Editorial | Chan legend must live on in women’s football
Veronica Chan, who has died at 102, inspired a sport that still requires more funding, sponsorship and fans, not to mention a professional league to raise its profile and standards
The “mother of Asian women’s football”, Veronica Chan Yiu-kam, was an inspirational figure who dedicated her life to the game. She founded the Hong Kong Ladies Football Association in 1965 and helped establish the Asian Women’s Football Federation three years later. Chan, who died last month at the age of 102, was instrumental in forging a path for the women’s game. The work she began continues.
Women’s football has grown dramatically globally in recent years and is developing in Hong Kong, but the city has a long way to go to catch up with other parts of the world.
On Sunday, the Women’s FA Cup Final at Po Kong Village Road Park saw Kitchee beat TSL 2-0. Ahead of the match, Kitchee player Vicky Chung Pui-ki, also a member of the Hong Kong team, called on the government to inject more money into the women’s game and for a professional league to be established. Her voice should be heard.
The city’s top women players, unlike their male counterparts, are amateurs who need to balance training and performing in matches with jobs and studies. If Hong Kong is serious about women’s football – and it should be – a professional league will be needed. So will greater levels of funding.
There has been progress in recent years. The league has expanded to three divisions and clubs have attracted players from the mainland and overseas. Meanwhile, some of the city’s talented young female footballers are heading abroad to develop their skills. The potential should not be overlooked as the city seeks to boost its sporting credentials. The Women’s World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand in 2023 drew huge crowds and an estimated 2 billion viewers around the world. China has big ambitions for the women’s game.
Wuhan Jiangda’s recent winning of the inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League before more than 18,000 fans, collecting US$1.3 million in prize money, marked a significant step forward.