HKDSA Dragons

Ok - we have started uploading some of our pics onto Flickr and will carry on updating these over coming days…bear with us as we seem to have taken about 5 million photos between us…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38634738@N02/

Wednesday 27th May 2009

Unbelievably it was the last day. So much had happened so quickly. I think that the weather mirrored my feelings as it decided to turn a bit miserable and for the first time demonstrate to all my HK friends just how England normally is in May…

As everyone would be getting on a plane that evening we decided that a bit of exercise and fresh air was in order. After a quick trip through Richmond Park to look at the deer we started a walk across Wimbledon Common from the Windmill. A proper taste of countryside for the guys! Unfortunately am not sure that the Wombles had quite reached Hong Kong judging by the blank looks when I sang the song…perhaps an opportunity to be explored.

This was followed by large BBQ spread and then a five a side tournament with the weather clearing up enough to make this worthwhile. Lots of fun and not too much mud! Thanks go to my ever enthusiastic Mother and her team of helpers who pulled together the day so well and helped make it a good punctuation mark to the trip and a day of different experiences once again.

I wasn’t flying back with the rest of the party as was staying on for a couple of days so it was not without a hint of sadness that I waved them off as they headed for a last supper and then Heathrow. 

There is so much to look back on, so many experiences and wonderful moments. We have hopefully also made some good friends at DSA UK, Fulham and QPR and with any luck and I expect probably some more hard work this will just be the beginning of the story…

Tuesday 26th May 09

Well I wasn’t sure how we were going to match the previous days for excitement and experience but luckily the Patron of the Hong Kong Down Syndrome Association had that all in hand. Sir David Tang took time out of his busy schedule to spend all day with us and laid on a full programme of good food and special guests.

I don’t mean to be blase about what happened in the day so apologies if I seem to move through it quickly but there was so much piled on one after the other it was difficult to keep up!

Morning coffee was held in the elegant Kensington Palace where Prince Michael of Kent kindly met us all and took the time to greet everyone in person. His kind words and care were a treat for the players who behaved very well and respectfully after much instruction on the way in! We then had a special tour through the exhibition of Princess Diana’s dresses before a saunter through the formal gardens and to the splendid Orangery for a feast. We were joined at that time by Princess Eugenie and her Royal Highness then helped host us through the afternoon’s activities. I am sure that the players had not met a Princess before and they certainly seemed to revel in the occasion…

We then hot footed it across town to the scene of the previous days tournament, Stamford Bridge, but this time to meet one of Chelsea and England’s superstars, Frank Lampard. Rounds of photos followed as well as players then getting caps, scarves, shirts, photos and hands (?!) signed very patiently by Frank. Royalty and football superstars…whatever next.

Next we were entertained at the Royal Over Seas League in St James Street, a wonderful clubhouse with private garden backing onto Green Park. A sumptuous tea spread was laid on and a number of people who probably had far better things to do with their time kindly came to host us from both the London and HK branch of ROSL. Of special note to the players was Dame Anson Chan who entertained all the tables and was introduced to everyone as well as giving an address in Cantonese. The tea party also afforded us the opportunity to thank a number of the organisations and people who had helped on the trip and small tokens of appreciation were presented by Sir David. 

It was then on to the Royal Academy of Arts for a special trip to the Kuniyoshi exhibition before rounding off the day with a taste of home at the excellent China Tang. It was a wonderful sight to see the long table with all the tourists happily tucking into mountains of food (chocolate dumplings highly recommended). I know that the players all had a wonderful day and would like to add my personal thanks to Sir David for such huge efforts to pull everything together into a packed day.

Monday  25th May

Danny Mardell Challenge, Stamford Bridge

The morning had a slightly inauspicious start - we got to see Trafalgar Square at least but then authorities conspired to ensure that our walk through Westminster was curtailed by a 10k run. Lots of people putting in lots of noble effort but didn’t fancy trying to get through the gaps in between runners!

