Hong Kong coaches believe hosting the World Lacrosse Super Sixes in the city next week presents a good opportunity for the growth of the sport.
The event runs from December 29 to 31 on artificial football pitches in Aberdeen and Wong Chuk Hang, with six men’s teams and seven women’s sides competing for the top spots at the first Super Sixes tournament in Asia.
“With the [acceptance] of lacrosse into the 2028 Olympic Games, hopefully the event raises some interest and encourages new participants to join and play,” Hong Kong’s men’s head coach Bob Snider said.
“The Sixes is the format that will be played at the Los Angeles Games, so it is a great opportunity for Hong Kong to showcase our sport to the locals and opportunities for our players to play against some of the top teams in the world,” Gemini Fan Tak-kwan, head coach of the women’s national team, said.
The Hong Kong men’s team have lost their leading figure, in Kelvin Mak Ho-chun, after the veteran retired having led the side to a historic 13th place at the World Championship in San Diego in July, but Snider remains optimistic about the future despite admitting it will “take some time” to fill the captain’s shoes.“The competitive games have allowed younger players to step up, develop and compete at a high level,” he said. “We have multiple guys that are stepping up as leaders in the group.
“There are lots of younger players stepping into the mix that are getting the attention of the coaching staff, too. It may take some time to find the right person to fit that [captaincy] role, but we are confident in the personnel we have with the group.”
Similar to the Hong Kong Open in April, the city’s women’s squad are fielding two teams in the Super Sixes, and Fan said they had a “very good mix” of experienced players and young talents this year.
“We have some returning players from the 2022 World Championship back on the team,” she said. “Also, the younger players who joined the team after the World Championship have grown a lot since then.
“This is the first time we will get to play in an international sixes tournament, so it will be a good opportunity for our players to play this format against some top teams from around the world.”
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Fan added that co-captains Sally Tang Yi-ting and Daphne Li Moung-king would be the key players for the more attack-focused team 1, while team 2, a more defensive side, was bringing back defenders Leona Chak Ka-yan and Woo Ka-yu from the team at the global championship after both recovered from ACL injuries.
Hong Kong’s women finished 16th among the 29 teams – their best position in three appearances.
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