The smoke has cleared from the Hangzhou Asian Games, but there are still exciting chapters to be continued. While the national team regrettably finished in the last eight, the men's soccer team of Hong Kong, China, wrote a new legend by advancing to the quarterfinals of the Asian Games for the first time! After defeating such Asian powerhouses as Palestine and Iran, and despite losing to Japan in a thrilling battle, Hong Kong's footballers will gather again on October 7 at 4:00 p.m. to take on Uzbekistan and try to make a mark on the Asian Games stage!
As the tournament progressed, even the domestic fans have expressed that the national soccer team seems to be difficult to match the Hong Kong team. Domestic fans have been cheering for the Hong Kong team, expecting them to shine in the medal game!
Happy Valley Racecourse is free and open to all!
For the Hong Kong team, the match on October 7 will undoubtedly be a carnival, and will become a classic in the hearts of Hong Kong fans no matter what the result is. Even the Happy Valley Racecourse, which is only open on Wednesdays on weekdays, will open its gates to the public free of charge in the late afternoon of this day, so that fans can come and witness the passionate live broadcast of the match.
Not only that, there will also be stalls selling snacks and drinks to ensure a lively atmosphere. For those who want to be there, remember to get in at 3:00 p.m. sharp, as seating at the venue is limited and will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
How do I get to the site?
MTR: Causeway Bay Station Exit A
Tinker Bus: Leighton Road Station or Happy Valley Station
The themed atrium on the ground floor of Ojai City II, in addition to the Happy Valley Horse Park, will feature 430-inch oversized TVs offering live HD broadcasts, and activities and souvenirs will be handed out on-site.
Fok Kai Shan: The prize money is ready! Can Hong Kong expect to qualify for the World Cup in the future?
In this year's Asian Games, Fok Kai-kong heads the Hong Kong, China delegation, while his brother, Fok Kai-san, has been the Chairman of the Hong Kong Football Association since the end of June. He is naturally very concerned about the performance of the Hong Kong team in the soccer matches. After the Hong Kong team advanced to the semi-finals, Fok Kai Shan promised to set up a bonus to boost the morale of the players!
However, the investment in Hong Kong soccer goes far beyond the prize money. Lack of soccer development plan, the Hong Kong team can not have today's achievements. 2011, the Hong Kong SAR Government launched the "Phoenix Plan", 2011 to 2014 each year to the Hong Kong Football Association to allocate 20 million Hong Kong dollars to promote the development of local soccer. After the success of the "Phoenix Program", the Hong Kong government has launched two "Five-Year Plan", including the 2020 plan clearly states that the Hong Kong men's football team will strive to enter the World Cup finals in 2034.
To achieve this ambitious goal, Hong Kong's soccer development plan focuses not only on the development of elite athletes, but also on the development of grassroots soccer. In the last five years of the plan, the number of participants in grassroots and youth soccer programs has exceeded the set targets, with the exception of 2015/16, which fell short of the target, and the number of participants in 2019/20 has reached a high of 17,032.
For the sake of the dream of the 2034 World Cup, Hong Kong started to pay attention to and nurture the kindergarten soccer program a few years ago. It is also mentioned in the plan that special attention should be given to children born between 2004 and 2014 to nurture them to become soccer talents in Asia and even at the world level.
