HPE launches Jockey Club Sports Empowering Programme to benefit over 5,000 sports practitioners, educators and parents

The Department of Health and Physical Education (HPE) has launched Hong Kong’s first large-scale sports coaching programme that is integrated with character education: the Jockey Club Sports Empowering Programme. The programme was made possible via HK$10.01 million of funding support from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and the support of our five partner associations: Action Sports Foundation, the Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association, Hong Kong Rugby Union, the Hong Kong Tennis Association, and Hoops for Hope Basketball Asia.

Launched in July 2022, the programme aims to promote a motivational and encouraging sports environment for youth through empowering coaching. In the long run, the project also aims to raise public awareness about creating a motivational environment for young people engaged in sports activities.

EdUHK President Professor Stephen Cheung Yan-leung, Acting Head of HPE Dr Andy Tse Choi-yeung, Chief Curriculum Development Officer of the Education Bureau Curriculum and Quality Assurance Branch Ms Annie Wong Hing-yee, Executive Manager of Charities (Sports and Culture) of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Ms Donna Tang, Legislative Council Member Hon Vincent Cheng Wing-shun, and Manager of Hong Kong Athletes Career and Education Programme Mr Man Yue-hin officiated a kick-off ceremony on 4 March on the University’s Tai Po campus. More than 1,000 sports practitioners, academics, parents and students attended the ceremony.

To cultivate a conducive sports environment for young people, EdUHK has been adopting an “Empowering Coaching™” theory from the University of Birmingham. Apart from enhancing students’ skills and performance, the objectives of the three-year programme are to help coaches understand players’ psychological needs, and develop empowering and enjoyable strategies to motivate them. In an empowering environment, players should be able to develop five essential qualities that an athlete should demonstrate: self-confidence, leadership, resilience, mental toughness and social inclusion.

To date, 17 tutors from EdUHK’s five partner associations have been trained with these empowering principles. A team of HPE staff also conducted workshops to teach these tutors about the importance of nurturing players the five desirable character traits of an athlete mentioned above. They, in turn, have become trainers for 250 sports coaches in their affiliated associations. Online training courses are also available for over 5,000 sports practitioners, educators and parents.

Expressing his gratitude to all partner associations, Professor Cheung said, “We believe the programme will help encourage students and members of the public to take part in sports, while building a positive character for teenagers. This is in line with the Government’s commitment to promoting sports in the community.”

As part of the programme, the EdUHK team also conducted a survey of over 650 respondents, aged between 11 and 16, to examine the effectiveness of empowering coaching. According to Dr Carman Leung Ka-man, Project Coordinator and Assistant Professor of HPE, the results show that youngsters will more likely engage in and enjoy sports if their coaches know how to empower them by valuing their efforts, providing them with more choices, and giving them a sense of support from the community.

Besides Dr Carman Leung Ka-man, the HPE’s project team also comprises of Senior Lecturer Mr Roy Chan Ching-yat, as well as Lecturers Ms Simone Tam Sze-man, Miss Carmen Chan Ka-man, and Dr Claudia Wong Ming-yu.