Kitchee SC facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kitchee

Full name	Kitchee Sports Club
Nickname(s)	Hong Kong Barça (香港巴塞) The Bluewaves The Bluebirds (藍鳥)
Founded	1931; 93 years ago (1931)
Ground	Mong Kok Stadium
Ground Capacity	6,664
President	Ken Ng
Head coach	Edgar Cardoso
League	Hong Kong Premier League
2023–24	Premier League, 4th of 11
Home colours Away colours

Kitchee Sports Club (Chinese: 傑志體育會; Jyutping: Git6zi3 Tai2juk6wui2; [kìːt̚ tsīː tʰɐ̌i jòk̚ wǔːy]; pinyin: Jiézhì tǐyù huì) is a Hong Kong professional football club based in Kowloon. It was founded in 1931 and currently competes in the Hong Kong Premier League.

The club has won 12 league titles, including six Hong Kong First Division titles and six Hong Kong Premier League titles. They also won nine Senior Shields and seven Hong Kong FA Cups. The club is also the first Hong Kong club to win a game in AFC Champions League group stage and to advance to the round of 16 of the competition.

History

Formation

Kitchee's first headquarters at 130 Johnston Road, Wan Chai.

In the late 1920s, a group of Hong Kongers formed a football team in order to compete in the Hong Kong Third Division. It was not until 1931, however, that the team was established as Kitchee Sports Club.

Kitchee was founded as a grassroots organization, as such, they lacked the funding to pay the administrative and facilities costs necessary to become a multi sports club. It was not until 1934 when the club were able to raise the money to rent an office at 130 Johnston Road in Wan Chai, that they were admitted as members of the Hong Kong Football Association.

World War II

In 1939, Japanese bombs hit Hong Kong during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The club's records during this time were destroyed during the bombing.

As the Pacific War began, Hong Kong fell to the Japanese on 25 December 1941, therefore the club's operations were suspended during the three-year, eight-month Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.

After the Japanese surrender of Hong Kong in August 1945, former members of Kitchee returned to the club. They resolved to help revitalize the Chinese Amateur Athletic Federation of Hong Kong and establish the Chinese Football Association of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Chinese Football Referees’ Association and the Hong Kong Chinese Footballer's Fraternity.

Post War to 1964

Kitchee squad in Macau ahead of a charity exhibition match in 1959.

Following the war, Kitchee were admitted into the 1947–48 Hong Kong First Division League where they won the league title, the club's first major trophy. Between 1947 and 1964, the club won three Hong Kong First Division titles, one Second Division title, four Hong Kong Senior Shield's and one Hong Kong Junior Shield.

During this period, Kitchee discovered Hong Kong football legends Yiu Cheuk Yin and Lam Sheung Yee. Yiu led the club to its first two First Division titles and later became known as the "Treasure of Hong Kong Football." Lam spent a total 14 years at Kitchee, split between two spells, and was a part of every Kitchee squad which won a trophy between 1948 and 1964.

1964 to 2003

In 1965–66, Kitchee won only one game while drawing four others in the season, finishing second bottom of the table. The club were relegated after a 17-year spell in the top flight. In the subsequent season, Kitchee slid into the Third Division for the first time in three decades.

In the late 1980s, Law Ding Chun was hired as the new chairman of Kitchee. Law moved quickly to modernize the operations of Kitchee, buying insurance for all of his players in order to provide them with peace of mind in the event of an injury. His changes worked as Kitchee were soon promoted back to the Second Division.

In 1991–92, Kitchee won the Second Division title, returning to the top flight for the first time in 26 years. The squad during this period featured many future Hong Kong internationals including Yau Kin Wai, Chung Ho Yin, Yeung Hei Chi, Yeung Ching Kwong, Dale Tempest, as well as former England international Mark Barham. Kitchee spent three seasons in the top flight before they were relegated along with Kui Tan at the end of the 1994–95 season.

During the 1998–99 season, Kitchee won promotion back to the First Division as well as the Hong Kong Junior Shield. The following year, the squad were led by a backbone of young local players such as Lee Wai Lun, Man Pei Tak and Ng Wai Chiu. However, these were soon poached by bigger clubs and due to inadequate replacements, the performance of the team suffered and Kitchee were once again relegated at the conclusion of the 2000–01 season.

Ahead of the 2002–03 season, former Hong Kong national team manager Chan Hung Ping was hired as Kitchee's manager. He led the team to the Second Division title in his one and only season as manager.

