The new HKJC Pass It On - Parents Workshop has started

19/02/2019

Co-organised by The Hong Kong Jockey Club, the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) and Manchester United Soccer School, the new HKJC Pass It On - Parents Workshop has just started its new term. Inaugurated in 2018, the Workshop has received popular and positive feedback. This year, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has invited The Education University of Hong Kong to participate in helping the parents better understand their children both on and off the pitch. This will help them to enjoy football fun with their children and put their best foot forward together.

• 
  Participating parents and kids took photo together after the first workshop.

The first workshop was conducted by Li Tak-nang, HKJC’s Executive Manager, Corporate Branding, Sports & Community Programmes, and Samuel Bensley, the Hong Kong Football Association’s Grassroots Football Manager. After they briefly introduced the programme to the participating parents, Man Yuet-ching, a representative from the Hong Kong Girls U12 team, her mother Carey, as well as Betty Wong, Manager of HKFA Women Football team, shared their stories with the parents.

Yuet-ching’s father did not support her when she first started playing football. However, her passion influenced him, and now he supports and cheers for her at matches, including taking videos for her. Betty exclaimed: “When I saw him taking a video of Yuet-ching, I could not believe my eyes!” Carey thinks that children should be the ones to decide what their hobbies are: “As a parent, the most important thing for me is to see our children growing up healthily and happily. If we force them to do things they do not like, they will not enjoy them. Therefore, if I see my children’s passions and persistence lie in a certain discipline, I will respect their decision”.

To enable parents to better understand the role of a football coach, Christopher O’Brien, Head Coach of Manchester United Soccer School in Hong Kong, joined hands with a group of professional coaches to demonstrate how to arrange and plan for football training within a limited-size venue to allow kids to enjoy to the fullest. Parents were thrilled to watch their kids having a lot of fun. One of the fathers, Mr. Sin, was greatly impressed with this first workshop: “I noticed from the sharing session that many of the parents have common ground or the same problems. I was able to learn from and be inspired by others’ experiences. Watching my son having so much fun today has also influenced me.” In future workshops, parents will apply what they have learnt, organising football sessions for the kids, as well as leading their teams in competition.

Indeed, one can only be fully devoted to learning and improving if they take pleasure in what they are doing. If children are happy, they will be more willing to open themselves up and allow their parents to be their companions as they grow.