Hong Kong Football Thread (R)

This is really stupid.

First off, no one in HK cares about the CSL and I don't think that's going to change with a HK team. Secondly, as the poster above mentioned, it's going to mess with the already poor finances of the HKFA. Think of the travel costs of sending a team up to Dalian or Shandong. Thirdly, how many punters do they think they'll be able to attract to HK Stadium to watch this mythical new team play Shanghai Shenhua? Is it going to be such a large increase that it's worth it to spend exponentially more money funding this one team instead of attempting to fund grassroots football in HK?

I hate to say it but the only way this would work out is if South China entered the CSL.

 

I think they are trying to quote the Wellington Phoenix example. AFC wants Wellington Phoenix to become an Australian entity by 2011 otherwise they want all A-league teams out of ACL.

The HK fans are using this example to claim HK teams cannot compete in CSL, otherwise all CSL teams will lose their rights to play in ACL. It is not true I think because I have seen DPMM, Beijing Guoan, St. Etoile ...etc competing in S-League yet SAFFC can play in ACL.

I think HK teams can play in CSL without affecting CSL teams' participation in ACL, only that the HK team cannot get an ACL place by playing in CSL.

Basically, some HK fans are not keen on seeing a HK team in CSL or Jia league because it will likely see demise of the local league. But some think the local league is beyond saving, that HK is not big enough to support a professional league and it should become amateur. Steven Lo is against an amateur league.

Eastern AA is in the third division. It has won the division and it will now enter , along with the 1st runner's up, in the play-offs with the winner and 1st runner's up from the Third Division (district) for the two promotion slots to the second division.

 

Yesterday's results.

League:
Fourway Rangers 2:5 South China

FA Cup:
Shatin 2:2 Kitchee (Shatin won 3:2 on penalties)
Citizen AA 3:0 Tai Chung FC.

 

Some positive developments. The HK govt commissioned report on HK soccer will be released on 17th March. But the press already got wind of what will happen.

Apple Daily said the consultants will recommend the construction of a dedicated training ground for HK NT and the First Division teams. Apple Daily also said the Hong Kong Jockey Club is supportive, they will pay for the construction. HKJC will operate it themselves instead of HKFA, who is penniless.

Tentatively 8 football fields will be built, 6 artificial grass fields and 2 real grass fields. HK NT (all levels, including juniors) and the First Division teams will have priority over its use. During the summer break when it is not in regular use, it will be rented out to other teams, whether local or foreign.

This is something many people have asked for for a very long time. Hopefully the HK govt will also provide funds for HKFA to employ some good football coaches as well.

 

The difference with the S-League is that select foreign clubs have sent teams consisting of youth players to compete in the league. From what I've heard the practice has been stopped or is stopping soon.

I don't think the HK league is beyond hope but it is definitely a huge uphill battle for it to become prominent again. The issue is the same one many smaller leagues and clubs have to deal with all over the world, which is the fact that it is so easy to just stay at home and watch the world's best players and team on your television. As I've remarked before, I don't think a HK team in the CSL is going to change too much of that. People are still going to stay home to watch City/Villa instead of being all pumped up to see HK United play Beijing Guoan.

I don't know what the solution is but the CSL path is not the correct one.

 

Druryfire, I still think the best idea was my earlier idea to merge HK League and S League and add clubs from Macau (Lam Pak and Windsor Arch Ka I), Brunei (DPMM) and Taiwan into the mix.

To start with, maybe 4 or 5 teams each from HK and SG, then 1 team each from Macau and Brunei, then two teams from Taiwan. We get 14 teams and see how it goes, it could expand to maybe even 16 or 18. We won't need "foreign" teams anymore.

Yes, maybe should start with a Cup competition, allowing HK FA Cup finalists, S League Cup finalists, 1 team each from Macau and Brunei and again two teams from Taiwan. The 8 teams are divided in two groups of 4, top 2 proceeding to semi-finals.

Group A: HK(A), SG(B), Brunei, Taiwan (A).
Group B: HK(B), SG(A), Macau, Taiwan (B).

It will be fun, no?

 

By the way, here is a picture of the football academy site in Tseung Kwan O.

 

The HK govt commissioned report is now available for public view, it is in both English and Chinese.

Basically it recommends a complete overhaul of the current HKFA, a new professional league, a football academy and more artificial football fields for training use.

http://www.hab.gov.hk/file_manager/...on_and_sport/Executive_Summary_(Football).pdf

 

Sounds a bit like the Royal League, which ran for a few years and involved teams from Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Interest was lower than general interest in the respective leagues and this is, of course, involving leagues and teams that have solid fanbases. Once again, what is the motivation for someone to leave their home and come watch live, local football in HK? Is it going to be Kitchee v. some team from Taiwan? Maybe, but doubtfully.

The other problem with "gimmicky" cups/leagues like these is that once the novelty wears off, the interest wanes. I hate to keep coming in here and stating that I think every idea doesn't work but I think the current setup is the least worst idea out there. The solution is probably not very sexy but it involves building up the standard of HK football from a grassroots level over many years. Yeah, no quick fixes like a HK team in the CSL or Tampines Rovers v. South China.

I wonder if the ACL was reformatted to at least give a chance to the champions of every single Asian league to qualify, similar to the UEFA Champions League. Obviously, we'd be talking about qualifying rounds galore but at least dangle the carrot of a somewhat glamourous tournament in front of the HK league winners. This, of course, wouldn't fix the league and HK football but it could help to improve it without doing something radical and gimmicky.