A new golden age

Following their return to the First Division in 2003, Kitchee became one of the most prominent teams in Hong Kong, winning three trophies in two seasons under coach Dejan Antonic: two in 2005–06 and one in 2006–07 season. The club secured 2nd place in the league, along with league champions South China who had already qualified for the AFC Cup as the Hong Kong Senior Shield winners. As a result, Kitchee became one of two Hong Kong representatives in the 2008 AFC Cup.

Since 2009, the club has been a partner of the Chinese University of Hong Kong in its Injury Prevention and Performance Enhancement (IPPE) program.

Kitchee were invited to take part in the 2010 Singapore Cup, becoming the first Hong Kong team to take part in the tournament. The club lost to Etoile FC 4–6 over two legs in the quarter final.

In the 2010–11 season, under coach Josep Gombau, Kitchee won its first league title in 47 years by one point over arch rival South China, allowing the club to compete in both the 2011 Barclays Asia Trophy, where they lost 0–4 to Chelsea and 0–3 to Blackburn Rovers, and in the 2012 AFC Cup.

Between 2011 and 2014, Kitchee players combined to win the Footballer of the Year award for four straight years. The recipients of this award were Roberto Losada in 2011, Lo Kwan Yee in 2012, Huang Yang in 2013 and Fernando Recio in 2014.

In 2012, Kitchee Foundation submitted a successful proposal to The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for a youth football training centre. The club received over HK$44 million from the trust for the establishment of a training ground at Shek Mun, Shatin, New Territories. The Jockey Club Kitchee Centre, as it was later called, opened in 2014. The trust provided 90% of the funding, with the rest coming in part from the proceeds of a Kitchee vs Arsenal exhibition match where they drew 2–2. Apart from serving as the training ground of Kitchee first team and Kitchee Academy, the centre also provides facilities for the Education Bureau-approved Professional Footballer Preparatory Programme, which Kitchee jointly offers with Yan Chai Hospital Tung Chi Ying Memorial Secondary School, in order to integrate football training into regular school curriculum and schedule.

In October 2012, Arsenal donated HK$780,000 to Kitchee Foundation in support of the youth training centre. The club won the 2013–14 First Division title. The following season, Kitchee won the inaugural Hong Kong Premier League, the 2014–15 HKFA Cup and the 2014–15 League Cup, completing the treble for the second time.

In 2016–17, Kitchee completed a treble for the third time, capturing the Senior Shield, the Hong Kong FA Cup and the Hong Kong Premier League title. The club promoted long time assistant coach Chu Chi Kwong to head coach role and Director of Football. Brazilian attacking midfielder Fernando won the 2017 Footballer of the Year award while striker Sandro won the Golden Boot.

During the 2017 AFC Champions League qualifiers, Kitchee won against Vietnam's Hanoi FC 3–2 but lost in the playoff rounds to Ulsan Hyundai in penalties.

The following season, Kitchee directly qualified 2018 AFC Champions League group stage through their HKPL title. To prepare for the competition, the club signed former World Cup Golden Ball winner, Uruguayan footballer Diego Forlán. The club managed to achieve a 1–0 win over Kashiwa Reysol at home, becoming the first team from Hong Kong to win a game in the history of the AFC Champions League group stage. Domestically, Kitchee won the Premier League, FA Cup and the Sapling Cup, completing a treble for the second consecutive season and the fourth in club history.

In 2021, the club signed former Montenegrin international Dejan Damjanović, who won the Golden Boot with 17 goals in his first season with the club. The Bluewaves won the 2020–21 Hong Kong Premier League title on the final day of the season, beating rivals Eastern 2–0. Kitchee followed up their domestic success by accumulating 11 points in their 2021 AFC Champions League, a record for a Hong Kong club in the competition.

During the 2022 AFC Champions League, Kitchee made history by becoming the first Hong Kong club to advance to the round of 16.

In 2022–23 season, Kitchee completed a treble again by winning the Senior Shield, the Hong Kong FA Cup and the Hong Kong Premier League title.

Current squad

First team

No. Position Player 1 GK Wang Zhenpeng 2 DF Law Tsz Chun (vice-captain) 3 DF Leon Jones 4 DF Matheus Dantas FP 5 DF Hélio (captain) 6 DF Jay Haddow FP 7 MF Ruslan Mingazow FP 8 MF Cheng Chin Lung 9 FW Welthon FP 10 FW Luís Machado FP 11 MF Jordan Lam 12 DF Bae Jae-woo FP 13 GK Enikar Mehmud FP 14 MF Poon Pui Hin 16 MF Tan Chun Lok (vice-captain) 17 MF Fernando (vice-captain)

No. Position Player 18 MF Chen Ngo Hin 20 MF Aarón Rey FP 21 FW Seb Buddle 22 DF Diego Bardanca FP 23 GK Tuscany Shek 24 MF Ngan Cheuk Pan 25 GK Fynn Talley FP 27 FW Sherzod Temirov FP 29 FW Kim Shin-wook FP 30 FW Juninho 31 FW Matthew Slattery 33 MF Yeung Cheuk Kwan 34 DF Kam Chi Kin 38 MF Chan Yuen Ho 39 FW Chen Tao FP

Remarks:
^LP These players are considered as local players in Hong Kong domestic football competitions.
^FP These players are registered as foreign players.

