The Hong Kong Jockey Club held a leadership training workshop today (10 March 2018) at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, as part of the Jockey Club Youth Football Leadership Scheme 2018.

Hosting the workshop were star mentors for this year, including renowned disc jockey and television celebrity Sammy Leung Chi-kin, Hong Kong high jump athlete and women’s record holder Cecilia Yeung Man-wai, the first Hong Kong woman to have conquered Mount Everest Ada Tsang Yin-hung and Hong Kong Head Coach of Manchester United Soccer Schools Christopher O’Brien. They were joined by Manchester United legend Andy Cole, who gave the class a note of encouragement.

The scheme nurtures the physical, mental and social skills of young people to develop their full potential for leadership with the help of the star mentors, a dedicated team from The Hong Kong Jockey Club and a team of social workers from Tung Wah Group of Hospitals. The scheme also aims to create an environment that widens the youth leaders’ horizons, builds their confidence and empowers them to give back to society in the future.

In one of the workshops, mentor Sammy Leung Chi-kin coached the participants on communications and creativity to help them improve interpersonal skills and build rapport with others. Another mentor Cecilia Yeung Man-wai delivered a workshop on fitness core training to encourage participants to strive for excellence. Christopher O’Brien also conducted an on-site football coaching session to strengthen the team spirit building capability of the youth leaders.

This year, 45 young people aged between 15 and 19, were openly recruited from all districts of Hong Kong, to join the six-month programme running from January to June.

In addition to today’s workshop, a leadership training camp will be held next weekend (17 to 18 March) in Cheung Chau, where Ada Tsang Yin-hung will conduct a workshop on building up a strong mentality to pursue perseverance. Participants will also have an opportunity to apply their leadership skills in organising community and football projects, such as Hong Kong Jockey Club’s annual flagship community event Riding High Together Festival, district football fun days and a football carnival for children and families in May

Through these activities, six outstanding participants will be awarded with a summer trip to Manchester in England where they will take part in local community programmes and visit the training base of Manchester United. 

The Club has been a long-time supporter of local football development. In particular, it has collaborated with Manchester United since 2012 on a number of programmes designed to develop the physical, mental and social capabilities of young people. These include the JC Elite Youth Football Camp, the JC School Football Development Scheme, the JC Youth Football Leadership Scheme, the JC Youth Football Fitness Assessment, the JC Youth Soccer Skills Challenge and the JC Youth Football Academy Summit.

The Club also supports the Jockey Club Youth Football Development Scheme, whose summer scheme is the largest such programme in Hong Kong. In 2015, the Club announced a HK$120 million donation to support the Jockey Club HKFA 5-Year Football Development Programme, which is aimed at promoting football across the community, including futsal and women’s football. In terms of infrastructure, the Club has supported the construction of the Jockey Club Kitchee Centre and the rebuilding of Hong Kong Stadium as a home for Hong Kong’s major domestic and international football games.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class racing club that acts continuously for the betterment of our society. The Club has a unique integrated business model, comprising racing and racecourse entertainment, a membership club, responsible sports wagering and lottery, and charities and community contribution. Through this model, the Club generates economic and social value for the community and supports the Government in combatting illegal gambling. In 2016/17, the Club’s total direct return to the community was HK$30.5 billion. It is Hong Kong's largest single taxpayer, one of the city’s major employers and one of the world's top ten charity donors. The Club is always "riding high together for a better future" with the people of Hong Kong.