THE HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB CHARITIES TRUST TO DONAT

香港賽馬會慈善信託基金撥捐港幣四千四百萬 興建賽馬會傑志中心 香港首個足球訓練中心 – 賽馬會傑志中心 – 將興建於沙田，並獲得香港賽馬會慈善信託基金捐出港幣四千四百萬作建築費用。香港賽馬會慈善信託基金和傑志基金公佈於七月二十九日舉行之「傑志　對　阿仙奴」賽事，將成為雙方合作的首要一步。是次賽事將命名為「香港賽馬會慈善信託基金挑戰盃」，亦成為慶祝香港特別行政區成立十五周年的紀念活動之一。 傑志基金以及香港賽馬會慈善信託基金今天舉行新聞發佈會，公佈雙方的合作詳情，出席嘉賓包括： - 香港賽馬會慈善事務執行總監蘇彰德律師 - 傑志基金主席伍健先生 - 傑志基金管治委員會委員司徒富瑞先生 - 香港足球總會主席梁孔徳先生 - 傑志足球學校家長會主席潘雄威醫生 馬會將捐助港幣四千四百萬興建賽馬會傑志中心，為建築費 (港幣四千九百萬)約九成；其餘的一成建築費將由傑志基金負責。於七月二十九日舉行之「傑志對阿仙奴」以及前一天舉行的慈善晚宴之收益扣除成本後的收益將撥捐傑志基金，用作興建中心。 位於沙田石門的賽馬會傑志中心將於收到地政總署發出的短期租約後正式動工。賽馬會傑志中心計劃於二零一四年第一季落成啟用。 馬會慈善事務執行總監蘇彰德律師表示馬會很好高興和傑志基金攜手合作，為本地發展青少年訓練中心，並為傑志將與阿仙奴的表演賽名為「香港賽馬會慈善信託基金挑戰盃」感到榮幸。他預祝傑志及阿仙奴的表演賽成功舉行外，亦為傑志基金加油，希望賽馬會傑志中心盡快落成，為青少年足球培訓提供一個既合適又可以長期使用的多用途場地。 傑志基金管治委員會委員司徒富瑞先生表示：「計劃興建的中心將主要供給傑志足球學校（前身為「香港巴塞足球學校」）的訓練課程之用。此課程為六至十二歲學童提供每星期三次的免費精英足球培訓。傑志現已聘用兩位前球會巴塞隆拿青年技術總監，確保課程的質數維持於世界級水平。賽馬會傑志中心亦即將提供設施予沙田（馬鞍山）區仁濟醫院董之英紀念中學之「職業足球員培育計劃」使用（此計劃經已獲得教育局許可）。賽馬會傑志中心亦會每年提供超過二千節時段予公眾使用。」 傑志基金主席伍健先生補充：「傑志的優質訓練計劃，為全港學童而設，他們的參與並不會受到任何球隊、球會或地區限制。 傑志基金感到非常榮幸能夠與香港賽馬會慈善信託基金透過是次合作計劃，為香港足球帶來一個更好的未來。」 傑志足球學校的家長亦對消息感到非常欣喜。傑志足球學校家長會主席潘雄威醫生代表所有學生和家長表示：「除了能夠從費用全面方面受益，孩子亦成功傳授到優質的足球知識以及價值觀 – 友誼、團體精神、尊重、公平競技的重要性。此外，我們亦非常感謝傑志，透過足球，令學生和家長的關係更穩固。香港賽馬會慈善信託基金的捐款將能夠幫助傑志足球學校改善上課場地問題，好讓家長們不用帶著孩子們到不同的場地進行練習。」 香港足球總會梁孔德先生恭賀傑志和香港賽馬會是次合作，並表示：「一隊實力非凡的國家隊需要長期擁有大量高質素球員，在具競爭力的球隊內日夜磨練。傑志的青少年發展計劃一向相當成功，我們深信賽馬會傑志中心得到香港賽馬會慈善信託基金的慷慨捐助後，加上傑志致力於青訓的培育和發展，將來定必能為香港足運培育出更優秀的明日之星。」 - 完 - THE HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB CHARITIES TRUST TO DONATE $44M TO BUILD JOCKEY CLUB KITCHEE CENTRE The city’s first football youth training centre designed for youth – Jockey Club Kitchee Centre – will soon be built in Sha Tin, thanks to the $44 million generous donation from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The Trust and Kitchee also jointly announced today that the match between Kitchee and Arsenal on 29 July will be used to commemorate the start of the partnership between the two parties. The sold-out event will now feature the trophy, “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Challenge Cup”. The match is also an official celebration activity for the 15thAnniversary of the Establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and Kitchee jointly announced the start of the partnership between the two parties in today’s Press Conference. Honorable guests include the following, - Mr. Douglas So, Executive Director, Charities, The Hong Kong Jockey Club - Mr. Ken K. Ng, Chairman, Kitchee Foundation - Mr. Stuart Fraser, Member, Executive Committee, Kitchee Foundation - Mr. Brian Leung, Chairman, The Hong Kong Football Association - Dr. Philip Poon, Chairman, The Kitchee-Escola Parents Association The $44 million donation will cover approximately 90% of the estimated construction costs of $49 million for the proposed Jockey Club Kitchee Centre, with the remaining 10% to be raised by Kitchee. Kitchee has also announced that surplus generated from the game with Arsenal and the gala dinner the evening before will be donated to the Kitchee Foundation for the Centre’s development. The construction of the Centre in Shek Mun will start soon pending the completion of the final procedures of the short-term tenancy lease for the site from the Lands Department. The Centre is expected to be completed in early 2014. Douglas So, Executive Director, Charities of The Hong Kong Jockey