South China AA
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22°16′32″N 114°11′15″E / 22.275644°N 114.187539°E
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| Full name | 南華體育會 South China Athletic Association | ||
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| Nickname(s) | 少林寺 (Shaolin Temple) The Caroliners | ||
| Founded | 1910 (as South China Football Team) | ||
| Ground | South China AA-Jockey Club Stadium | ||
| President | Victor Hui | ||
| Head coach | Ku Kam Fai | ||
| League | Hong Kong First Division | ||
| 2023–24 | 3rd | ||
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| South China AA | |||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 南華體育會 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 南华体育会 | ||||||||||
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South China Athletic Association (known simply as South China, SCAA, Chinese: 南華體育會) is a Hong Kong professional football club that competes in the Hong Kong First Division, the second-tier league in Hong Kong football league system. The club is historically one of the most successful football clubs in Hong Kong, having won a record 41 First Division titles, a record 31 Senior Shields, a record 10 FA Cups and 3 League Cups. The club has a very long history in playing in the top-tier league, but decided to self-relegate after the end of the 2016–17 season.
Nicknamed "Shaolin Temple" and "Caroliners", South China has produced many great Hong Kong footballers over the years. In November 2007, the club entered into a charity partnership with Hong Kong Red Cross. The partnership is a pioneer between a sports association and a humanitarian organisation in Hong Kong.
The club plays its home matches at Happy Valley Recreation Ground.
History
Early history
The Chinese Football Team was founded in 1904 by a group of Chinese students in Hong Kong,[1][2] including Mok Hing (Chinese: 莫慶)[3] and Tong Fuk Cheung (Chinese: 唐福祥, the captain of China national football team in the 1910s).[4] In 1910, the team was renamed as South China Football Club.[1][2][3]
In the 1917 Far Eastern Games and 1919 Far Eastern Games (also known as the Far East Olympics Tournament), the club represented the Republic of China and won the football championship.[5] It is the only team in Hong Kong sports history to have accomplished this feat.[5] China lost in the final to the Philippines in the first to be held, in 1913,[6] but in the next nine it won every time, right through until the last FECG to be held in 1934. On that occasion China was a joint winner with Japan. Throughout these tournaments, the majority of the China team was composed of SCAA players.
In 1920, South China which began as a club called the South China Athletic Association founded by Mok Hing.[5]
Around 1920–1922, the club formally adopted the present name of South China Athletic Association and diversified into other sports such as basketball.[5][7]
1980s
Since its foundation, South China had a Chinese only policy whereby the club would only field players of Chinese ethnicity. In keeping with this policy, the club would only sign foreign players who had Chinese ancestry such as Edmund Wee, Chow Chee Keong and Chan Kwok Leung. Up until the 1980s, the policy did not have a negative effect on results.
However, when professional football took off in Hong Kong, the club could not cope with the influx of foreign players and performed poorly at the beginning of the 1981–82 season. Therefore, on 2 November 1981 the club voted to end its six decade old Chinese only policy. Although the club was able to avoid relegation that season, it was not incident-free. On 6 June 1982, after the club drew an all-important match with Caroline Hill, the fans rioted outside the stadium that spread onto Causeway Bay. The riot was the largest civil disorder in Hong Kong since the leftist riot in 1967.
2000s
As they failed to beat Citizen in the last game of the 2005–06 season, South China was to be relegated for the first time since 1983.[8] However, on 14 June 2006, the Hong Kong Football Association approved a request from South China to remain in the Hong Kong First Division with the promise of strengthening their squad. Staying true to their word, South China heavily strengthened their squad and coaching staff. As a result, South China successfully regained the First Division League title in the 2006–07 season, and also winning the Hong Kong FA Cup and the Hong Kong Senior Shield, achieving the famous treble.
The team has gone from strength to strength, while the team has had continued success on the domestic front, winning three consecutive league titles in the process, it has also had success in other international club competitions. The team has reached the semi-finals of the 2009 AFC Cup. South China's success has seen the team climb in world club rankings to their new high of 145th, even surpassing other mainland Chinese clubs which are widely considered to be of a better standard than clubs in Hong Kong. In recent years the South China has taken part in several pre-season exhibition matches with European clubs, with the most notable being a 2–0 win against the English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
Much of the recent success has been attributed to the former chairman, Steven Lo, and with his shrewd business sense he rebuilt the team as a brand, and played a major role in reigniting interest in the Hong Kong Football League. South China has reinvented their image and have partnered with several organisations and brands. In 2007, South China has enter into a partnership with Hong Kong Red Cross. The partnership is a pioneer between a sports association and a humanitarian organisation in Hong Kong, and South China is the first football team to ever bear the Red Cross emblem on the official kit. The appointment of the fashion brand Giorgio Armani as the official tailor, has allowed South China to join some of the world's elite, with the brand being associated with Chelsea Football Club and the England national team. In celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of South China Football Team, world-renowned designer Philippe Starck produced a special edition of the "Peninsula Chair", with the faces of the team and the chairman printed on.
