Tai Po hit big screen in attempt to promote Hong Kong football, ‘keeper Tse Ka-wing makes acting debut
- Hong Kong Premier League attendances through the floor with just two topping 1,000, despite FA strategic goal
- Club owners frustrated over governing body’s inability to promote game and turn to film in order to generate more interest
Tai Po have projected poster-boy Hong Kong goalkeeper Tse Ka-wing onto the big screen, after the enterprising district club turned to the world of film to try to breathe new life into the poorly supported local league.
Dreams of Glory is a short movie charting the story of an angry teenager’s complex relationships with family, friends and football.
The 39-minute film was hatched and funded by Tai Po owners Francis and Catherine Yip, as a device to “promote local football, and try to attract more people to matches,” with local hero Tse one of its stars.
Francis Yip said Tse’s role, as a goalkeeper for fictional team Dreams FC, was designed to showcase football as a viable career, which “creates additional opportunities”.
One aspiring footballer in the film references his parents’ preference that he become a “doctor, lawyer, or engineer”.
“I want to be this role model, because I want to encourage more people who love football to play the sport,” Tse said. “Most importantly, I want people to know football in Hong Kong is really not bad. I want to take care of it. If I play well, and my image is good, I can help.