Hong Kong Premier League back to eight teams next season as FA sets up new under-23 side
- A HK$3.5 million budget has been set aside for the new team with national under-23 team coach Cheung Kin-fung to take charge
- Five over-aged players will be allowed but only a maximum of three can play in any given match
The Hong Kong Football Association will form an under-23 team to join the Premier League next season following the withdrawals of Happy Valley and Pegasus.
The decision was made at a special board meeting at the FA’s Ho Man Tin headquarters on Thursday. The new youth team will mean there will be eight teams again in next season’s top flight despite the withdrawal of the two clubs in the close season.
“We have set aside a budget of around HK$3.5 million and one of the board of directors will run the new team under a registered company,” said association chairman Pui Kwan-kay. “We will apply for the club license once we have confirmed more details of the new team.
“The decision will make the Premier League situation better with eight teams in the league and at the same time provide more playing opportunities for our upcoming players.”
It is believed Cheung Kin-fung, the under-23 national coach, will take charge of the new team, which will also feature five over-aged players, although only a maximum of three will be allowed to feature in any given match.
Pui said the decision had received the support of Premier League clubs while the government and the Hong Kong Jockey Club will also provide resources to help the new team.
“At the moment, there are six players in the Hong Kong under-23 team who are out of a job and they will be given priority to join the new team,” Pui said. “There will also be players from other clubs joining and we are confident the team can fulfil the purpose of developing young players for the future.”
Hong Kong football has suffered since the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020, with the season interrupted repeatedly, while the overall economic situation has also affected commercial sponsorship of the sport. Happy Valley were the first club to pull out of the Premier League this summer after many of their players were left without salaries earlier this year, while Pegasus also ceased to continue, leaving only six teams left for the new season.
A fortnight ago, the HKFA invited the First Division champions, Hong Kong Football Club, to join the elite ranks and the set up of the new under-23 team will make it eight teams again for the new season so that Hong Kong can fulfil one of the basic requirements needed to send teams to AFC’s regional club competitions.
With the economy slowly recovering and the interest in domestic football still in doubt, there will be no relegation from the Premier League for the next three seasons.
