Father Cucchiara Memorial School

20/03/2019

Breaking through a ‘matchbox’ to build a professional football stage (20/03/2019)

Putting on brighter smiles as football raises confidence (Updated on 29/05/2019)

Igniting football passion and firing up the "matchbox school" （Updated on 02/07/2019）

Breaking through a ‘matchbox’ to build a professional football stage

With over 40 years of history, Father Cucchiara Memorial School is one of approximately 30 ‘matchbox’ schools in Hong Kong which has a small campus located in a public housing estate, worn-out facilities and limited free space. However, despite the disadvantaged conditions and shortage of resources, Clement Lau, an almost 60-year-old teacher at the school, still tries his best to offer football classes to his students, offering them a stage to show their potential. Through participating in the JC School Football Development Scheme, Clement hopes to overcome the limited resources and space at the school and learn how to create a professional training environment in order to offer a memorable football experience to his students. He is determined to spark the matches in this matchbox!

Since joining the school in 1994, Clement has been a teacher of General Studies, Mathematics, Physical Education and other subjects. He assumed the role of football coach in 1996 after obtaining his HKFA D-license coach. Over the last two decades, Clement has noticed a few burdens on the school – insufficient space and facilities, and the special learning needs of a number of students. “There is not enough space at school, and the fact that we can only rent fields in Tsing Yi does not leave us many options. Most of our students come from low-income families; they are passive, lack self-confidence, and need extra care.” Even with the disadvantages sitting in front of him, Clement never gives up on his students. He has been intending to make a change at the school by starting with sports.

In recent years, the school has been committed to partnering with other organisations, including the International Riding Centre and the Hong Kong Rugby Union, for extra-curricular activities such as equestrian activities and English Rugby classes. Clement also enrolled the school into the School Football Development Scheme to solicit support for the school’s football team and to rejuvenate his coaching approach at the same time: “I want to make full use of all tools and every inch we have at the school to set up a professional small-scale football pitch. I believe that the culture of supporting players advocated by the Manchester United Soccer School will improve their self-confidence, encourage them to make attempts, and eventually help them acquire self-recognition and a sense of achievement.”

“It might be small but it’s got everything”. Clement believes he can overcome the limitations in hardware by applying the knowledge acquired from the Scheme to offer the students a memorable training experience.

Putting on brighter smiles as football raises confidence （Updated on 29/05/2019）

Learning new training approaches was a challenge for Clement, as he had not attended any coaching training for years. After two school visits and the coaching of Christopher O’Brien, Head Coach of Manchester United Soccer School Hong Kong, however, Clement managed to break the constraints of space by making good use of training equipment and setting up the limited area into a smaller-sized pitch. The smiles on the students’ faces told Clement that his efforts had been worth it.

Chan Wang-chak, a Primary Three student at Father Cucchiara Memorial School, joined the school’s football team in Primary One and attends football training classes during his leisure time. Compared to the artificial turf pitches and other favourable training conditions elsewhere, Chan Wang-chak admitted that the limited space at school is a constraint. However, he thinks that after participating in the Scheme this year, the school has learnt to make better use of the space and equipment available with a better venue setup: “A simple task such as passing the ball on the field could be rather difficult for us in this limited space. However, by adapting the MUSS training tips such as using tools like dummies, Frisbees, and smaller goals, we were able to solve the space problem by setting up a smaller-scale training area and creating a professional training environment that provides us with a unique and valuable training experience.”

Speaking of Clement, Chan Wang-chak thinks that he is a teacher that puts students first and cares about their feelings: “Coach Clement never puts too much emphasis on the standard of the players; instead, he ensures that each of us has the opportunity to participate in trainings and matches.” Under the encouragement and attention of Clement, Chan Wang-chak feels that he and other teammates have become more confident and are more willing to present their ideas both on and off the field. The new training approach advocated by the Scheme has provided a good example to the team and Clement, and Chan Wang-chak hopes the team can continue adapting the new training approach.

After working at the school for 25 years, Clement has witnessed the development of many students. During the visit, we noticed that an alumnus, who is about to compete for the Hong Kong Premier League, is observing the training session conducted under the new approach. At the third school visit, he will talk about the football team and about Clement’s story.

Igniting football passion and firing up the "matchbox school" （Updated on 02/07/2019）

During the third school visit to the Father Cucchiara Memorial School (FCMS), Clement and O'Brien prepared small-scale matches and skill challenges for the students. During practice, they kept encouraging the students, who responded by giving their best performances. Siu Chi-ho, an alumni and teacher of the school, also came to cheer them on, while also chatting about various school matters and sharing his views of the Scheme.

As a member of Hong Kong’s first division championship team, the Happy Valley Athletic Association, Chi-ho played in inter-school competitions when he was in secondary school. He also played in the USFHK Men’s Soccer Tournament; and in the coming season, he has a chance to play in a local professional football match. Having graduated from FCMS in 2008, Chi-ho admits that he had a relatively late start in football, but under Clement’s coaching and influence, he has gradually built up a stronger interest in football and has been able to achieve what he has today: “Coach Lau treats every student the same way regardless of their experience and skill level. When I was still young and inexperienced, he gave me the opportunity to participate in matches and trainings, which gradually made me realise that having fun is very important for young players’ development.

Chi-ho thinks it was a priceless experience for the young players to have a taste of the training approach of the Manchester United Soccer Schools. The Scheme has also offered Clement the chance to revitalise his coaching approach and keep up with the latest trends in football training in the hope of attracting more students to play football. “Instead of long forward passes,” he said, “modern football training is about control and passing. The Scheme has helped Coach Lau to enrich his lessons, especially through introducing new coaching ideas and new equipment. Students are also given memorable football practice experiences. I hope these changes can attract even more younger students to participate in football and also increase their interest in this sport.”

The Scheme has refreshed Clements’ teaching ethos and has helped him to understand that training that only emphasises skills has become outdated. It is now considered more important to nurture students’ interests and inspire their potential. “After three school visits,” Clement explained, “students have obviously become more confident with a stronger sense of achievement. I can see that they are passionate, and this proves that anything can be done well with motivation. Chi-ho is a good example – he started late but with keen interest and perseverance during practices, he was able to achieve a breakthrough.”

Clement admits that he used to be sterner with students; but after being influenced by O’Brien, who is known for his friendliness, he has cast aside his serious demeanor and now shows his softer side. “In the past, I felt I had to reprimand them when they did not do well,” he said, “but now I only encourage them to do better. I hope they have noticed the changes in me.” Clement believes that encouragement helps students to build confidence, whilst reprimanding them only slows their progress.”

The Hong Kong Jockey Club and Manchester United Soccer Schools have not only provided FCMS with equipment, but they have also introduced a fun football culture which boosts students’ confidence. Soon turning 60, Clement might be in the late stages of his teaching career, but he still endeavours to pass on his knowledge from the Scheme to other young teachers and alumni such as Chi-ho, in order to help students to unleash their potential through football, and allowing the ‘matchbox school’ to sparkle.