{"id":23539,"date":"2023-12-28T19:08:23","date_gmt":"2023-12-28T11:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/?p=23539"},"modified":"2024-04-18T16:39:59","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T08:39:59","slug":"premier-part-time-footballer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/2023\/12\/premier-part-time-footballer\/","title":{"rendered":"Premier Part-time Footballer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Natalie Ma Ching-yi talks about her football journey and women\u2019s football in Hong Kong.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Liam Hordijk<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natalie Ma Ching-yi is a player for Hong Kong Football Club\u2019s (HKFC) women\u2019s team and a full-time student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn Hong Kong, the teams in the top women\u2019s division are usually semi-professional or even non-professional,\u201d Ma says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes, many people are unable to play the game in Hong Kong because they are away on work trips,\u201d she adds, pointing out that she has had to skip training when having an examination the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ma competes in the top flight of women\u2019s football in Hong Kong, known as the 1st Division of the Jockey Club Women\u2019s Football League, which features eight teams in a 17-game season. Players typically train two to three times a week with their club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is unlike the top flight of men\u2019s football in Hong Kong, the BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League (HKPL), which is a professional league with 11 teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKitchee started offering part-time contracts [two seasons ago], and 24\/7 Football Club also gives part-time contracts. Chelsea FC Soccer School (HK) has a travelling subsidy for its players,\u201d Ma says, but also points out these things are not league-wide and she has neither.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A game between Sha Tin Sports Association Girls Soccer Team and 24\/7 Football Club, two teams with players who have played overseas.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ma discloses she does not know the exact amounts female footballers with part-time contracts get paid, but says it depends on ability and these players have a fixed salary and get money every time they play. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ma says she has to pay HKD $100 (USD $12.8)  monthly to play for HKFC, though this is unique to HKFC as it is a membership club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Ma believes it is unrealistic for women to ask for professional contracts like men, because men\u2019s football in Hong Kong generates more revenue for sponsors and clubs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMale footballers get more fans and audiences, so they have more resources than female footballers. In general, people support men\u2019s sports more than women\u2019s sports,\u201d the 19-year-old footballer says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other issues faced by female footballers include gameday pitches being remote and sometimes in a bad condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI remember once we played in Fanling [recreation ground]. It was real grass and then there were holes in the pitch,\u201d Ma says, adding that games have even been cancelled due to bad pitch conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, balls for training and matches are not standardised in weight and texture, which affects the way a player should kick it. Before each game, both teams will offer a training ball of their own and the referee will decide which one to play with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSay we are playing against a team and we use their ball, they get the advantage because they are used to their ball and we are new to it. Standardising the balls is already a thing done by HKPL and other leagues,\u201d Ma says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Passion for Football<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these troubles, Ma still wants to play football. She has loved the sport since she was five years old for its creativity after she saw the matches her father was watching on television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is a really fun game because you can score from anywhere. People might say football is boring because 22 players go for the same ball, but because of the number of players, there are lots of formations and combinations that we can do. That is what got me into football,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ma even faced opposition from her mother to play when growing up, which she says is part of a wider perception in Hong Kong towards women\u2019s football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy mom thought I would become a tomboy by playing football,\u201d Ma says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy parents wanted me to play basketball and swimming more than football so they enrolled me in summer courses to try different sports to replace football. In their mind, they are the same as they are all sports,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually Ma\u2019s parents gave in since her joy from football was much bigger than for other sports and she joined the U18 squad of Chelsea FC Soccer School (HK). By the time she began playing organised football, she was already 12 years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince the players there all started playing football really early in their life, like when they were three, they are really good, while I struggled for quite a while,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years at Chelsea FC Soccer School (HK), she transferred to the U18 squad of HKFC. Ma then successfully tried out for the senior squad and made it into one of the top eight teams in Hong Kong women’s football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Natalie Ma Ching-yi wears the number five, like her favourite player Sergio Busquets, for HKFC. (Photo courtesy of Natalie Ma Ching-yi)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Good Experiences<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Ma, her happiest moment as a player was earlier this year when she got past three defenders by herself to score a goal. She also managed to score last season from near the sideline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlaying is a good thing because you can get a sense of achievement,\u201d she says, adding she enjoys challenging herself to improve and fight for her spot on the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ma reveals that the number of spectators for HKFC games is normally 50 to 100. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But she experienced a stronger audience turnout of around 300 spectators when playing in the 3rd place final of the FA Cup – the premier knockout competition for women\u2019s football in Hong Kong – in June this year at Kowloon Bay Park. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The stands at Tsing Yi Northeast Park, one venue used for women\u2019s football matches in Hong Kong, can only seat 200 spectators.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ma points out that the 1st place final between Kitchee and Chelsea FC Soccer School (HK) had around 500 spectators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI remember the stands were nearly full,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Future of Football<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ma says she hopes to keep playing football throughout her time at university and even after she starts working. She has also expressed her desire to be a part-time football coach on the weekends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She encourages people with an interest in the sport to join.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor people who do not have the courage to start, they should not be scared. Everything starts with trying,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI noticed lots of players have started playing organised football recently and that lots of beginners went to the trials of division three teams,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As more players join the sport and the talent pool expands, the quality of play at the top flight of women\u2019s football increases and the division becomes more competitive and entertaining, leading to more spectators, revenue, and resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for this to happen, Ma believes more has to be done to promote opportunities for women\u2019s football in Hong Kong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot many people know about division one football. For example, we only get to post about the teams\u2019 tryouts on social media, but we don\u2019t have many followers. It is hard for newcomers to the sport to break into the football circle or to get started,\u201d she says, adding that people have to be active in seeking opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSubsidising travelling expenses for players can enable those who have financial difficulties to play,\u201d Ma says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edited by Amelie Yeung<\/em>
Sub-edited by Eve Qiao<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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