NGO Game On offers free sports training to underprivileged children.
By Hanne Chan
Three years ago, four passionate teenagers came together with a shared vision: to use sports as a vehicle for change.
A three-on-three basketball tournament inspired 15-year-old Owen Ng Yat-san and three others to take action.
“I felt my victory was not entirely honourable, as the opponent we beat lacked even basic equipment,” Ng says.
Ng recalls the teams he played against were incredibly talented, yet they got no basketball shoes, no jerseys, and no coaches. The stark disparity in the resources sparked Ng’s desire to make a difference.
Teaming up with his younger brother, Charlie, and friends Marcus Wang and Nick Tsang, they founded Game On, a student-led organisation offering basketball, tennis and table tennis sessions to children who lack access to equipment and facilities.
The journey was not without its challenges. As secondary school students, they do not have the resources to hold their own events, what they can do is to find community centres for venues, volunteers and participants and hold collaboration events.
“Back then I was only 13 and Charlie was 11. When we first approached different community centres for collaboration, they thought we were just kids joking around and didn’t really trust us. We got rejected quite a few times,” Ng recalls.
Despite facing rejection, their determination only grew stronger. They continued to reach out with improved proposals, eventually catching the attention of the Saint Barnabas Society and Home (St. Barnabas).
Recognising their shared mission to empower the underprivileged, St. Barnabas eagerly partnered with them to organise their first collaborative basketball event.
“After we did a few events, other community centres started to recognise who we are, and we gained their trust,” Ng adds.
Today, Game On boasts over 200 volunteers and partnerships with organisations like the YMCA and the Society for Community Organization (SoCO). They have hosted a variety of collaborative events, including basketball camp, kendama workshop and tennis day.
Volunteers in Game On are mainly youngsters aged 12 to 20. “I was hoping to offer teenagers like me a new pathway of voluntary work, through something they’re passionate about, rather than doing tasks they don’t enjoy, like handing out free lunch boxes,” Ng explains.
Their efforts have benefited thousands of children, earning Ng the Children’s Champion Youth Award 2024 from Save The Children Hong Kong — an award that recognises those who make a significant positive impact on children’s lives in Hong Kong or around the world.
One heartwarming story stands out for Ng. “There was a little boy who attended our three-week basketball camp and found his passion there… It was his first time playing basketball — he didn’t even have a ball, so I gave him mine. A year and a half later, we met him again and found out that he joined the school basketball team and already got a few trophies,” he says.
He continues, “witnessing children improve, seeing more volunteers join our mission, receiving support from various community centres and even strangers online — all of this drives us to go furthe.”
It is this unwavering passion and kindness that fuels Ng and the volunteers, who are all secondary school students, organise everything from fundraising to event logistics to persist through every obstacle.
Ng notes the group is trying to register as a non-governmental organisation (NGO).
“Right now we can’t receive monetary donations, so we are thinking about becoming an ‘actual’ NGO, to get more volunteers involved and work with international organisations,” Ng says.
Game On usually holds three to four events a month. “We mainly do the events for underprivileged kids who lack sports training resources, and kids with special education needs,” Ng says.
The organisation also reaches out to minority groups, like at a recent tennis event where new immigrants from mainland China learned basic techniques for free, helping them blend into the community.
“This is my first time playing tennis in my whole life,” says a 12-year-old participant, Wu Wan-ting.
Wu has always dreamed of playing tennis. “I’ve wanted to play tennis since I was young, but it’s kind of hard for me to try out these activities unless they’re free, so I never had the chance to try it, until I saw the Game On poster in Sheung Shui,” she says.
With excitement, she adds, “I’m really grateful that I can finally try my dream sport and make new friends!”
Volunteers do more than just teaching participants sport skills. “More importantly, we help them become passionate about the sport,” a 14-year-old volunteer Maxwell Wong says.
Wong, who joined Game On a year ago, loves coaching. “From the first time I was invited to be a volunteer, I found that I am really passionate about it. It brings me joy to see participants motivated to challenge themselves and give their best.”
But as an English speaker, Wong finds it challenging to communicate with participants.
“Sometimes there’s a language barrier — it’s pretty hard for me to connect with kids who speak Cantonese or Putonghua. There’s a lot to learn!” he laughs.
Wong is now responsible for creating and organising the group’s tennis events. “It never gets tiring for me. It’s a really good experience that everyone should at least give it a go!” he encourages.
Wong believes anyone can volunteer with Game On. “We welcome all kinds of volunteers, as long as you come from a sports background, as long as you’re willing to be kind and help others,” he says.
Sub-edited by Iris Jiang
