TWGHs Li Chi Ho Primary School

16/03/2020

Teachers & parents join hands to contribute to students’ growth

In 2018, Vincent Wong Chi-hin and Vega Tang Kin-yip, teachers and football lovers from TWGHs Li Chi Ho Primary School (LCHPS) in Wan Chai District, helped to rebuild the school’s football team with the support of the principal. In just 18 months, they established a school team and an interest class that attracted many students. In order to make the most of their steady development, the two teachers decided to join the JC School Football Development Scheme. They wanted to learn how to be better football coaches so that the programme could benefit both the students and their parents.

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  TWGHs Li Chi Ho Primary School football team held their school visit training session at Wan Chai Park.

Teachers, students and parents join together

Vega and Vincent are in their second year of teaching and coaching at LCHPS. Last year, a coach was hired to train the school team. However, as both decided to devote more time and effort to the team this year, they took over the main coaching duties. Vega holds a licence to coach track & field and serves as the coach of the newly-established girls’ football team. Since he is not so familiar with football, he hopes to learn how to be a football coach from the scheme. “Most of the coaches focus on technical training,” he said. “However, as a teacher, the coach must also take into account the skills needed to teach the students about interpersonal relationships and the principles of life.”

Vincent, who is relatively experienced and in charge of the boys’ school team, explained his view from the players’ perspective: “Some of our players also play at the district team and club level. They have good technique, but are slightly lacking in social skills.” In addition, Vega and Vincent share a common goal – to let more parents support their children in playing football. They perceive that parents of football team players are less involved, and they expect to make use of Manchester United’s appeal to attract more parents to attend the football activities with their children; to understand their needs, and to learn to be their companions.

A practice session with Manchester United Soccer Schools is eye-opening

You must do it yourself before being able to motivate others is the coaches’ guiding philosophy. During the scheme, Vega and Vincent were students of Christopher O’Brien (OB), Manchester United Soccer Schools Hong Kong Head Coach, and came to understand the role of students and parents. They were active in class and won a pair of mini goals as a reward for their excellent attendance.

Vega said: “Before joining the scheme, I felt that students must have good basic skills before they could play in a game. But OB’s way is a different story. In addition to their enjoyment, students also learn and gain experience by playing in the games. I personally enjoy the training and love to play in the games. I believe the students feel the same.” As a loyal fan of Manchester United, Vincent admires the flexibility of this training pattern – focusing on happy football with a clear objective.

Family support passes on care and encouragement

On the school visit day, many parents accepted the invitation from Vega and Vincent to attend the event. Cheng Wai-shing, a player on the Year 3 school team, recalled that he started to play football because his father brought him to the playground when he was very young. His parents always went to the football field to support him. Wai-shing felt that the event was a completely new experience for him. “It is so different from our daily training. It is so flexible and we have more chances to play with the ball.”

After witnessing the training session, Wai-shing’s mother said that it was more professional than she expected. “I supposed that it would be only a ‘playgroup’. But it included a series of football activities – dribbling practice, mini games, etc – and this training helps them learn from play. The most important thing is to have fun.”

The family is also more connected through football. Mrs Cheng now feels the charm of football that is so deeply attractive to Mr Cheng and Wai-shing. Mr Cheng explained: “From knowing nothing about football, she now is even more excited than us when watching a game.” They both said that they would continue to support Wai-shing playing football, and hoped that he can learn to have a more serious attitude from the two coaches and from playing football.

The big winner on Interschool Friendly Match Day

The scheme holds Interschool Friendly Matches, and through the strength of the players’ physical, mental and social skills, LCHPS won the championship. What made Vega and Vincent most excited was the participation of the parents. Vincent said: “When parents accompany their children to practice and games, they can provide material support to the team and also unite the team atmosphere. The players will be more involved in the game and will want to reward their parents’ support with a good performance. And their experiences from attending the event are good talking points within the family.” The two teachers loved seeing the students show their improvements. Vega believes that a real game reveals the results of training: “In the past, we focused on the basic skills but ignored how to gain experience and self-confidence. Through playing the game, we can put these two elements together, and also help to improve the interpersonal relationships and team atmosphere.”

Believe in the now and you can foresee the future

The two teachers understand that it is difficult to apply the training pattern from the school visit to daily training. However, they both were inspired by the scheme, including the concept of “Believe in Youth”. They learnt to believe in the young students, and created a safe and unified practice atmosphere for the students’ growth. They also reinforced etiquette, such as greetings, support and rewards in daily life, until it became embedded in their school culture. Vega said that he would also apply what he had learnt from the scheme to the women’s football team so that the players could experience the benefits as soon as possible and grow up healthily and happily.

The scheme convinced Vega and Vincent that they were on the right track. And the scheme also encouraged parents to not only put aside what they supposed success would be, but to act as a companion to their children and witness their growth.