The Jockey Club Girls’ International Youth Invitation Football Tournament 2016 successfully wrapped up in Tin Yip Road Park last week. Hong Kong Under-14 Girls team, despite being short on international experience, finished the tournament in a respectable third position. Thailand, coming off three straight victories in the competition, took home the champion trophy with some very impressive displays.

Hong Kong Under-14 Girls kicked off the tournament by taking on Singapore under steaming hot conditions. However, nerves might have got the better of the Hong Kong players, as the side fell short against the Singaporeans 0:3.

The Hong Kong young ladies rebounded with an improved performance in the second game against Guam, with goalkeeper Allyson Shick pulling out some timely saves to contain the Guam attacks. At the end, goals from Keilyn Tai and Kwok Oil-laam proved to be enough for Hong Kong to come out on top with a 2:0 victory while keeping its championship hopes alive.

In the third game, Hong Kong needed a victory over to Thailand to stand any chance of winning the championship. Under horrendous downpour, Hong Kong’s young ladies showed no fear and battled their Thai counterparts with tremendous fighting spirit. Hong Kong’s Keilyn Tai was especially eye-catching, with the midfielder bossing the middle of the park. However, Thailand proved to be too much for Hong Kong to handle, as the South East Asian side overcame the host through a 2:0 victory.

Hong Kong U-14 Girls head coach Yiu Ka-wai expressed her satisfaction on the team’s overall performance during the three-day tournament. “Throughout the whole competition, the coaching staff did a lot of work to prepare the girls for the tournament, such as going through videos of each opponent and analyzing their strengths and weaknesses,” Yiu revealed. “We also took the opportunity and gave a lot of youngsters the chance to pick up more match-experience. Thankfully, they showed no fear on the pitch, really expressed themselves and performed way better than we expected.”

Chan Wing-lam, midfielder for the Hong Kong U-14 Girls, believed atmosphere in international football provided players with a huge boost on the pitch. “Compared with our usual youth league matches, international games come with a livelier atmosphere, with parents and friends all sitting in the stands and cheering for the team. Their support was a tremendous boost to the players, made us all played harder and hoping to reward the crowd with better performances,” Chan explained.

Chan, who plies her trade for Chelsea Soccer School (HK), also spoke about the memorable battle against Thailand under horrendous downpour. “The sudden downpour at the start of the game knocked the kick-off time backwards. During the delay, we kept encouraging each other, talked about details on our defense and how we could take care of our responsibilities. We did not want the game to be delayed, as we were roaring to go and ready to take on the battle,” stated the midfield dynamo.

Young ladies, thank you for braving the elements and fighting for Hong Kong football throughout the tournament. While the side might have fallen short on this particular occasion, keep plugging along and keep fighting for the future of Hong Kong women’s football!