King's College Old Boys' Association Primary School No.2

05/12/2016

Giving the game back to the kids (05/12/2016)

Rethink on coaching methods (Updated on 23/05/2017)

Becoming student-oriented (Updated on 05/07/2017)

Giving the game back to the kids (05/12/2016)

King's College Old Boys' Association Primary School No.2 has been facing a serious problem – their football team lacks a practice field. For a team that already has such a difficulty to overcome, receiving support from their coach becomes even more important.

Their coach is Leung Leung, Paul, who admitted that his previous teaching style consisted of nothing but scolding. During his last eight years of coaching, his authoritarian approach led to short-term success at the last school he taught in; yet because he was focused only on results, he sacrificed the opportunity to discover his students’ development. Because of his accusatory and authoritative nature, some players even gave up football. This led Paul to a turning point in his career, and he began to look introspectively at his teaching approach.

Paul hopes that through the JC School Football Development Scheme he can rethink his teaching methods and give the kids back the fun of football. He now realises that the individual development of the next generation is much more important than the pursuit of a championship.

Rethink on coaching methods (Updated on 23/05/2017)

Ms Lam Shuk Fong, the principal of King's College Old Boys' Association Primary School No.2, thinks that Paul is no longer the same coach who believes in putting pressure on his students; instead he has become a student-oriented and responsible teacher who cares about and gives encouragement to his students.

Paul expressed that the most rewarding lesson from the JC School Football Development Scheme is to make football fun for the kids. The training approach of the Manchester United Soccer School is tournament-focused, and this encourages players to learn from their mistakes and to develop through collaborating with others. It also helps to give back to the kids a sense of satisfaction, joy and success that comes from playing football.

Paul’s new direction in football teaching is highly appreciated by Principal Lam, as she believes that “children are not robots; they don’t play football for prizes”. According to Lam, introducing a material gain mindset into football games is detrimental to children’s development. She firmly believes that, instead of prizes, the experience and benefits that the players gain from competition – such as team spirit, endurance, strategic thinking, and other things that cannot be learnt from textbooks – are going to offer the children lifelong advantages.

When teachers no longer put achievement as the priority when teaching the next generation, the players will eventually discover and pick up the fun in football.

Becoming student-oriented (Updated on 05/07/2017)

Once, Paul was a believer in authoritative management; but today, he’s become student-oriented and always strives to show how much he cares. After attending the theory and practice training classes under the JC School Football Development Scheme, as well as three school visits, he has a deeper understanding of the educational philosophy of the Manchester United Soccer School.

Lok Kiu Siu , a Primary 4 student of King's College Old Boys' Association Primary School No.2, said he witnessed an improvement in the relationship between the players and Paul after the team applied the Manchester United Soccer School training approach, and noted that the bond between the players has also become stronger. With encouragement from their coach, team members can now develop in a free and open learning environment.

The change in Paul is a great testament of football education. It proves that “support and encouragement are the most important nutrients for the growth of children.”