Hong Kong FC (football)
The Soccer Section of Hong Kong Football Club (Abbreviation: HKFC; Chinese: 香港足球會) fields a range of teams at various age divisions in the Hong Kong leagues. The First Team currently competes in the Hong Kong First Division.
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| Full name | Hong Kong Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Chinese: 港會 | ||
| Founded | 12 February 1886 | ||
| Ground | Hong Kong Football Club Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 2,750 | ||
| Manager | Neil Picknell | ||
| League | Hong Kong First Division | ||
| 2018–19 | 2nd | ||
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History
While the soccer team has won many titles in the second-tier competition in recent years, they have rarely enjoyed success when playing against the professional sides in the First Division. In 1980 however, "CLUB" as they were commonly known, did manage to avoid relegation from the Professional First Division for the first time in their history. One of the highlights of the season was a 1–1 draw with eventual Champions Seiko SA. On 10 May 1980 at the HK Government Stadium CLUB defeated Kui Tan 1–0 with an 87th-minute penalty scored by John McGunnigle, meaning Kui Tan joined Urban Services in the drop that year.
In the past few years, HKFC opted not to take promotion to the First Division. In 2006, finally, the club accepted the promotion after winning the Second Division. After showing initial promise, they lost 4 league matches in a row between March and April 2007 and were relegated to the Second Division. They did however become Champions of the Second Division again in April 2010 and returned to the First Division. Therefore, HKFC is known as the Yo-yo club in Hong Kong soccer sector.
In 2016, two years after the establishment of the fully professional Hong Kong Premier League, HKFC finally decided to seek promotion to the top flight after finishing as runners-up behind Tai Po in the 2015–16 season. Their stay in the top flight only lasted a single season, however, as the club finished bottom in 2016–17 and dropped back down to the First Division.
HKFC won the First Division for the first time in a century during the 2017–18 season, going unbeaten throughout the entire league campaign. The club declined promotion as they did not want to field a professional side.[1]
International Soccer Sevens
The team is known outside Hong Kong for being the host of the annual HKFC International Soccer Sevens youth-team seven-a-side tournament which attracts high-profile teams such as Manchester United, Aston Villa and Celtic.
Honours
League
- Hong Kong First Division
- Hong Kong Second Division
- Champions (13): 1972–73, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2004–05, 2005–06,
- Runners Up (2): 1988-89, 2007–08
Team Officials
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Tony Hamilton-Bram |
| Assistant Manager | John Casey |
| Coach | Steve Tucker |
| Equipment Manager | Thomas Shirley |
| Soccer Section Chairman | Robert Bacon |
| Soccer Section Captain | Seb Page |
See also
- Club of Pioneers
- Hong Kong Football Club
References
- "梁孔德稱流浪無申請留級 元朗前途未決". Apple Daily. Retrieved 8 May 2018. (in Chinese)