 

I will agree with there being no quick fixes to the problems in HK. But I don't agree it should be compared with the Royal Cup you mentioned. The Danish, Swedish and Norwegian leagues already were reasonably healthy, whereas the HK league, S league are lacking quality teams, while Macau, Brunei and Taiwan have no pro leagues at all. We had only 122 people watching Kitchee vs Shatin and only 60 people playing last week.

I doubt ACL will ever be open to all the champions, at least not directly (i.e. without play-offs). I think the Japanese and Korean teams are not interested to play the minnows.

In the old format, before the creation of the ACL and AFC Cup, the Japanese teams used to only send their second string players to HK for the away game, get a draw and then thrash us with their first team when they play at home. That gave us nothing.

HK must improve its own competitiveness in order to draw the crowds in. But the problem as the HK govt said over the last week repeatedly, now lies entirely in the hands of the HKFA.

 

South China 3:2 TSW Pegasus
Tales Schutz scored a hat-trick to overturn TSW Pegasus' 2:0 advantage in the first half. Both TSW Pegasus goals were scored by Itarparica.

NT Realty Wofoo Tai Po 0:0 Shatin AA

Sunhei 3:0 Tai Chung FC

Now the league will take a break for the HK FA Cup.

 

helooo Asia soccer

http://www.crestinabsolut.webs.com

 

Little Milan is launching another campaign to send young ambitious HK footballers to England to study and learn to play football. Any boy born between 94 - 96 is eligible to apply.

Last year they sent young Chan Chun-Lok to Brooke House College. He has since signed a contract with Peterborough's youth team.

http://www.littlemilan.com.hk/

 

http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/51111/default.aspx

Birmingham City FC to visit Hong Kong on 18 July and will play against Hong Kong NT.

 

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_...2&sid=27698294&con_type=1&d_str=20100412&fc=1

Football hunts an agent of change

SerinahHo

Monday, April 12, 2010

Hong Kong football chiefs will embark tomorrow on a global search for a mastermind to engineer change at the very top of the game in the city.
The Hong Football Association says the man - or woman - it is looking for will also need to come up with a way of communicating change across the sport to individual clubs.

Association chairman Brian Leung Hung-tak said the consultant will need good knowledge of the association's structure and have a global football vision.

"They must have high credibility so they can be the middleman between the FA and individual football clubs on reform," he said.

"The consultant will be responsible for giving professional advice on reform such as changes to the structure of our board of directors."

Leung said communication between the FA and its member clubs is vital.

"Some individual clubs worry about how they will adapt to new policies and changes to their clubs after reform.

"We need more than 75 percent of consensus from our 56 clubs to approve reforms. This is one of our hardest challenges." Leung added that Hong Kong has many talented football players but more resources are needed to train them.

He urged the government to give the association money as it has pledged.

"Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen was grateful for Hongkongers' outstanding performances in the 2009 East Asian Games. Tsang assured us of more support for sports development," Leung said.

The government promised an annual support of HK$20 million to the HKFA, an increase of HK$13 million from the current HK$7 million per year, he said.

"I hope they can take action as soon as possible."

A lack of support would hold back reform, he added.

Former top player Leslie George Santos said there is lack of support for the training of young footballers, which in turn retards the development of the game in Hong Kong.

"Among the 200 students at my Santos Soccer Training Limited, many are outstanding. But without long-term support of these talented footballers it will be hard to improve the prospects of Hong Kong football."

 

http://www.hkfa.com/zh-hk/load_page.php?pid=159

Appointment of Change Agent
Background

The Hong Kong SAR Government has recently released a consultancy report on football development in Hong Kong, the full version of which can be found on-line at the following address

http://www.hab.gov.hk/file_manager/en/documents/policy_responsibilities/ arts_culture_recreation_and_sport/Master_Report_on_Football_e.pdf

The Hong Kong Football Association accepts in principle the key recommendations in the report, which would in part require a self-initiated process of reform by the association. In line with the relevant recommendation in the consultancy report, the HKFA is now seeking an external and independent “Change Agent” to assist with the formulation and implementation of appropriate reforms.

 

The lack of interest and crowd attendances at local games. I think I've raised the point on here many moons ago about switching the league to a summer league where there is less competition with the televised European leagues like they have done with some of the minor leagues in Europe like Ireland and Swedish, from my own experience I know the Irish league attendances have generally improved compared to when it ran along the same time as the top European leagues. I know that isn't possible in HK with its weather conditions. So a simple solution maybe just to switch the fixtures to a friday night cooler temperatures for the players and less competition with televised games.

An idea, given that attendances tend to be so low at most local games is there really a need for a national stadium? A stadium that holds 40,000 and highest attendances for local games judging from this topic, seems to be around the 10,000 mark. It doesn't really make sense to have such a big stadium and so many empty seats.

Maybe selling the national stadium and redevelopingsomewhere like Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground into a 20,000 seater and with funds are left over government could pumped that into into local football and other sports. I don't know if it'd make a difference to improving local football attendances but a more compact stadium that where people are as sprawled out is bound to create a better atmosphere.

I know other events are held at the HK stadium and I can't comment on those not knowing anything about them.

 

The HK Stadium and all other sports grounds in HK are owned by the HK government. HKFA, all the clubs and any other users including the HK Rugby Sevens, just pay rent to use the stadiums.

Anyway someone else suggested moving the league schedule to March till Nov as well. I think it could help, because China, Japan and Korea, the big 3 in East Asia, follow this schedule, too.

Not sure about Fri night games because lots of ppl work late in HK and not many work 5 day weeks. I think the best solution is to have July off as a summer break.

 

Kitchee SC of Hong Kong has apply to play in the RHB Singapore Cup.

They have been accepted & the draw is this Sat.