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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1980
CALL FOR MORE SMALL SPORTS PITCHES IN NT
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ADDITIONAL SPORTS GROUNDS ARE BEING CONSTRUCTED IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, BUT A GREAT MANY SMALL PITCHES ARE NEEDED, SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY.
MR AKERS-JONES, WHO WAS OFFICIATING AT THE INAUGURATION
OF THE NEW TERRITORIES SOCCER LEAGUE AT YUEN LONG STADIUM, SAID ADDITIONAL SPORTS GROUNDS WERE BEING CONSTRUCTED AT TUEN MUN AND SAI KUNG WITH A GENEROUS CONTRIBUTION FROM SIR SHIU-KIN TANG, AND OTHERS WERE PLANNED FOR EARLY COMPLETION AT SHA TIN AND TAI PO.
+BUT, IN ADDITION TO THESE MAJOR FACILITIES, WE NEED A GREAT MANY SMALL PITCHES FOR MINI-SOCCER AND BASKETBALL AND, EVENTUALLY, INDOOR GAMES HALLS WHERE LARGE NUMBERS OF YOUNG PEOPLE CAN TAKE VIGOROUS EXERCISE, HAVE FUN AND MAKE FRIENDS, HE SAID.
+WE MUST ALSO ENSURE THAT EXISTING PITCHES ARE WELL-MAINTAINED AND FLOODLIT WHEREVER POSSIBLE, AND THAT THE MAXIMUM USE IS MADE OF THEM.
+THESE QUESTIONS ARE NOW BEING STUDIED BY THE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS CONCERNED, HE SAID.
TEAMS FROM ALL EIGHT NEW TERRITORIES DISTRICTS ISLANDS, NORTH, SAI KUNG, SHA TIN, TAI PO, TSUEN WAN, TUEN MUN AND YUEN LONG WERE PRESENT AT TODAY'S OPENING CEREMONY, WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY A MATCH BETWEEN YUEN LONG AND NORTH.
MR AKERS-JONES SAID THE STARTING WHISTLE THIS AFTERNOON SIGNIFIED THE BEGINNING OF 55 INTER-DISTRICT FOOTBALL MATCHES TO FOLLOW WITHIN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
SIMILAR TOURNAMENTS WOULD BE ORGANISED AROUND THE NEW TERRITORIES FOR BASKETBALL, VOLLEYBALL, BADMINTON, TABLE-TENNIS AND TENNIS, WITH EACH DISTRICT RESPONSIBLE FOR ONE TYPE OF SPORT.
THESE TOURNAMENTS, INVOLVING LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE, HAD BEEN MADE POSSIBLE BY THE COMBINED EFFORT OF +INTERESTED AND ENTHUSIASTIC+ DISTRICT SPORTS ORGANISATIONS, THE RECREATION AND SPORT SERVICE AND NEW TERRITORIES SERVICES DEPARTMENT, HELPED BY FUNDS FROM THE DISTRICT BOARDS, MR AKERS-JONES
SAID.
HONG KONG FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION HAS PLEDGED SUPPORT FOR THE LEAGUE AND WILL PROVIDE REFEREES FOR MATCHES.
THE WINNING TEAM WILL BE AWARDED THE AKERS-JONES CUP, WHICH HAS BEEN PERSONALLY DONATED BY THE NEW TERRITORIES SECRETARY,
ALSO PRESENT AT THE OPENING CEREMONY WERE THE CHAIRMAN OF THE NEW TERRITORIES INTER-DISTRICT SPORTS COMPETITION CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE, MR DICKEN YUNG- THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SOCCER LEAGUE COMMITTEE, MR CHIU YUK-CHUEN- AND MRS AKERS-JONES,
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