Jockey Club helps promote tennis in the community

08/30/2016

People of all ages and abilities can enjoy the fun of sport if given the opportunity. To provide the city’s students, children with special educational needs and elderly people with the chance to play tennis and make sports part of their daily life, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has made a donation to the Hong Kong Tennis Association (HKTA) to implement the three-year Jockey Club Tennis Rocks Programme.

Today (30 August), the Club’s Head of Charities Projects (Grant Making – Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture) Rhoda Chan joined HKSAR Financial Secretary John Tsang and President of Hong Kong Tennis Association Philip Mok at a press conference to launch the programme.

The Jockey Club Tennis Rocks Programme is the first collaboration between the Club and the HKTA. The Club hopes it can help foster continuous development of tennis in the community. “The Club believes that playing sports not only boosts physical fitness, but can also create positive values and hope in the community,” Ms Chan noted. “In the coming few years, we want to play an active role in motivating residents of all ages and abilities to participate in different sports. By combining sports with crossover activities the aim is to make sports fun and interesting, so as to encourage more people to make sports and exercise a part of their everyday life. ”

The Jockey Club Tennis Rocks Programme, supported by a HK$20 million Charities Trust donation, will commence in September. Systematic training courses will be provided for over 4,000 primary school students, children with special educational needs, PE teachers and elderly people. The Trust’s funding also covers a set of equipment including tennis balls and racquets, so that participants will not need to worry about extra expense.

In total, 50 primary schools from ten districts will join the programme. It is expected that 750 students will be equipped with basic tennis knowledge every year. Children with special educational needs attending mainstream and special need schools will also be offered training courses to develop their interest in tennis.

With the aim of encouraging tennis to be incorporated as part of the sports curriculum, 100 PE teachers from participating schools will be equipped with intensive instructor courses, enabling them to organise tennis-related activities for their students. Meanwhile, demonstrating that age is no barrier to taking up sports, elderly people who are interested in but cannot afford to learn tennis will be recruited to receive training in collaboration with NGOs and community centres. People aged 55 to 64 will be able to participate in training courses held in various districts, so as to enhance their well-being and broaden their social circle. For details, please visit the HKTA website: www.tennishk.org/en/.

The Club has long been committed to helping Hong Kong strengthen its sporting infrastructure, as well as promoting a sporting culture in the city and assisting the professional development of Hong Kong athletes. In the past decade alone, the Club has contributed over HK$1.6 billion to sports development. With the vision that ‘All Hong Kong people should Love, Value and Play Sports’, the Club has earmarked approximately HK$155 million to support the five Sports for All programmes, which are expected to benefit over 240,000 people.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class horse racing operator and Hong Kong’s largest community benefactor, as well as one of Asia’s most prestigious membership clubs. Operating as a not-for-profit organisation, the Club allocates its surplus funds for charitable and community projects. In 2014/15, its donations reached a record HK$3.87 billion, and in the last decade alone it supported over 1,300 projects. The Club is also Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer, contributing a record HK$20.05 billion in 2014/15. With about 70% of its revenue given back to society every year through donations and tax contributions, The Hong Kong Jockey Club delivers a significantly higher return to the community than any other racing and/or sports betting organisation in the world. As a socially responsible organisation, the Club helps Government combat illegal betting and advocates responsible gambling. The Club is also one of Hong Kong’s largest employers with over 24,000 full-time and part-time staff. Committed to global excellence and giving back to society, the Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong.