CCC Wan Chai Church Kei To Primary School

17/06/2018

A new football opportunity brings smiles to players’ faces

CCC Wanchai Church Kei To Primary School has a history of more than 50 years since it was founded in Yau Ma Tei, a densely populated district, near a renowned fruit market. The area of the school is not big, however that has not confined its development. The narrow basketball court often sees students showing off their talents. Tony Ting and Pearlson Leung, the two teachers participating in this year’s HKJC School Football Development Scheme, hope to strive for more resources for students whom they see as their own children. They would like to inject new concepts to revitalise the half-century-old school, and are determined to build a place that is dedicated to the football team and students.

Tony and Pearlson both thought that the scheme injected the positivity for the team to strive for the goals.

Break the mould and build a professional setting

Tony has taught at the school for nine years, and is now the leader of the football team. Riding on the East Asian Games’ football fervor in 2009, he successfully persuaded the school to set up its football team. Facing the challenge of limited space and resources, the development of the team has been restricted, but Tony does the best he can. He never expects the team to compete for championships in interschool competitions; but instead puts emphasis on whether students enjoy the game. Through participating in the Scheme, Tony learnt about Manchester United Soccer School’s training approach and was determined to make a change to his training environment. He was very happy with the results, and explained that “using different equipment in the same venue has helped me to create a professional training environment. After the first school visit, students were absolutely excited even before training commenced, and later were more devoted at practice.

Tony, the head coach of Kei To Primary School football team, determined to change the training environment to make players more enjoyable during training.

The area of the school is not big whilst the basketball court often sees students showing off their talents.

Set goals to find your true self

After upgrading the hardware at the school, the next challenge was to tackle students’ minds. As the dean of discipline at the school, Tony has seen many students grow up over the years. He deplored the fact that teenagers nowadays lack goals; they do not know why they go to school or study, and they easily feel lost. He thinks football can guide them to identify and pursue their goals. “Some students are rather passive in the classroom – they do not talk at all or show little response; but when on the field, they are very active and talkative. This is actually what primary school students should be like,” said Tony.

After creating a professional training environment, the players were more devoted at practice.

Active and talkative on the field is actually what primary school students should be like.

Support each other and challenge oneself

Although the results at interschool tournaments are not impressive, students at Kei To Primary School never give up on football. Primary Five student Andy Au and Primary Six student Tommy Lam said that the Manchester United Soccer School’s training approach has been great in training their personal skills, and has helped to maximise the impact of training in a limited area. The two young players said that Christopher O’Brien, Head Coach of Manchester United Soccer School Hong Kong, has taught them to appreciate their teammates, and to praise and encourage each other all the time. This has helped inject positive energy into the team. Through the training exercises, students learn to set their goals and work hard to achieve them. They have experienced ups and downs, but have never stopped challenging themselves. This is the best outcome that Tony and Pearlson could have asked for.

Christopher O’Brien delivered his coaching instructions to the players during training.

Pearlson Leung hoped to strive for more resources for students through participating the HKJC School Football Development Scheme.

Although the Scheme did not improve the team’s skills overnight, it has deeply inspired Tony’s teaching philosophy. He used to focus on the results and easily scolded students when they made a mistake. Now, seeing how the students keep trying even after they fail, and how they walk away from the field with happy faces, Tony realises that they have become self-motivated and accomplished through football, and he thinks nothing is more important than this. The two coaches are committed to building a dedicated place for Kei To Primary School’s students to build a solid foundation in football; release their potential, and learn good morals. These will help equip students to climb up the ladder as they approach different stages in life.