Sports and Recreation All Categories Arts, Culture and Heritage Education and Training Elderly Services Emergency and Poverty Relief Environmental Protection Family Services Medical and Health Rehabilitation Services Sports and Recreation Youth Development

Nearly 60 Hong Kong football coaches and professional trainers participated in a workshop held by Les Parry, Manchester United’s Academy Player Development Manager 9-16. In addition to sharing experience, they also discussed how to effectively apply Manchester United-style youth training methods in Hong Kong.

To further strengthen collaboration with The Hong Kong Jockey Club, starting from this year Manchester United will regularly send first team coaches to Hong Kong. They will host special workshops aimed at enhancing the professional level of registered coaches in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Les Parry, who holds a doctorate in physical therapy and has professional experience as a club manager, has focused his experience on training young players in recent years.  He is responsible for training all levels of Manchester United’s 9- to 16-year-old players.

During the three-hour workshop, Parry introduced Manchester United training concepts and methods. Among these, one of the most thought-provoking was the "multi-sport training method". Parry explained that Manchester United youth players not only participate in a variety of football activities, but they also take part in boxing and taekwondo and other exercises to strengthen their limb coordination and muscles. This idea provoked a lot of discussion amongst youth coaches attending the seminar.

Li Tak Nang, Executive Manager, Corporate Branding – Sports & Community Programmes of the Club, who is in charge of the project, said he was pleased to receive positive feedback from participating coaches and Football Association professionals. Their feedback, he explained, will be invaluable when preparing future workshops, which are an important part of the Club’s work to promote continuous improvement and give back to the community.

Among those attending the workshop were the Technical Director of the HKFA and Head Coach of the Hong Kong team Kim Pan-Gon; Coach Kwok Kar Lok; Hong Kong Academy Head Coach Xavi Bravo, and Training Coach Manager Chiu Chun Ming.