As World Cup fever sweeps Hong Kong, three young footballers are dreaming of playing in the Premier League after they were selected to join Birmingham City's soccer academy for a three-week training stint as winners of television reality show A Kick to Success.
The young hopefuls left in the competition had a final chance to impress in a training match against local First Division side Tai Po at King George V International School, Ho Man Tin yesterday. Birmingham's academy coach, Julez Broomes, was the man putting them through their paces.
It was the last test after eight weeks of intensive training that saw the initial 182 players whittled down to a squad of just 15. By the end of the day, central defender Chan Sze-chun, 20, central midfielder Lee Ka-yiu, 18, and right winger Chris Lai Tze-fung, 19, were the three players picked to get a taste of life with a Premier League club. And true to any finale concerning a reality TV show, the tears flowed after each player's name was announced as friends and family celebrated their achievement.
But the tears weren't just for the cameras - for Chan, the chance to train with City will be the first time he has ever been outside Hong Kong. 'I never made the Hong Kong youth squads to play internationally overseas, so I'm crying because it's like a dream come true for me,' he said. 'I phoned my mum and she was crying as well. There were some good players here, but I knew I was in with a good chance.'
It also meant a lot to Lai, who couldn't hold back the tears by the end either. 'I didn't want to let down my mum and dad. I'm happy for them as much as myself. To get the opportunity to train with a Premier League club is very special,' he said.
The competition came about after RTHK joined forces with the Hong Kong Football Association and Birmingham City, owned by Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung Ka-sing, to produce the reality TV programme, which is designed to promote the development of soccer in Hong Kong.