Out on loan

No. Position Player 26 MF Sohgo Ichikawa (on loan at Southern) 32 MF Yuen Chun Him (on loan at CF Amposta U19) DF Yim Kai Cheuk (on loan at Kowloon City)

Club officials

Basic information

Item	Name
Training Ground	Jockey Club Kitchee Centre
Youth Training System and Football Academy	Kitchee Academy
Youth Football Training Academy	Kitchee Soccer Academy powered by DV7 Soccer Academy
Kitchee Soccer Academy Honors	The Asian Football Confederation AFC Elite Youth Scheme certified as The first Hong Kong “Two-Star Elite Youth Academy"
Chinese University of Hong Kong(CUHK)Sports Medicine Clinic@Kitchee	The Asian Football Confederation AFC Medical Centre/Clinic of Excellence
Football Players Diets and Nutritional Restaurant	The Kitchee Bistro
Systematic Football & Physical Training Program for Young Players	Kitchee Top Talent Elite Project for "Hong Kong 2034"
Official Fans Club	The Blue Wave
Official Mascot	Kit Jai (A Little Blue Bird)
Official Club Song	We Are Kitchee!
Home Stadium for Hong Kong Premier League	Mong Kok Stadium
Youth Football Training System Consultant	Double Pass Company

Coaching staff

Position	Name
Head Coach	Edgar Cardoso
Assistant Coach	Stefano Sousa
	Fernando Recio
Goalkeeping Coach	Guo Jianqiao
Strength and Conditioning Lead Coach	Wesley Wong
Technical Analyst	Aaron Sek
Men U22 Youth Team Coach	Fernando Recio
Men U18 Youth Team Coach	Poon Man Chun
Men U16 Youth Team Coach	Chu Chi Kwong
Men U14 Youth Team Coach	Gao Wen
Women Team Head Coach	Chu Chi Kwong
Women U18 Youth Team Coach
Women U15 Youth Team Coach	Cheung Wai Ki
Kitchee Academy Director	Chu Chi Kwong
Kitchee Academy Coach	Gao Wen
Professional Footballer Preparatory Programme Coach	Chu Chi Kwong
Club Consultant Doctor	Dr. Yung Shu Hang / Samuel Ling
Club Consultant Dietitian	Sylvia Lam

Club personnel

Position	Name
President	Ken Ng
General Manager	Wilson Ng
Licensing and Public Relations Manager	Ng Yee Yun
Director of Marketing	Lo Shuk Ting
Director of Football	Chu Chi Kwong
Director of Youth Training Development
Technical Director of Football Academy	Jordi Tarrés
Customer Service Manager	Cheng Ching Yu

Honours

Domestic League

• Hong Kong Premier League and Hong Kong First Division (Tier 1)
  • Champions (12): 1947–48, 1949–50, 1963–64, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2022–23
  • Runners-up (8): 1952–53, 1954–55, 1956–57, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2012–13, 2015–16
• Hong Kong Second Division (Tier 2)
  • Champions (3): 1950–51, 1991–92, 2002–03
• Hong Kong Third Division (Tier 3)
  • Champions (1): 1997–98

Other Domestic League

• Hong Kong Reserve League
  • Champions (2): 1962–63, 2022–23

Domestic Cup competitions

• Hong Kong Senior Challenge Shield
  • Champions (9): 1949–50, 1953–54, 1959–60, 1963–64, 2005–06, 2016–17, 2018–19, 2022–23, 2023–24
  • Runners-up (6): 1948–49, 1951–52, 1955–56, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2014–15
• Hong Kong FA Cup
  • Champions (7): 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2022–23
  • Runners-up (2): 2003–04, 2013–14
• Hong Kong Sapling Cup
  • Champions (2): 2017–18, 2019–20
  • Runners-up (1): 2023–24
• Hong Kong League Cup
  • Champions (5): 2005–06, 2006–07, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16
  • Runners-up (1): 2007–08
• Hong Kong Premier League Committee Cup
  • Champions (1): 2023–24
• Hong Kong Junior Challenge Shield
  • Champions (2): 1951–52, 1998–99
• Hong Kong Community Cup and Hong Kong Community Shield
  • Champions (3): 2009, 2017, 2018
  • Runners-up (3): 2014, 2015, 2016

Other Domestic Cup competitions

• The HKFC International Soccer Sevens Main Tournament
  • Champions (1): 2011
• The Lunar New Year Cup
  • Runners-up (2): 2010, 2017

Performance in AFC competitions

All results list Kitchee's goal tally first.

