The recent Women’s world cup held in Australia and New Zealand was an outstanding success which was reflected by the huge attendances and viewership from around the world. The positive knock on effects and repercussions of the tournament have seen yet another generation of young children being inspired to take up the global game all across the world.
Women’s football in Hong Kong is also evolving and developing and on an gradual upward trajectory with a greater number of female participants becoming proactive as players, coaches and administrators.
Overall, interest and support for domestic HK football has fluctuated and the HK women’s football scene has experienced the same highs and lows as a lot of hardworking and committed individuals go above and beyond to keep the game afloat.
A bright spot was the HK women’s team’s impressive third place finish at the recent Women’s EAFF E-1 Football Championship Preliminary Competition which was jointly organized by the Macau Football Association / Chinese Football Association from this past 30 November – 7 December 2023.
Hong Kong had a mixed bag of results in the group stages against North Korea, Mongolia and Northern Mariana Islands and their second place group finish meant a third place playoff win over Guam on penalties (4-2).
A positive result against regional opponents which is a standard way to gauge how the women’s team fare in terms of standards and performances against opposition around them.
Hong Kong players, Ma Chak Shun and Sharon Fung, recently shared about their recent EAFF tournament experiences and the current state of women’s football in Hong Kong.
Both Ma and Fung reflected on the recent EAFF qualifiers and what they learnt over the course of the matches.
Fung said the chance to play some of Asia’s stronger sides was an invaluable experience.
“It has been a few years since I played international football. I used to play at the youth level, so EAFF qualifiers were like my first international tournament on the senior level. It was an honour to be selected for the tournament, I was given the opportunities to play against higher ranked teams like North Korea. Even though it wasn’t the result we were looking for, it was a valuable experience to see the difference between the top teams in Asia and the Hong Kong Team.
Playing against teams from different levels, I could see the area I need to improve in my game, both physically and mentally. I want to give a shout-out to my teammates for helping me out and supporting me!”
Ma was happy to share about the various opponents she faced and how they matched up against Hong Kong.
“For the recent EAFF qualifier matches, our opponents were DPR Korea, Mongolia and North Mariani islands.
For the first match against DPR Korea, we knew that they are a very good team so for me as a defender, I didn’t want to let them score goals but it was a really hard challenge. The match was a good opportunity for me to know the distance in standards between Hong Kong and the top teams in Asia.
For the matches against Mongolia and NMI, we won these matches. It was hard for us to attack DPR Korea but in these two matches, we could do it. We tried to implement the tactics and strategies taught by our coaches into the game. My teammates made some fantastic goals in the match that I was very proud of. Although the opponents’ technique was not very good; their physical fitness was good as they are very strong.
For the match against Guam, we drew and won by penalty kicks. It’s the first time for me to win by this means. I think if we can have more chances to play with this kind of opponent, we can improve a lot!”
Fung then reflected on what is needed to help take Hong Kong women’s football to the next level to catch up with some of the best teams in the region.
“The level of the league is getting more competitive and the margins between clubs are smaller than before, which could lead to improvement of the league as a whole.
The elite youth programs are taking place for the development of girls football. Providing quality training programs for players from their youth can bring them success in the long run. To catch up with the best teams in the recent future, having players playing in competitive leagues in countries nearby could allow our players to get used to the high level of playing and lifestyle. Bringing back their experience, they can influence local players and our culture. In the short term, it could be efficient and effective in raising our level of playing.”
Ma stressed how it was a challenge to juggle both her playing ambitions and working to make ends meet in a society where sports often takes the back-burner to other priorities.
“In Hong Kong, most teams are amateur so we have other jobs to do and play football at night time. When we arrive at the pitch, it’s not the best situation for us to train. Sometimes, I am so tired and sleepy but in other countries with a good level, they have professional club teams where the players only focus on football. If HK women’s football can move towards professional football standards; it definitely can help to improve the level here.”
Fung said things are looking more positive for the women’s game and that more fans are coming to see the games.
“I definitely agree that women’s football is growing in Hong Kong. A lot of investment and resources are being put into women’s football. There are two semi-professional teams in the league, and other clubs are being run in order.
There have been more spectators coming to watch the league games and cheering up with the players. In my opinion, women’s football is changing in a positive way, but more work needs to be done to reach the levels of the best teams in the region.”
Ma was happy to acknowledge that more parents in Hong Kong were supportive of their daughters taking part in football from a young age as this would only reap positive benefits in the long run.
“I think yes! As a football coach, parents in HK did not allow their daughters to play football before; but now, I can see more girls joining football classes and participating.”
Thank you!
Photos credited to EAFF
