Teens keep their game clean
Guess what footballers do when they do not have matches? Exercise? Perhaps. Sit idle? Certainly not.
On a recent wintry day, about 120 teenage soccer players took part in a clean-up at Shek O beach. The event aimed to raise youth awareness of environmental protection, in response to the Clean Hong Kong Campaign.
'Sport is key to a healthy life. While promoting football, we also want to raise young people's awareness about the needs of our community,' said Hong Kong Football Association chairman Martin Hong Po-kui.
The participants are part of a youth scheme co-organised by the Hong Kong Football Association, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Education Department. The programme, in its fourth year, is sponsored by McDonald's. It has benefited more than 30,000 young people.
Since July, a batch of teenagers have attended a series of training sessions supervised by professional soccer coaches. Movie superstar Stephen Chiau Sing-chi is an ambassador for the programme. Along with top players Chan Ho-man and Yau Kin-wai, Chiau has helped raise local teenagers' interest in soccer.
Following the clean-up, the teenagers divided into 12 teams and took part in a beach soccer tournament.