Club said the Club was delighted to co-operate with Kitchee Foundation in developing a youth football training centre in Hong Kong, and was honoured that Kitchee had named the trophy for the Arsenal match as The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Challenge Cup. Wishing Kitchee every success in the game, he said he would also cheer for Kitchee Foundation for the swift establishment of the Centre, so to provide a suitable, long-term multi-purpose venue for youth football training. Mr. Stuart Fraser, Executive Committee Member of the Kitchee Foundation, explained, “The proposed Centre will house the Kitchee-Escola program that started in 2008 as the FCBEscola Hong Kong. The program provides free-of-charge elite football training to boys aged between 6 and 12, three times a week, year-round. Kitchee currently employ 2 full-time expatriate ex-FC Barcelona Technical Directors of Youth Development to ensure the world-class quality of the curriculum. The proposed Centre will also provide the facilities for the EDB-approved Professional Footballer Preparatory (“PFP”) Program at the Yan Chai Hospital Tung Chi Ying Memorial Secondary School within the Sha Tin (Ma On Shan) District. The Centre, when completed, will also provide over 2,000 session per year of prime-time usage to the public.” Mr. Ken K. Ng, President of Kitchee Foundation, further elaborated, “These programs are open to all Hong Kong youngsters during their football-formative years without any restriction on their affiliation with teams, clubs or districts. The Kitchee Foundation is extremely pleased to secure this partnership with The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. We are totally committed to make this a showcase of success for the future of Hong Kong football.” Parents of the Kitchee-Escola are thrilled with the long-awaited news of the imminent construction of the proposed Centre. Dr. Philip Poon, President of the Kitchee-Escola Parents Association spoke on behalf of the students and their parents and said, “Other than the tangible benefits of enjoying the program free-of-charge, our families have benefited from the quality and the values the program has instilled in our boys. For many of our families, the Escola helped to build strong bonds between parents and children. Our boys are also well-educated through the Escola where they are taught the importance of manners, friendship, team-work, respect and fair play. The generous donation from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust will create a facility which will improve the Kitchee program further with a fixed venue so that parents will not have to take their children to different venues from day to day.” Mr. Brian Leung, Chairman of the Hong Kong Football Association, congratulated Kitchee and The Hong Kong Jockey Club for the new partnership, and said, “Club football is the building block of any national football program. One cannot imagine what English football will be like if there are no clubs such as Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City or Liverpool. A strong national team requires a steady supply of top football players competing in the clubs. The Kitchee youth development program has been very successful and we expect that with the Centre, the Kitchee efforts will generate better players for Hong Kong in the future generations.” - END -