Known lovingly as the “mother of Asian women’s football”, the founding president of the Hong Kong Ladies Football Association (HKLFA) Veronica Chan Yiu-kam has died, aged 102.
Pui Kwan-kay, president of the Football Association of Hong Kong, China (HKFA), said Chan died on Saturday morning at her home in Tin Shui Wai.
In a statement, her family praised her as “a strong woman who contributed to society and was well respected by others”, while the HKFA called her a “legendary figure” in local football, and a “pioneer and guardian” of the women’s game in Asia.
Born in Hong Kong on September 26, 1922, Chan had long been a prominent figure in football, having held the post as vice-president of the HKFA for many years.
Her dedication to the beautiful game had its roots in an infancy, when Chan was bitten by the bug.
“When I was a kid I always played with my six brothers – never with my sisters,” she told the Post in 2003. “I loved football. I didn’t like dolls.”