I
t was one of the most exciting
days of my two young
daughters’ lives, a day they
still talk about, a day they’ll
likely never forget; Dad had agreed
to take on the coaching role for
both their soccer teams. Sadly, soon
after this momentous day, we were
given the news we would shortly be
departing for Hong Kong and, alas,
the aforementioned “Dad as coach”
role was never to be. Once in Hong
Kong, the girls both switched their
preference from soccer to netball, a
sport at which poor Dad was a little
shaky on the rules and unlikely ever
to coach, but the thought was there,
and we love him for it.
Indeed, there is no doubt that, at
a certain age in a child’s life, having
Dad coach the team is the coolest
thing. It says, “my dad knows stuff,
he’s good at it, and he’s going to teach
it to us”. Dad gets serious cred. It also
lets the child know that he or she is
so important that Dad is willing to
give up entire mornings, evenings
and weekends to devote his time and
efforts to the success of their all-
important sporting team.
And sport is the big winner. Many
junior sports wouldn’t exist in Hong
In a city where long working hours and
regular travel are often the norm, there
are still plenty of fabulous dads willing
to become more than just a spectator at
their child’s sport, writes
Katrina Shute
.
Dad
’
s
the
coach
Kong without parent coaching and
support teams who bring experience
in different activities from all over
the world. It allows our children to be
involved in a huge variety of sports
that they might otherwise never be
exposed to.
But what’s in it for Dad? We know
that many dads here in Hong Kong
work long hours, so what prompts
this toil on courts and fields all over
the city and beyond? We asked some
of Hong Kong’s finest dad coaches to
tell us how they manage to work it in
with busy schedules and why it’s so
rewarding.
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