Women’s football club in Hong Kong looks to Brazil for players – and Japan could be next source of talent
- Newly promoted 247FC sign two South Americans to help make them competitive, with plans to bring in more, and say it can raise the overall standard in the city
- ‘We knew little about women’s football in Hong Kong back in Brazil, but it looks fine since my arrival,’ Beatriz da Silva says
Brazilian players are plentiful in Hong Kong men’s football these days, and the same could soon apply in the women’s domestic league, with top-flight newcomers 247FC bringing in South American talent.
Set to make their debut in the women’s First Division when the new season kicks off next month, newly promoted 247FC are bringing in foreign recruits as they aim to challenge domestic heavyweights such as defending champions Kitchee, Citizen, Chelsea Football School and Sha Tin.
Already arrived in Hong Kong is Brazilian defensive midfielder Breatriz da Silva, and her countrywoman Stefani Cabral – who plays in the Faroe Islands – is due to follow before the season starts.
“It is difficult to get quality local players as a newly promoted club with little tradition in domestic football,” the club’s business and development director Frankie Chow said.
“The easiest way is to sign overseas players to build a team that will be able to challenge. We know this is something new in local women’s football, but it’s worth a try. We hope others may follow suit and we can improve the overall standard in Hong Kong.”
Although women’s football in Hong Kong is not professional, leading clubs do pay allowances to some of their players to help with living expenses – but 247FC wants to do more.
“We won’t call ourselves a professional club yet, but all our players will get cash allowances and our budget in the first year will exceed HK$1 million [US$127,500],” Chow said.
“We want to do that also because we heard the Asian Football Confederation will be introducing a women’s Champions League soon, and would be happy if we can represent Hong Kong.”
Da Silva, 34, played for a number of clubs in Brazil before moving to the Faroe Islands, where she played alongside Cabral. She returned to Brazil last season, helping her club clinch the Third Division title.
“I want to try something new and get new experiences in football, and that’s why I came,” she said. “We knew little about women’s football in Hong Kong back in Brazil, but it looks fine since my arrival here a month ago. I am quite happy with my new journey. I hope we can help the club challenge for titles.”
Chow said they planned to lure more overseas players, with no restriction on numbers by the Hong Kong Football Association.
“We are looking at Japan – they have many women’s players who may not have opportunities and want to try overseas. But that will be the next step, depending on how we do in the next couple of months.”
Besides overseas players, his club have also signed Hong Kong international Tsang Lai-mae from Chelsea FC Soccer School and Letti Tsang Ho-yan from Kitchee, champions of last season and kept Leung Lok-in, last season’s Second Division top scorer with 19 goals.
Tsang, a winger or wing-back, was looking forward to working with the two Brazilians.
“There should be a lot of things we can learn from them,” said Tsang Lai-mae, who is a member of the city’s Asian Games squad. “Da Silva is very powerful, as we’ve seen from training, and her arrival should be a great asset to the team.”
Letti Tsang said she had thought hard about leaving Kitchee.
“They are champions and a well established club, but I want challenges and to leave the comfort zone,” the winger said. “We are mostly a new team, but at least five players, like myself, also play for City University, and there should be some understanding among us.”
