Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Hong Kong: More activities such as school visits and fun games will be held to attract children especially girls to the game following the success of a recent festival in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong FA organised a ‘Let’s Kick for Fun’ Girls’ Festival last Saturday where participants took part in fun games and small-sided matches, all the while learning the basics of football.
A total of 150 girls aged between five and 14 recruited from primary and secondary schools as well as football schools and clubs participated in the event.
The girls, some of whom were new to the game while others had some skills, took part in the activities which were divided into the 5-11 and 12-14 age groups. Five activity stations were created for each of the two groups.
The participants were rotated to different stations with fun games teaching basic skills such as dribbling, passing and shooting and also played small-sided games. A friendly match between Hong Kong women’s national team and a team from the media were held at the end of the festival.
“The first-ever girls’ festival was successfully launched,” HKFA’s Women’s Football Manager Betty Wong says in the festival’s report. “This event has been the platform for school girls to develop their enthusiasm and talent in football.
“Apart from fun games and small-sided games, young girls have the opportunity to interact and learn from the women’s coaches and helpers, as well as to learn about fair play and friendship with all other girls. The game between the Hong Kong women’s national team and the media football team provided a learning model for the girls.
“The girls enjoyed the activities a lot. Some parents and teachers gave a lot of positive feedback and gave their thanks to HKFA for organising the festival. They showed great interest in such a kind of festival and hoped more activities would be held for them regularly in future.
“‘Let’s Kick for Fun’ is just the beginning which signifies a new era of women’s football development in Hong Kong. School visits and fun game programmes with the aim to attracts more girls’ participation and promote the game will be held in the future.”
The festival was in line with the continental focus on grassroots this year which has been designated as the AFC Grassroots Year 2013 and will help Hong Kong develop the base for its women’s game.
Photo: HKFA