Chan Siu-ki, the striker of South China Football Club, becomes the first Hong Kong football player to attend training sessions in Premier League football clubs. Edmond Tang

HONG KONG: About to become the first Hong Kong football player to attend training sessions in Premier League football clubs, Chan Siu-ki took it soberly. Expressing half of his mixed feelings, Chan lamented that the training session he was going to participate in with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (Hotspur) next month would last only around 10 days. He hoped it could be longer.

It was under the newly announced club partnership between South China Football Club (South China) and Hotspur on Tuesday that Chan got the opportunity. South China became the first Asian club partner of Hotspur. The visiting player exchange programs enabled Chan, the striker of South China, to become the first football player in Hong Kong to experience the advanced football training methods in the Premier League.

Chan hasn't earned this opportunity by a fluke. Only 24, he is already the number one striker in the history of the Hong Kong Football Team, surpassing the former record holder, Au Wai Lun.

Chan, considered the heir apparent of Au, also inherited Au's Number 7 jersey, which, after Au, went into retirement. Chan said he took this number without hesitation when he joined South China, because Au was his idol, whose success he was determined to emulate.

"My family is always very supportive. Before I started playing in the third division league in Hong Kong, I had just finished my Form 5 studies and was working as a delivery guy for my cousin. They said I should give it a shot if football was so important to me, at least for a year or two. I did as they advised, which eventually proved to be a wise choice," said Chan.

As he reminisced, he mentioned his aunt as the person to whom he feels most grateful. Chan's parents were estranged after his birth and Chan was raised by his aunt's family for as long as he can remember. His aunt treated him as her own son, with help from his older cousins. Chan said they were the people to whom he felt most connected, and added that he always dropped by to visit them when he could spare the time.

"My relatives are all very proud of me. Some of their friends tried to get to know me through them, and I can sense the pride they enjoyed," said Chan.

He has inherent advantages most Hong Kong football players do not possess. Flexible, swift and tall - 187 cm, Chan joined the first division league Kitchee Sports Club at the age of 18 in 2003, and served there till 2008 before transferring to his current South China team.

"I was very hot-tempered when I was in Kitchee. If some players offended me in the match, I would hit them (back) immediately, which brought me a lot of red cards. But as I am growing up, it seems I am becoming mature and less prone to irritation. I think it was a good change for me, because of my bad temper, and especially because red cards only brought trouble to my team and players," said Chan.

Chan's standout performance in a friendly match between South China and Hotspur this August made a strong impression on the Premier League club. His goal in the match not only helped South China win the game, but secured his ticket to England this December.

Chan admitted that Hong Kong's football is still relatively backward compared to many other countries or regions. He said in the match with Japan for 2011 Asian Cup qualification last month, Team Hong Kong didn't merely lose 0 to 6, but also, he as a striker did not get many chances to shoot the ball.

"I am not expecting to be part of Hotspur right after the training session, since my advantages here would be nothing in the Premier League. I hope I can stay there for a longer time, maybe a full season, even if not in the lineup. I believe one year's training in Hotspur could be 10 times more effective than training in Hong Kong," said Chan.

Chan said that, when he was young, his dream was to be a firefighter, but that he never took the dream far enough. As for his future, he hasn't thought thorough what to do after retirement. "Maybe I will coach some young football players," said Chan, once again, looking at doing what, to him, comes naturally.

(HK Edition 11/07/2009 page1)