MU’s “Captain Marvel” cheers on and gives good advice to parent coaches

07/05/2018

There was no bigger thrill for the parents and players of The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s “Pass It On” Parents Workshop than to meet legendary Manchester United footballer Bryan Robson at the HKJC Soccer 4 tournament, a highlight of the Club’s Riding High Together Festival, held annually at Sha Tin Racecourse. The tournament was also the finale of the Workshop, which is organised every year by the Club, in cooperation with the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) and Manchester United Soccer Schools.
Robson, also known as “Captain Marvel”, cheered on the players before sharing with parents his tips for how to keep the fun in family football. Drawing on his valuable experience in coaching and parenting, he shared his thoughts on how to cultivate the development of a local family football culture in Hong Kong, which will help to nurture the next generation of players.

Handling the dual roles of captain and parent
Now 61, Robson played for Manchester United for 13 years in the 1980s and 90s, during which time he earned the nickname “Captain Marvel” for his goal-scoring talent and extraordinary ability to turn games around. After retiring, he coached several teams, and his leadership ability is without doubt. As a father of three and a coach, Robson knows very well the dynamics between parents and children who are football players. Sharing his valuable experience helped to enlighten many local parents who face the same situation.

Robson believes that the Workshop creates a platform for football families to bond together. By coaching their children in the tournament, parents are able to better understand them; while through positive interaction with their parents and mentors on the field, children learn and grow at an accelerated rate. This creates a stronger bond between parents and children, both on and off the field.

Step by step: parents and children together
Robson’s many life experiences have taught him that the best way to help children reach their full potential is to get to know their dreams. The fact that children have a clear target in their pursuit of sports or academic achievements actually represents their first step towards success. As their children’s lifetime companion, parents should try their best to help in their development if they see that they have the potential to play football or other sports, because sports can have a tremendous positive impact on their physical and mental well-being. At the same time, sports teach children social skills and manners, such as how to respect the referees, teachers and coaches. Sports can also improve their interpersonal relationships.

However, Robson reminded parents that even if they see that their children have potential in sports, they should never push too hard and demand them to achieve anything beyond their capabilities. They should take it step by step and give their full encouragement and support to their children, which is the best way to inspire them to reach their true potential. As parents, they should also observe their children’s unique personalities and help them to demonstrate their distinctive characters in a football or other sports by teaching them how to blend into a team – by going from being an individual to being part of the team and working together to achieve the same goal with their teammates. This can certainly benefit their development and even their future careers.

Life is a journey: good parent-child relationships make anything possible
Robson, with his decades of devotion in coaching, stressed that life has ups and downs, especially in the early stages. That is why parents, as their children’s lifetime teachers and coaches, play such an important role. When faced with life’s many challenges and difficulties, children always find their biggest motivation lies in the support they receive from their parents. Robson reminded parents to constantly give their greatest encouragement to their children. No matter what dreams or aims their children have in life, the role of a parent is to be there as children grow, leading them on the journey and helping them to live a better life. This will be parents’ greatest accomplishment.

Although the two-month “Pass It On” Parents Workshop has come to an end, parents were able to take with them words of wisdom that would be useful to them their entire lives. We look forward to seeing them put these words into action and to becoming their children’s life-long companions in this journey called life.