Active Parent Mark - Football Academy

“Both my wife and I have a strong liking for the outdoors and sport even before the kids were born. After their birth, we continued to visit the outdoors whenever we could and our relationship with the kids were built from the day they were born. Doing sport and getting outdoors is also a way to build up resilience, ruggedness and can help cultivate love for the environment and society. 

We have been active people all along, with a strong desire to treasure the limited time we have on earth – and also to spend lots of quality time with the children. To some extent, we can earn back the money that we spend but we cannot earn back the time that we spend - hence we try to spend time as wisely as possible. For us, sport and outdoor play are healthy, meaningful and cost-effective ways to spend quality time with the family.  

We live right beside a small neighbour park along Hougang Avenue 5 and frequently walk there to get some fresh air and sunlight. During the Circuit Breaker, my kids stayed home but they were able to continue to remain active through ActiveSG Football Academy’s online lessons, as well as doing other online exercise and dance routines. 

With the easing of the Circuit Breaker measures, we often cycle with our children seated at the back of our bicycles. We have since cycled to Coney Island, Punggol Beach and Pasir Ris Park using the park connectors. With the resumption of ActiveSG's Football Academy's physical sessions, my kids have ample outdoor time – and so do us as parents! We also use GameOn NILA! and BALIKSG trails to enjoy the outdoors and history of Singapore. It is a joy to be able to explain the story of Singapore to my children.”

Mark Ho is a father of 2 children, and both participate in the ActiveSG Football Academy. He, along with his family, enjoys playing football, running, swimming and a whole range of other sports.