November 10: AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has wrapped up a six-day visit to Hong Kong with talks focusing on football infrastructure, youth development and the territory’s growing presence in the Asian competition.
Shaikh Salman met with Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee and Culture, Sports and Tourism Secretary Rosanna Law during the visit, with the opening of the new Kai Tak Sports Park central to the discussions.
The complex has given Hong Kong a major new venue for elite sport and the local government sees it as a key piece of its wider push to attract international events.
Also unveiled was the Equal Pitch Programme, the AFC’s scheme designed to improve access to suitable pitches in both academy and community football, with a key focus on how it could support further upgrades to training and playing facilities.
No specific new funding package was actually announced, but infrastructure now joins youth development as one of the main areas of cooperation between the AFC and the Hong Kong Football Association, the latter having been nominated for the AFC Member Association of the Year award in the Gold category for the second consecutive year, having won the award last year.
Hong Kong also has gold-level status under the Confederation’s Charter and star status in its elite youth program.
Shaikh Salman said the AFC will continue to support the HKFA in technical development, refereeing and administration, with the visit framed as an opportunity to turn recent progress into something that will be sustained for years to come.
The HKFA, in return, thanked the AFC president for his support and reiterated its commitment to the confederation’s development programmes.
Hong Kong has picked up plenty of accolades from the AFC over the past two years. The next stage is to ensure that the prize money, new stadium infrastructure and continental exposure translate into a stronger domestic game, a prospect the AFC will support.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at (email protected)
