The Academy will also be organising a series of parent-child sports events to capitalise on the excitement of the upcoming UEFA European Football Championship and 2012 London Olympics.

 

Mr K T Poon, Director of Corporate Communications of The Link Management Limited, said, “The Link has a profile with many recreational facilities. The reason for establishing The Link Community Sports Academy is to utilise them better. We will make use of five basketball courts in our property to provide free sports training for children and teens. Some of the quotas will be reserved for participants from low-income families, in order to give them a chance to join sports activities and explore their sports talents and for us to nurture  sports elite in Hong Kong. At the same time, we have launched a series of marketing campaign which are suitable for families in our shopping centres. We hope to attract more customers to come and enjoy the football frenzy of this summer.”

 

Mr Raymond Kwong, Director of the Asia Football Coaching Academy, said, “We are honoured to have The Link’s sponsorship to establish The Link Community Sports Academy. We will invite experienced football players as our coaches. We will also invite some foreign coaches to teach in English. The training courses will be held throughout Hong Kong so that people from different districts can join in. This will also help them enlarge their social circle and spend a meaningful summer.”

 

A press conference for The Link Community Sports Academy and community sports events was held at Lok Fu Plaza today (5 June). Officiating guests included Mr K T Poon, Director of Corporate Communications of The Link Management Limited; Mr Raymond Kwong, Director of the Asia Football Coaching Academy; Mr Kwan Kay Pui, BBS, Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Football Association and Hong Kong Basketball Association; Mr Cristiano Preigchadt Cordeir, Mr Football of Hong Kong and former leader of the Hong Kong Representative Team; Mr Shing Yee Fong, Forward of the Hong Kong Basketball Representative Team;  Mr King Yau Lo, Manager of the Football Sector of the Happy Valley Athletic Association; Mr  Zhi Cheung Lam, Leader of the Winling Basketball Association; and Miss Lai Shan Si, Secretary of the Society for Community Organization.

 

During the press conference, singer Wilfred Lau and actor K K Cheung discussed their experiences playing football, and players of the Winling Basketball Association and Happy Valley Athletic Association gave a ball skill demonstration. Mr Cristiano Preigchadt Cordeir, twice named Mr Football of Hong Kong, received a memento in recognition of his contributions to Hong Kong’s sports development. Mr Cordeir, who is returning to Brazil, said that he encouraged children to start football training from an early age.

 

The Link Community Sports Academy will hire university students as summer interns, giving them the opportunity to organise large-scale activities. The Academy will also train teens who want to develop a career in the sports industry and give them an opportunity to coach the summer courses.