The family using football to change lives across Asia: Raymond Tan and Esther Sham on giving back through the Tan Siu Lin Foundation

How has football impacted your life?
Tan: I am very fortunate that my two best friends are my twin brother Jerry and my son Justin. Both Jerry and I still play football regularly at the age of 64, while Justin grew up playing football, representing the Hong Kong youth team. All three of us are Manchester United fans—you could say that football bridges my most personal relationships.  I also learnt a lot from Manchester United’s legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson; I applied [the way he managed the club] to the way I run my business. Playing and watching football has provided me with a great foundation for my physical and mental health. Twenty years ago, I read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. The second habit in the book is: “Begin with the end in mind.” Covey asks the readers to imagine attending their own funeral. He asks us to think about how we would like to be remembered after we are gone. My first thought was that it would be nice if my friends and relatives could share stories about how I used football to impact other people’s lives—that was the moment that I decided to start my football charity journey.

What initiatives does your foundation implement to engage and uplift local communities?
Tan: The Tan Siu Lin Football Foundation has four key initiatives. Firstly, we believe in providing football training to young kids using a holistic approach. Through football, they can learn lifelong skills such as teamwork, perseverance, sportsmanship, humility, patience, leadership and hard work. We have both male and female programmes and we pay equal attention to both. Our female team is now one of the top women’s teams in Hong Kong. We also partner with the Hong Kong Jockey Club for our elderly and special needs programmes. Our elderly programme helps over 800 people—we have male players over 90 years old and many female players in their 80s. We partner with the We R Family Foundation, providing more than 300 children from marginalised families with fun after-school activities. Many of our players in different parts of the world are also getting their coaching licences and working within our organisation so they can share their experience with the next generation of players.

How do you believe football can empower women and girls in the community?
Sham: It empowers girls by breaking barriers, building resilience and creating opportunities. It teaches discipline, fosters self-belief and challenges gender norms. Football helps build their physical and mental strength and proves women deserve equal opportunities on and off the field.

What challenges do you see women facing in sports, and how does your foundation address them?
Sham: Women in sports face barriers like unequal pay, limited media coverage, fewer opportunities, lack of resources and gender stereotypes. We combat these issues by pushing for policy changes, offering training grants and competing in overseas competitions to increase exposure. We empower female athletes to break barriers and inspire future generations.
Tan: Women play so many roles in their lives: spouse, mother, daughter, friend, career woman—it is extremely challenging for women to be fully committed to sports, as the prime years for an athlete are usually the same period that these girls are receiving higher education and forming families. Even after many years of training, they seldom get recognised, and this can be very discouraging. Our foundation trains our girls at a very young age, ensuring they have the right foundation as they mature. We also invest heavily in our social media to share their successes. Leaders from our foundation often attend key matches in and outside of Hong Kong to show support. We make sure they realise that they are not just playing football, but for an organisation that is using football to impact people’s lives. This becomes the motivation for them to keep moving forward. For example, our Philippines football programme helps street kids and our Cambodian programme trains girls who have been sexually abused. Actually, two of our kids from the Philippines will be playing in Hong Kong professionally next year. 

How important is it for young girls to see female athletes in leadership roles?
Sham: Very. Young girls need to see female athletes leading, as it proves no goal is out of reach. Through our team’s visibility, we hope to send a message: be bold, take up space and redefine what’s possible. Leadership isn’t gendered—it’s earned. Let them see you, so they know they can lead too.

How has your partnership with international football clubs influenced the development of your programmes?
Tan: We are the only football school with our own indoor and outdoor pitches. Our programmes are designed by our European partners to train our players across different age groups. We also arrange summer trips to London so that they can train and play against top European youth teams. AC Milan will be sending a full-time Italian coach to be stationed in Hong Kong soon [who will start working with TSL] and will transfer the team’s technical knowledge to our local coaches and players. 

What is your vision for the future of women’s football in Hong Kong?
Tan: Women’s football is in its infancy, yet we recognise the opportunities the beautiful game can provide for women. The Asian Football Confederation organises an annual Asian football competition, with champions from each country in the region competing. This international tournament will lead to more interest in investing in women’s football within the Hong Kong local community. We will do our best to win so that we can tell our story—that girls from different backgrounds can be successful if they are given the right opportunities.

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