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
2008	AFC Cup	Group E	Perak	2–2	1–2	3rd
			New Radiant	2–0	1–2
			Singapore Armed Forces	0–2	0–4
2012	AFC Cup	Group F	Tampines Rovers	3–1	0–0	1st
			Terengganu	2–2	2–0
			Sông Lam Nghệ An	2–0	0–1
		Round of 16	Arema	0–2
2013	AFC Cup	Group E	Churchill Brothers	3–0	4–0	2nd
			Warriors	5–0	4–2
			Semen Padang	1–2	1–3
		Round of 16	Kelantan	2–0
		Quarter-finals	Al-Faisaly	1–2	1–2	2–4
2014	AFC Cup	Group H	Tampines Rovers	4–0	5–0	1st
			Nay Pyi Taw	2–0	2–1
			Pune	2–2	2–0
		Round of 16	Arema Cronus	2–0
		Quarter-finals	Vissai Ninh Bình	0–1	4–2	4–3
		Semi-finals	Erbil	1–2	1–1	2–3
2015	AFC Champions League	Preliminary Round 2	Chonburi	1–4
2015	AFC Cup	Group F	Balestier Khalsa	3–0	2–1	2nd
			East Bengal	2–2	1–1
			Johor Darul Ta'zim	2–0	0–2
		Round of 16	Persib Bandung	2–0
		Quarter-finals	Al-Kuwait	1–1	0–6	1–7
2016	AFC Champions League	Preliminary Round 2	Hanoi FC	0–1
2016	AFC Cup	Group F	Kaya FC	1–0	1–0	1st
			New Radiant	0–0	2–0
			Balestier Khalsa	4–0	0–1
		Round of 16	Bengaluru FC	2–3
2017	AFC Champions League	Preliminary Round 2	Hanoi FC	3–2 (aet)
		Play-off Round	Ulsan Hyundai	1–1 (3–4 p)
2018	AFC Champions League	Group E	Kashiwa Reysol	1–0	0–1	4th
			Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	0–6	0–3
			Tianjin Quanjin	0–1	0–3
2019	AFC Champions League	Preliminary Round 2	Perak	1–1 (5–6 p)
2019	AFC Cup	East Asia Zone Group I	April 25	1–0	0–2	2nd
			Hang Yuen	3–0	2–1
			Tai Po	2–4	3–3
2020	AFC Cup	East Asia Zone Group I	Tatung FC	Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
			MUST CPK
			/ Winners of Play-off East Asia
2021	AFC Champions League	Group J	Guangzhou FC	1–0	1–0	2nd
			Port FC	2–0	1–1
			Cerezo Osaka	0–0	1–2
2022	AFC Champions League	Group J	Chiangrai United	1–0	3–2	2nd
			Vissel Kobe	2–2	1–2
		Round of 16	BG Pathum United	0–4
2023–24	AFC Champions League	Group F	Lion City Sailors	1–2	2–0	4th
			Bangkok United	1–2	1–1
			Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	1–2	1–2

