The HKFA Jockey Club International Youth Invitational Football Tournament 2016 and the Jockey Club Girls’ International Youth International Football Tournament 2016 will take place in Hong Kong in late March and early April respectively. HKFA, working closely with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, held a joint press conference on Friday afternoon and revealed details of the two tournaments. 

Hong Kong Under-17 player Kot Chun-hey and his teammates will be facing Chinese Taipei, Guam and Singapore in the tournament. Got hopes the team can play up to its own potential and compete against the visitors. “There should not be much difference between the competing sides but our fitness level might be a bit lesser than them. However, we are quite strong in ball possession and the coaching staffs have always drilled on us about the importance of keeping the ball on our feet. Hopefully, we can put these qualities on display during the matches,” Kot revealed.

Facing stiff challenges from Chinese Taipei, Guam and Singapore, Hong Kong Under-14 coach Szeto Man-chun understandably believes it should be a fierce battle throughout the tournament. “Every participating team is quite equal in terms of strengths, making it a very competitive tournament,” Szeto offered. “Guam and Chinese Taipei will be two very physical sides while Singapore is quite decent in terms of keeping and using the ball. Therefore they should all offer Hong Kong positive real match practices.”

Hong Kong Girls’ Under-14 side will face off against Guam, Singapore and Thailand in this year’s tournament. Centre-back Summer Hui reveals keeping clean sheets will be the main focus for the Hong Kong side. “Of course we will try to do our best in every game but at the same time, we really want to focus on playing solid defensively. Hopefully, we can start from not conceding at the back, then striking the opponent when the opportunity arises,” Hui declared. “In general, we are not setting any target for ourselves in terms of overall ranking. As long as we play hard and give it our all, that should be good enough.”