Don't Drop the Ball
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The HKRFU have a proud tradition of affirmative action in the local community with their own Charitable Trust, which provides financial support for youngsters to stay in education, and also through support for projects such as Operation Breakthrough.
The latest initiative from Olympic House builds on these traditions. "Don't Drop the Ball" is an exciting new youth programme designed to encourage students to participate in sport and lead a positive and healthy lifestyle.
Co-ordinated by the Police's Crime Prevention Bureau and supported by the Hong Kong Government's Efficiency Unit and Standard Chartered Bank, professional coaches from the HKRFU, backed by volunteer mentors from the Police Rugby Club, will introduce touch rugby into 15 secondary schools from Shatin, Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing Districts.
The students will learn the basic skills of the game along with the lifeskills that go to make a successful athlete - commitment, self-discipline, teamwork and respect. They will work towards participation in an inter-class competition, followed by an inter-school event before culminating in an inter-District tournament.
Here are the first group of District Mentors…
Police Constable Chan Ka Man
Tsuen Wan District Mentor
Constable Chan, known as "Kaman" to his friends, started playing rugby at the age of 14 and has developed into one of Hong Kong ’s strongest second rows - that’s the player right in the middle of the scrum who does all the pushing and hard work!
As well as representing the Police Rugby Club, he has also played for HKCC RFC in the 1st Division and in the Hong Kong Emerging XV.
Kaman joined the Force in 2006, and is currently posted to Tseung Kwan O Division. He believes that there are many similarities between police work and playing rugby - to be successful in either you need to be able to work in a team, and have good co-operation and communication. In his spare time he likes to go to the gym and keep fit, and he hopes that his Tsuen Wan school teams will be the fittest in the whole "Don’t Drop the Ball" programme!
Police Constable Tsang Hing Hung
Shatin District Mentor
Constable TSANG Hing-hung has been playing rugby since he was a young boy at school in Sai Kung. He was soon identified as an exciting player with speed and skill, and was chosen to represent Hong Kong at Under 19 level. He was soon playing 1st Division rugby with DeA Tigers, and it was not long before he was chosen for the full
Hong Kong national side at both 15-a-side and 7-a-side.
He has gone on to play in many tournaments both in Hong Kong and overseas, and was part of the team that played at the Asian Games in Dohain 2006. Earlier this year he was chosen to be part of the Beijing Olympic Torch relay in Hong Kong, a great honour for both himself, the Force, and the rugby community.
Hing-hung is currently posted to Wanchai District, and when he’s not busy patrolling the streets he enjoys going out with friends for dinner. Working in the Force and playing rugby are both great opportunities to make good friendships, and it’s always important to know you can trust and rely on your colleague and teammate, so Hing-hung hopes that the Shatin school teams will have strong teamwork and co-operation.
Woman Police Constable Ho Wing Lam
Kwai Tsing District Mentor
WPC Ho first started playing touch rugby while she was studying at Tsing Yi Institute of Vocational Education in 2000. The thing that attracted Lam to rugby was the same that attracted her to a police career - excitement. Rugby is still quite an unusual sport for girls to play in Hong Kong , although the numbers are growing all the time. After finishing her studies she joined the DeA Tigers rugby club, the same club where Hing-hung was a member, and started playing contact rugby as well as touch and tag.
In 2005 Lam joined the Force, and was posted to the Marine Police, where she is currently working operationally on police launches. For her the responsibilities of being a police officer and playing in a rugby match are not too different - you have people relying on you to do your duty, and this means that you need to show commitment and discipline to succeed. Lam believes that if her Kwai Tsing school teams can show those qualities they are sure to get a good result in the "Don’t Drop the Ball" programme!
You can follow the teams' progress at www.youth.gov.hk/en/special/ddb/ as they prepare for their matches, along with comments and tips from the coaches and mentors. It's going to be a big mental and physical challenge for the participants, as rugby is one of the toughest sports to succeed in, but for those who make it, who knows how far they will go? Maybe one day they will follow in the footsteps of some of their coaches and go on to represent Hong Kong in international tournaments like the Asian Games and World Cup - anything is possible... if You Don't Drop the Ball!
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