Nicky Butt and Mateja Kežman played for South China during the 2010–11 season.
2010s
Ahead of the 2014–15 season, AET chairman Wallace Cheung became the conveynor of the club, promising to spend $18–20 million per season.[9] The domestic season was not initially a successful one as the club finished fourth in the league and did not win any silverware. The saving grace was a Season Playoff victory which allowed the club to directly qualify for the 2016 AFC Cup group stage.
In 2016–17 South China reached their first cup final in six years, facing Kitchee in the 2016–17 Hong Kong FA Cup Final. However, they were defeated 2–1 and were unable to capture the trophy.
On 5 June 2017, South China made the shocking announcement that they would voluntarily self-relegate into the First Division.[10] The club and Cheung had recently parted ways, leaving the club with no financial benefactor to support their large salary budget.
Current squad
First team
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Retired numbers
| No. | Player | Nationality | Position | Years | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | Mateja Kežman |  Serbia |
Forward | 2011, 2012 | [11][12] |
Honours
Historically the most popular club in the city, SCAA is also the most successful football club in Hong Kong, winning the Hong Kong First Division 41 times (all-time ranking 1st), the Senior Shield 31 times (all-time ranking 1st), the now-defunct Hong Kong Viceroy Cup 8 times, the Hong Kong FA Cup 10 times (all-time ranking 1st) and the Hong Kong League Cup 3 times. The team had captured all 4 trophies in seasons 1987–88 and 1990–91. In November 2001, the team was awarded the AFC Team of the Month by the Asian Football Confederation.
League
- Hong Kong First Division
- Champions (41): 1923–24, 1930–31, 1932–33, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1940–41, 1948–49, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1973–74, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1996–97, 1999–2000, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2012–13
- Runners-up (16): 1928–29, 1946–47, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1972–73, 1980–81, 1984–85, 1988–89, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2010–11
- Hong Kong Second Division
- Champions (5): 1917–18, 1925–26, 1933–34, 1951–52, 1952–53
Cup competitions
- Hong Kong Senior Shield
- Champions (31): 1928–29, 1930–31, 1932–33, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1940–41, 1948–49, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1964–65, 1971–72, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2013–14
- Runners-up (16): 1918–19, 1933–34, 1937–38, 1939–40, 1946–47, 1950–51, 1952–53, 1962–63, 1970–71, 1973–74, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1989–90, 1992–93, 2010–11, 2011–12
- Hong Kong FA Cup
- Hong Kong League Cup
- Hong Kong Viceroy Cup
- Champions (8): 1971–72, 1979–80, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98
- Runners-up (7): 1973–74, 1974–75, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1995–96
- Hong Kong Junior Shield
- Champions (9): 1947–48, 1950–51, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1966–67
- Hong Kong Community Cup
- Champions (2): 2014, 2015
- Hong Kong Community Shield
- Runners-up (1): 2009
- Hong Kong Sapling Cup
- Runners-up (1): 2015–16
- Hong Kong FA Cup Junior Division
- Runners-up (1): 2023–24
Continental record
Recent seasons
Notable players
| This list of "famous" or "notable" people has no clear inclusion or exclusion criteria. Please help improve this article by defining clear inclusion criteria to contain only subjects that fit those criteria. (May 2024) |
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Coaches
As of 30 May 2014. Only competitive matches are counted. Wins, losses and draws are results at the final whistle; the results of penalty shoot-outs are not counted.
| Name | Nat | From | To | Record | Honours | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Chinese | P | W | D | L | F | A | %W | ||||
| Chu Kwok Lun | 朱國倫 | 1954 | 1970 | ? | ||||||||
| Kwok Shek | 郭石 | 1970 | 1977 | ? | ||||||||
| Ng Wai Man | 吳偉文 | 1977 | 1981 | ? | ||||||||
| Halla | 漢拿 | 1981 | 1982 | ? | ||||||||
| Kwok Kam Hung | 郭錦洪 | 1982 | 1982 | ? | ||||||||
| Peter Wong | 黃興桂 | 1982 | 1983 | ? | ||||||||
| Alex Miller | 米勒 | 1983 | 1983 | ? | ||||||||
| Ng Wai Man | 吳偉文 | 1983 | 1984 | ? | ||||||||
| Casemiro Mior | 米路 | 1998 | 2002 | ? | ||||||||
| Wong Man Wai | 黃文偉 | 2002 | 2006 | ? | ||||||||
| Chan Kwok Hung | 陳國雄 | |||||||||||
| Ku Kam Fai | 顧錦輝 | |||||||||||
| Jorge Amaral | 阿曼龍 | 2006 | 24 Nov 2006 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 13 | 60 | ||
| Ku Kam Fai* & Chan Kwok Hung* | 顧錦輝 & 陳國雄 | 25 Nov 2006 | 27 Nov 2006 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 100 | ||
| Casemiro Mior | 米路 | 28 Nov 2006 | 2007 | 20 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 49 | 15 | 75 | 1 First Division title, 1 Senior Shield, 1 FA Cup title | |
