Annabel the Hong Kong football girl who dreams of playing for Manchester City
- German Swiss International School pupil is already a member of the city’s junior team
- Now she has written a book to encourage other girls to take up the sport she loves
Annabel Yue was six years old when she saw her older brother playing football and has fallen in love with the sport and dreams of playing for Manchester City one day.
Now, the nine-year-old, who was picked for the Hong Kong Under-10 girls football team last year, can be found bursting down the right wing, or scoring goals of her own.
“I was very excited,” Yue says of the moment she learned she had been selected to join the team. But when she went on to the pitch for the first time, the German Swiss International School pupil became nervous as she did not know any Cantonese, and did not understand the drills coaches were running.
However, that did not stop the young football player from pursuing her dreams.
For whatever she lacks in linguistic abilities, Yue, who studies Mandarin three times a week at school and understands basic Cantonese now, more than makes up for with a good attitude, says her coach, Kay Fung Nga-kei.
“We teach primarily in Cantonese, so she has difficulties understanding, but she overcomes it by observing the body language of the coach and remembering some Chinese terms,” Fung says.
Fung adds Yue also has the attributes to make a good footballer with her pace and focus. Her style is also similar to her favourite player, Argentine forward Paulo Dybala, known for his creativity, pace, and eye for goal.
“He shoots a lot and does a lot of tackling and dribbling,” Yue says of the Juventus player.
Her love for attacking football is also seen in her choosing Manchester City as her favourite team.
“They won four trophies in 2019 and I wanted to rival my brother’s support of Arsenal,” the Grade Four pupil says.
While most of her family and friends are supportive of her taking up the sport, Yue says some of her friends’ parents do not want them to play over fears they will get injured, or will not be “as pretty”.
Hong Kong’s women footballers fight misconceptions and time constraints
She also says she is overlooked by the boys when she plays with them sometimes. “When I play with boys sometimes, they don’t pass the ball to me even though I’m the most unmarked person on the pitch,” she says.
Ahead of the United Nations’ International Day of the Girl Child on October 11, Yue has had a book published. Selina the Football Girl tells the story of Selina Vaquez, who is determined to become a star despite living in the fictitious town of Dragonmouth, where girls are not allowed to play the game.
“I wrote it to tell other girls who might have the same problem that they are not alone and should keep playing football,” she says.
All net proceeds of its sale will be donated to charity InspiringHK Sports Foundation, which provides sports activities for underprivileged children in Hong Kong.
Betty Wong Yeuk-ling, the manager of the Hong Kong Football Association’s women’s team, says the lack of professional women’s football in the city means many female footballers face the pressure of balancing full-time jobs, or school work, with the sport.
For example, it is difficult for those working to take leave for training and tournaments, while those studying might have to prioritise exams over training.
Wong would like private donors to set up a foundation to support those with potential, by offering a part-time job for them as a coach so they can focus on training to represent Hong Kong at home and abroad.
The manager also wishes there were a more supportive culture towards female footballers in Hong Kong.
But she notes the overall atmosphere in the city has improved a lot, with proper training and promotion for young age groups introduced gradually in recent years.
Yue’s mother, Hu Ying, believes her daughter can learn a lot from football, such as working with others, learning to lose, and being resilient.
“Of course there is always risk of injury and she broke her arm once, but we just tell her to be careful,” Hu says.
When she grows up, Yue hopes to continue playing football and writing books.
“My dream is to represent Hong Kong,” she says.