That however was not the main attraction of the day. We had been invited by the lovely folk at the Down’s Syndrome Association in the UK to participate in a lunchtime demonstration with our friends the Fulham Badgers and the QPR Tiger Cubs. The Danny Mardell Knockout Challenge is a brilliantly supported and run annual event that features 36 teams in a World Cup style competition. A number of organisations take part each year and continue to support this event that raises money for the Down’s Syndrome Association alongside some famous faces. More info can be found here: http://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/fundraising/events/special/danny-mardell-knockout.html

It was the first time that this has been held at Stamford Bridge and it goes without saying that this was a treat to play on such a famous pitch. I am not sure how many footballers can say that they played on Craven Cottage one day and Stamford Bridge the next but I have a feeling that our players are in a minority! 

Despite early threatening signs the day turned out to be sunny again (I think that these guys now believe UK is always bathed in sunshine…) and we got to sit in the stands and soak in the jovial atmosphere as the tournament progressed well supported by a good turn out of spectators. Our turn came at halfway through the event when we got to run out of the tunnel with the other teams and were put through our paces with a match and a training session. The match again was keenly contested and a great indicator of just how much is going to be possible with DS football if we continue to raise the bar as an international community. Everyone turned out to be a winner on the day and received a medal from Kevin Kilbane as well as applause from the crowd…what a feeling again. 

It was a hugely enjoyable day and massive thanks must go to Chelsea FC staff for hosting, Fulham and QPR teams and staff and of course Paul and Tricia from DSA for being fantastic and patient despite so much going on! A special shout out to Billy the Badger who showed up against the odds and although looking a little uncertain of his step sometimes made some fantastic saves in goal and did a grand job on a hot day - owe you one!

Goodness only knows how we were going to surpass this for a day out and all round experience…Craven Cottage, Stamford Bridge…would we be playing on Wembley next?!

I know that this is over a week late. Sorry. Just like good old London buses, having waited for ages then three come along at the same time. Been good to be hassled for these as at least shows that someone is reading them!

Before I forget - we do have a Flickr site with a whole photostream going on (Thank you Shirley!) and we also have had a lot of PR coverage which is very humbling and I will be looking to gather and attach to the main site or here as soon as.

We are all back in the relative normality of Hong Kong such as it is. A few days have passed and there is much to look back on and enjoy and I think that so much happened in a week that it will take several more just to go over it all in our minds and think back on what an amazing experience it was. Lots of lessons learned and I hope beyond hope that the players took something away to cherish…but that is getting ahead of myself! Back to Monday…

Sunday

Sitting here at the end of the day and still buzzing with pride and excitement. I will hold my hands up and admit that I may have expressed a few moments of doubt along the way that things had the possibility to not turn out quite as well as they did. But I was wrong and I have said it now.

Couldn’t have picked a better day to go on the London Eye - so we didn’t. You can’t help but get excited about going up in the air in a glass bubble on a large wheel. Was very exciting and really was something that engaged all of the guys in different ways. The following boat trip was a relaxing way to see some more of the impressive London waterfront even if the accomanying commentary did make me consider whether Kin Shing couldn’t do a better job.

A good lunch in Soho followed by a trip to Bishop’s Park next to Craven Cottage to start soaking up the atmosphere. I am not sure what the crowds gathered their with us soaking up the May sunshine made of our drills to check studs but to be fair other entertainments included people trying to kick balls into a large washing machine.

You had to be there to feel the buzz in the ground as the last game of the season kicked off and I think to a man the guys lapped it up. There was more then a fair share of singing coming from the Hong Kong contingent.

Halftime came pretty quickly I felt. Suddenly the whistle went and we were all on the field in front of the Hammersmith Stand. They all came up trumps - shots were taken, Hin Hang pinging one off the bar, Hon Cheung pulling off some strong blocks. All enjoying it and the crowd just made it one of the moments I will remember for the rest of my life as they all gave the guys a huge round of applause and cheered every kick.

Susi and Mike again proved to be legends and we are working on a way to thank them for a once in a lifetime experience for the guys. Hours later they are all still reliving the moments and pretending to be waving to the crowd and lapping up the applause. Down’s Syndrome can at times cause some communication difficulties but this was one of the moments of clarity when you understood everything that was going through their heads. The mystery of where on earth Wai Keung got his Fulham scarf from continues but the club definitely has 33 extra lifelong fans today.

The trip just gets better and better as it evolves and develops. Hard work continues on all sides tirelessly from the crew medals long overdue. Makes you look forward to each day and just hope that all these things make a difference for this great bunch of guys. 