| José Luís | 路爾斯 | 2007 | 2008 | 34 | 19 | 4 | 11 | 79 | 41 | 55.9 | 1 First Division title, 1 League Cup title | |
| Tsang Wai Chung | 曾偉忠 | 1 July 2008 | Sept 17, 2008 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Liu Chun Fai* | 廖俊輝 | Sept 17, 2008 | 7 Dec 2008 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 7 | 81.8 | ||
| Kim Pan-Gon | 金判坤 | 8 Dec 2008 | 11 Dec 2010 | 27 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 72 | 16 | 70.4 | 2 First Division titles, 1 Senior Shield title | |
| Chan Ho Yin* | 陳浩然 | 11 Dec 2010 | 28 June 2011 | 28 | 17 | 3 | 8 | 59 | 34 | 60.7 | 1 League Cup title, 1 FA Cup title | |
| Ján Kocian | 高世安 | 28 June 2011 | 9 July 2012 | 26 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 61 | 30 | 50.0 | ||
| Liu Chun Fai | 廖俊輝 | 9 July 2012 | 30 June 2013 | 28 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 63 | 28 | 57.1 | 1 First Division title | |
| Cheung Po Chun | 張寶春 | 1 July 2013 | 17 February 2014 | 1 Senior Shield title | ||||||||
| Yeung Ching Kwong | 楊正光 | 17 February 2014 | 15 December 2014 | 1 Community Cup title | ||||||||
| Mario Gómez | 馬里奧 | 15 December 2014 | 30 April 2015 | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 33 | 18 | 55.6 | ||
| Ricardo Rambo* | 列卡度 | 1 May 2015 | 14 May 2015 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 66.7 | ||
| Casemiro Mior | 米路 | 14 May 2015 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 66.7 | |||
| Amir Alagić | 2016 | 2017 | ||||||||||
- Key
- * Served as caretaker manager.
Partnerships
On 3 November 2009, South China and Tottenham Hotspur jointly announced a club partnership in Hong Kong. South China became the first club partner of Spurs in Asia. The partnership is for 2 years with an option to extend further. Besides planning in sharing of best practice in any areas of the technical and business sides of football, Tottenham Hotspur has the first option on South China players at all age levels. Tottenham Hotspur will support South China's coaching development through the exchange of scientific data, coaching materials and visits of coaching staffs to and from both teams. The two clubs will explore the possibility of a joint youth Academy and training centre in Hong Kong or in mainland China.[13]
Songs
- 1) 南華歌
A new official cheering song for SCAA. It was introduced in the first home match in the 2006–07 season against HKFC. The demo version of the song can be accessed on www.bma.com.hk.
- 2) 擁南躉之歌[14]
This is not the official song of South China, and neither was the original official fans' song. It was sung by Albert Cheung 張武孝(also known as: 大Al/Big Al), and became very well known after being released in 1977, especially during late 1970s and the 1980s; during that period South China was a perennial challenger for the top spots in the league, and the song describes how strong and famous the team was.
References
- ^ a b 原名為華人足球隊 (GIF). 南華八十年回憶錄 (in Chinese). Retrieved 12 April 2008. [dead link]
- ^ a b 第一個華人足球會和「足球王國」 (in Chinese). Wenweipao. Archived from the original on 3 September 2007. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
- ^ a b 莫家後人「點將錄」 (in Chinese). Sina. 26 January 2008. Archived from the original on 3 April 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
- ^ 1919中国足球队 (in Chinese). China Archives Information. 3 August 2007. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
- ^ a b c d Lam, S. F. Chang W, Julian (2006). The Quest for Gold: Fifty Years of Amateur Sports in Hong Kong, 1947–1997. Hong Kong University Publishing. ISBN 962-209-766-9.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Bojan, Jovanovic (15 October 1999). "First Far Eastern Games 1913 (Manila)". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
- ^ "History of the sport club". South China Athletic Association. Archived from the original on 14 March 2007.
- ^ 傳媒報導 – 1 August 2006 羅傑承主政班費千萬增兵 南華搵摩連奴師兄執教 Archived 17 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine, SCAA Fans Club official site Archived 24 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Accessed on 20 October 2007.
- ^ "張廣勇出任新足主 南華換血南美化". on.cc. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014. (in Chinese)
- ^ "Darkest day for Hong Kong football as 'Shaolin Temple' South China withdraw from Premier League". South China Morning Post. 5 June 2017. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ Kin-wa, Chan (19 January 2012). "HK matches will be Kezman's last". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ 基士文賀歲盃作告別戰
- ^ Club Partnership – Tottenham Hotspur & South China Archived 23 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 南 華 會 會 歌 – Song of South China
External links
- Official Website
- South China at HKFA
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- South China AA
- Association football clubs established in 1910
- Football clubs in Hong Kong
- 1910 establishments in Hong Kong