Developing young talent on and off the pitch through the JC Youth Football Academy Summit

The JC Youth Football Academy Summit concluded on Monday after a week filled with thrilling activities including friendly matches between young players from the UK and Hong Kong. The summit, which took place from August 5 to 12, brought the youngsters together for a string of unique cultural and athletic experiences.

The highlight of the summit was  the two friendly matches between members of the Manchester United Academy U16 squad and two local teams. All sides displayed outstanding skills and persistence in their games. In the first match last Friday, the Manchester United Academy U16 squad scored the game’s only goal against a Premier Youth League Select team. They followed that up with a 3-0 win over the Hong Kong, China U16 Representative Team on Sunday.

Manchester United legends John O’Shea and Dimitar Berbatov made special appearances at the matches, much to the delight of the young players and spectators at Mong Kok Stadium. Their presence added an extra layer of excitement for the aspiring young footballers.

Additionally, the summit achieves much more than upskilling youngsters following their passion for football. They also had the chance to participate in diverse cultural activities as well as community service. The programme included visits to the Hong Kong Jockey Club Tuen Mun Public Riding School and the Big Buddha. They also got to try their hand at Chinese traditions such as dragon dancing, nunchaku and dragon boat racing.

All their experiences underline the summit’s purpose of developing not only the players’ football skills, but also their mental, physical and social capabilities through its series of “Play Together”, “Learn Together” and “Train Together” activities.

The summit is a collaboration between The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Manchester United and The Football Association of Hong Kong, China, launched in 2017. The success of this year’s summit is a testament to the commitment and positive impact it has on young footballers’ lives.

(Community Information)