人入勝 (除非是巴黎聖日耳門的球迷吧)。

除了法甲外，以上提及的各項聯賽均需要競爭至球季最後一刻，緊張程度令人為之雀躍。因時差關係，要收看全部緊接而來的關鍵賽事非常困難，但仍令人非常期待。除了聯賽外，歐聯賽事亦進入最後直路，而本人最愛的利物浦亦憑著令人難以置信的8強比賽晉級至歐霸盃4強！

這些競爭性、震憾性、激烈程度以及未知之數，正正就是足球的吸引地方以及深受球迷喜愛的原因！

不要忘記，當本季所有聯賽及盃賽告一段落後，歐洲國家盃將緊接上演！英格蘭，加油！

二○一六年四月  薛基輔   

註：中文譯本僅供參考之用，請以英文版本為準。

FIFA Secures both a Mandate for Change and a Leader intent on Reform

I attended the Extraordinary FIFA Congress held in Zurich on 26^th February and it was indeed ‘extraordinary’ in many senses.

At the end of a momentous and historic day, the optimism in the Congress hall was palpable. In a few hours FIFA made massive strides forward and started a much-needed fight back. Although much of the focus, particularly from the media, was on the election of a new President, in actual fact perhaps the most important decision taken was the adoption of a set of reforms. The support from FIFA Members for the package of measures to transform football was almost unanimous (96% if memory serves me correctly). This reflects the desire of Member Associations across the world to leave behind the bad old days and embark on a change process that will rebuild credibility and reputation. Some of the more important reforms agreed are:

·         Clear separation between “political” and management functions: Establishment of a new FIFA Council (replacing the FIFA Executive Committee) which will be responsible for setting the organisation’s overall strategic direction, while the General Secretariat oversees the operational and commercial actions required to effectively execute that strategy. This Council will be larger than the Exco and include wider representation.

·         Term limits for the FIFA President, FIFA Council members and members of the Audit and Compliance Committee and of the judicial bodies (max. 12 years).

·         Election of Council members supervised by FIFA and in accordance with FIFA’s own electoral regulations; all candidates subject to comprehensive eligibility and integrity checks conducted by an independent FIFA Review Committee.

·         Greater recognition and promotion of women in football with a minimum of one female representative elected as a Council member per confederation; promotion of women as an explicit statutory objective of FIFA to create a more diverse decision-making environment and culture.

·         Disclosure of individual compensation on an annual basis of the FIFA President, all FIFA Council members, the Secretary General and relevant chairpersons of independent standing and judicial committees.

·         Enhanced control of money flows.

·         Universal good governance principles for confederations and member associations.

·         FIFA’s commitment to human rights to be enshrined in the FIFA Statutes.

·         New Football Stakeholder Committee to ensure greater transparency and inclusion through broader stakeholder representation (including players, clubs and leagues).

One of the main reasons why FIFA’’s reputation was in tatters was because of the flawed leadership. There is no doubt that the former President, Mr Joseph S Blatter did lots of good work during his 40 years at FIFA. Unfortunately he will be remembered less for that and more for the controversies and poor decisions taken towards the end of his tenure. His ignominious fall from grace should be a lesson to all people in positions of influence. Never become complacent and never compromise the principles of integrity.

With the reforms agreed, the Congress moved on to the crucial business of selecting a new leader, someone who would oversee the implementation of the reform package. Initially, five candidates stood for election, two from Asia. One candidate, Tokyo Sexwale from South Africa, withdrew after giving a heartfelt and entertaining speech. In the first round of voting a candidate needed to secure a two thirds majority (138 votes) to be successful. No-one achieved that number and so it went to a second round where a simple majority (104 votes) was required. Mr Gianni Infantino, a Swiss Italian lawyer and UEFA General Secretary achieved this number comfortably and was duly elected. This was a remarkable achievement given that he had only announced his intention to stand around 6 months ago when UEFA President Michel Platini was banned from involvement in football by the FIFA Ethics Committee.

Mr Infantino ran an excellent campaign and clocked up a prodigious amount of air miles visiting Confederations and individual football associations. He has a very clear vision for FIFA and football and this was well articulated in a concise and well-presented manifesto. I met him on a number of occasions and was always struck by his humility, passion for football, knowledge of the game and communication skills (he is fluent in five languages). I am sure that the other candidates could all have done a good job leading FIFA but I am also convinced that Mr Infantino will lead FIFA into a new and better era. In my opinion he is someone who can restore FIFAs reputation and bring about a paradigm shift in the management of the world’s most popular sport.  I am sure that he will use the reforms agreed by the Congress as the starting point and that even more radical proposals will be forthcoming. I do not believe that he is Europe-centric and as far as I am concerned I know he will work closely with all Confederations and Associations including the AFC and the HKFA.  

The ‘extraordinary’ Congress was undoubtedly historic. FIFA now has a blueprint and a mandate for change. Equally importantly, football has a new leader capable of, and intent on implementing far-reaching institutional and structural change. Everybody involved in football; administrators, players, fans, the media, indeed all stakeholders, can now have hope for the future of our beautiful game. I know I do.

Mark Sutcliffe, March 2016