AROUND DB Magazine September issue contains, on page 58, an article covering kids and adult football in Discovery Bay. Below are extracts from that article relating to Discovery Bay Football Club {DBFC}.
Billions of people can’t be wrong and there is no doubting that soccer truly is the world game.
It’s continually gaining popularity in Hong Kong and is a hit amongst children and adults alike. Room for growth in DB may be a touch more limited but that’s not to say the sport is not thriving here.
Having a run
A growing number of local clubs specialise in introducing children to ‘the beautiful game’. DB -based Vikings Football Club caters to kids aged two to 12, Brazilian Football Academy for
kids aged five to 13, Tinytots Soccer for kids aged 18 months to five years, and Adventure Sports Academy for those aged 18 months to 16 years. La Cantera Football Club, meanwhile, is active on Lantau, coaching kids aged 18 months to 14years.
Kicking on
A large number of adult DBers are as keen as the kids when it comes to getting on the pitch and this is where the Discovery Bay Football Club (DBFC) comes in. The club has two teams that play on a weekly basis in
season in Hong Kong, one in division one of the Legal League and one in the newly formed Legends League. The DBFC also has a soccer sevens touring side that regularly he ads off to Phuket and Bangkok to play in annual tournaments.
“The veteran’s team was set up because the Legal League was getting more challenging and we wanted younger players in.” Chairman and long-time DBFC player Gary Rollinson says.” All the time we had been playing we were getting older and it was starting to tell, but we still wanted to play football.”
Again, you find an ethos of inclusiveness at the DBFC that is prevalent right across soccer in DB. The club is always looking for new players and is happy to point them in the right direction. While secretary Dirk Haddow says the club has a social, family feel to it, the players are also hell-bent on winning come game day. The DBFC has had its fair share of success and last season came runner-up in the Legal League and fourth in the Legends League.
Last season DBFC had 90 registered players in total and is looking to continue to grow, with Dirk highlighting the influence that Harvey Law Group’s founder Jean-François Harvey has had on the game here in DB. “Jean François has done a lot of good for football in DB and for our football club.” he says. “In the las t two years the club has really progressed.” Adding that football isn’t cheap in Hong Kong, Gary says: “Harvey Law has made it so much easier because the club membership fee is now relatively small.” D