I have to apologise for the continuing lack of photos and video. We have them here and to be perfectly honest they are brilliant. There is nothing that I would like more than to share them but just haven’t been able to. They will be worth the wait. Promise.

Saturday…

Sightseeing day! And my attempt to get provide a little insight into the long history of the city. Not sure that my passion for this subject was quite reciprocated. My sympathy to all teachers I have ever displayed a lack of interest too…

Hampton Court and Tower of London on the menu for the day and thankfully beautiful weather to wash over the top. Highlights were the weapons in the tower, running around the maze like crazy things and the gift shop in no particular order. Was a good day by all accounts and a good way to get a feel of some pretty un Hong Kong features. Thanks go to Mary, Liz and Jane all who gallantly gave up time to help out and make sure that people pointed in the right direction.

The evening did also hold the picking of the team for the Sunday halftime shootout followed by work out in the hotel carpark. A lack of footballs, cones and goal meant passers by headed home a little more bemused then they had left.

A day of all things Fulham. We had a tour of Craven Cottage in the afternoon. This has to be one of the best grounds in the world for its position alone - nestling on the bend in the river it just has the feeling of a welcoming club. This was accentuated by our guides, Susi and Mike who went beyond the call of duty to ensure that the guys had a real feel for the place and were given special access to all areas. It was really interesting to have a look around really helped to set the scene for Sunday. Fulham really did welcome us and for this we are grateful.

Dragons v Badgers. Not a match up that you would normally expect to see in Raynes Park on a Friday evening but that is what panned out. We had the pleasure and honour of training with the Fulham Badgers and a session run by their excellent coaching outfit. It was a great occasion and brilliant to see the camaraderie as the teams mingled. I think that it was a thoroughly improving session in so many ways as we all learned much from counterparts in a relatively short period of time. It was great to see parents mingling good to share thoughts with coaches. Fingers crossed that this is the start of a rewarding link up between the two clubs. The football was of a good standard and all players can walk away proud of their performances…some slightly over exuberant tackling aside!

London traffic then conspired to make it a relatively late night for the Dragons but a fantastic Fulham day from start to finish…

(Apologies for the delay in this particular posting - my general tech inability has left this in my draft box for ages it seems…)

Tucking into our second breakfast of the day and appetites are as high spirits.

Although concerns of swine flu led to us all sporting face masks on the plane over, the guys don’t seem to be too worried about catching it through food judging by the piles of sausages and bacon.

The flight went well and most people managed to get some rest. Some did need to check how long it was until we were landing and how long until we got to play football. 10/10 for enthusiasm. I think that the jet lag and travel may be pushing hard against the excitement of actually being here as some tourists are dozing every time they sit. Well needed quiet time at the St Giles hotel for the rest of the morning will hopefully solve that.

We have brought the sunshine with us today - lets hope it stays that way as we are meant to be heading for the riverside later and then onto Craven Cottage. Training with the mighty Fulham Badgers to really put the guys through their paces!

Just 24 hours to go until we get on a plane unbelievably. I am fairly overbrimming with excitement and I can’t wait to meet up with everyone at the airport tomorrow. There is a certain nervousness as well but I’ve performed a lucky Football trip dance in the hope that we find that everything turns out to be alright on the night. 

Everyone at the HK Down Syndrome Association has been working incredibly hard this week to try and make sure that things do come together. They are a great group of people and their dedication to the cause is admirable. I’m obviously diving in and out of all this but they are living and breathing it and you have to take your hat off to those who have committed to this as a career path. Thanks must also go to Azwar and Shirley at Ogilvy PR who, beyond the call of duty are trying to ensure that people sit up and take note of this amazing bunch of guys.

So the Dragons had their last training session on Saturday. In sweltering heat I think that the thought of the trip to the UK was spurring many of them on. When 6o’clock came round it was definitely the coaches who were needing to be picked up off the turf. The Dragons had a fire in their belly! Overall the touring group looked as ready as they could - it would have been better to have a little more training time in past weeks, but I think that these guys are going to head to the UK and do themselves proud.

It was great to have Clare Williams attend as well from Barclays Capital Asia. As our lead sponsor they are making all of this possible and it was pleasing to see Ms Williams braving the temperatures in order to see first hand what they Barclays Capital were responsible for. As always we are grateful for their support.

So we are at the end of the preparation process and the tour is now a reality. Really can’t wait…