During the 34th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Congress held on 16 May in Bangkok, Thailand, Dr. Veronica Chan Yiu-kam MBE has been honored AFC Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of her unparalleled dedication, service, and contributions to Asian football, particularly in the women's game.
The AFC Lifetime Achievement Award is bestowed upon individuals whose unwavering commitment, innovative spirit, and boundless passion have significantly shaped the football landscape across our vast continent.
Dr. Chan is a well-known figure in the football industry in Hong Kong and even Asia. She has served as the vice-president of The Football Association of Hong Kong, China for many years and is currently the honorary vice-president. She is also the founder of the Hong Kong Ladies Football Association and has served as President. In the FIFA Women Symposium in L.A. USA in 2003, the president of FIFA Mr. Blatter highlighted that Dr. Chan is the “Mother of Women Football”. She was later even recognized as the "Mother of Asian Women's Football" by the Asian Football Confederation.
Dr. Chan has always been enthusiastic about promoting the development of women's football. She founded the Hong Kong Ladies Football Association in 1965 and has served as president for a long time. In 1968, Dr. Chan founded the Asian Women's Football Federation together with Malaysia, Singapore and served as president. In 1975, the first Asian Women's Football Championship was held in Hong Kong. In 1984, the Asian Women's Football Confederation merged into the Asian Football Confederation Women's Football Committee, and Dr. Chan served as the chairman of the committee until 2002.
Dr. Chan had contributed greatly to the development of Women’s Football in Hong Kong for almost fifty years, she fully supported to the FIFA and AFC for the football promotion in Asia as well, and she had been selected as chairlady of the AFC Women Committee from 1989-2002. In addition, Dr. Chan was the former club owner of Yuen Long, Rangers, Caroline Hill and Sea Bee. Dr. Chan was the first female club owner to hire Scottish foreign players such as Derek Currie, Walter Gerrard and Jackie Trainer when she was the club owner of Rangers, while she was the first club owner to introduce European foreign players to Hong Kong. Dr. Chan was also the first club owner to hire a helicopter to carry
goalkeeper Chow Chee Keong from Boundary Street in Kowloon to the Hong Kong Stadium in the 1960s to represent the Caroline Hill football team in the match against the Santos football team from Brazil, which had one of the greatest players of all time, Pele in their squad.
The Association congratulates Dr. Chan for being awarded the AFC Lifetime Achievement Award, and sincerely thanks Dr. Chan for her contribution to the development of football!
Achievement
As President of Hong Kong Ladies Football Association since 1965
As President of Asian Ladies Football Federation formed in 1968
As Council Member of The Football Association of Hong Kong, China from 1973 - 1983
As Vice-President of The Football Association of Hong Kong, China from 1984 - 2001
As the First and only one Lady of The Football Association of Hong Kong, China obtained the Award of M.B.E. in 1994
As Chairman of Referee Committee of The Football Association of Hong Kong, China in 2000.
As Honorary Vice-President of The Football Association of Hong Kong, China in 2002.
Presented - Doctor of Philosophy in Football Development and Sports Management Award (University of Mannin) in 2002
Crowned “Mother of Women Football” by AFC in 2003
*Dr. CHAN's daughter accepted the award.