Notable seasons

Season	League	League Position	Senior Shield	FA Cup	League Cup	Season Play-offs	Community Cup	Asia Tournament		Top scorer(s) and Goals		Notes
1938– 1939	Third Division	—	Did not enter	Not held	Not held	Not held	Not held	Not held		—	—	Promoted
1946– 1947	Second Division	—								—	—	Promoted
1947– 1948	First Division	Champion	—							—	—	—
1949– 1950	First Division	Champion	Champion							—	—	Double Champions
1950– 1951	Second Division	Champion	Did not enter							—	—	—
1951– 1952	Second Division	—	Junior Shield Champion							—	—	—
1953– 1954	First Division	—	Champion							—	—	—
1959– 1960	First Division	—	Champion							—	—	—
1963– 1964	First Division	Champion	Champion							—	—	Double Champions
1964– 1965	First Division	—	—							—	—	Relegated
1971– 1972	First Division	—						Did not enter		—	—	Relegated
1990– 1991	Third Division	—	Did not enter	—						—	—	Promoted
1991– 1992	Second Division	Champion								—	—	Promoted
1993– 1994	First Division	—								—	—	Relegated
1995– 1996	Second Division	—	Did not enter							—	—	Relegated
1997– 1998	Third Division	Champion								—	—	Promoted
1998– 1999	Second Division	—	Junior Shield Champion							—	—	—
1999– 2000	First Division	8th	—							—	—	Relegated
2002– 2003	Second Division	Champion	Did not enter		—					—	—	Promoted
2003– 2004	First Division	Runners-up	Second round	Runners-up	Group stage					—	—	—
2004– 2005		3rd	Semi-finals	Semi-finals	Group stage					—	—	—
2005– 2006		4th	Champion	1st round	Champion					Keith Gumbs	15	Double Champions
2006– 2007		Runners-up	Semi-finals	Semi-finals	Champion					Keith Gumbs	13	—
2007– 2008		6th	Runners-up	Quarter-finals	Runners-up			2008 AFC Cup	Group stage	Goran Stankovski	12	—
2008– 2009		Runners-up	Quarter-finals	Quarter-finals	Semi-finals			Did not enter		Paul Ngue	14	—
2009– 2010		3rd	Runners-up	1st round	Not held		Champion			Baruc Nsue	7	—
2010– 2011		Champion	Quarter-finals	1st round	Semi-finals		Not held	2010 Singapore Cup	Quarter-finals	Jordi Tarrés	15	Double Champions
2011– 2012		Champion	1st round	Champion	Champion			2012 AFC Cup	Round of 16	Roberto Losada	13	Treble Champions
2012– 2013		Runners-up	Quarter-finals	Champion	Not held	Champion		2013 AFC Cup	Quarter-finals	Jordi Tarrés	18	Double Champions
2013– 2014		Champion	1st round	Runners-up		Did not enter		2014 AFC Cup	Semi-finals	Juan Belencoso	22	—

Premier League era

Season	Premier League	Senior Shield	FA Cup	League Cup	Sapling Cup	Season Play-offs	Community Cup	Asia Tournament		Top scorer(s) and Goals		Notes
2014– 2015	Champion	Runners-up	Champion	Champion	Not held	Did not enter	Runners-up	2015 AFC Champions League 2015 AFC Cup	Pre. round 2 Quarter-finals	Juan Belencoso	34	Treble Champions
2015– 2016	Runners-up	Semi-finals	Quarter-finals	Champion	Group stage	Champion	Runners-up	2016 AFC Champions League 2016 AFC Cup	Pre. round 2 Round of 16	Rufino Segovia	17	Double Champions
2016– 2017	Champion	Champion	Champion	Defunct	1st round	Did not enter	Runners-up	2017 AFC Champions League	Play-off round	Sandro	25	Treble Champions
2017– 2018	Champion	Semi-finals	Champion		Champion	Defunct	Champion	2018 AFC Champions League Group stage		Lucas Silva Sandro	16	Quadruple Champions
2018– 2019	4th	Champion	Champion		Group Stage		Champion	2019 AFC Cup East Asia Zone Group stage		Fernando Lucas Silva	17	Treble Champions

Season	Premier League	Senior Shield	FA Cup	Sapling Cup	HKPLC Cup	Asia Tournament	Top scorer(s) and Goals		Notes
2019– 2020	Champion	Quarter-finals	Quarter-finals	Champion	Not held	Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic	Wellingsson	14	Double Champions
2020– 2021	Champion	Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic		Semi-finals		2021 AFC Champions League Group stage	Dejan Damjanović	21	—
2021– 2022	Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic					2022 AFC Champions League East Asia Quarter-finals		15	—
2022– 2023	Champion	Champion	Champion	Group stage		Not held		25	Treble Champions
2023– 2024	4th	Champion	Semi-finals	Runners-up	Champion	2023–24 AFC Champions League Group stage	Mikael	26	Double Champions
2024– 2025						2024–25 AFC Women's Champions League Preliminary stage

Invitational tournament record

All results list Kitchee's goal tally first.

Season	Competition	Round	Club	First leg	Second leg	Aggregate
2005	Hong Kong–Shanghai Cup	Friendly	Shanghai Shenhua	0–1
2010	Singapore Cup	Preliminary Round	Beijing Guoan Talent	2–1 (aet)
		Quarter-finals	Etoile FC	4–4	0–2	4–6
2011	Premier League Asia Trophy	Semi-finals	Chelsea F.C.	0–4
		Third-place playoff	Blackburn Rovers	0–3
2012	Hong Kong–Shanghai Inter Club Championship	Friendly	Shanghai Tellace	0–4	2–3	2–7
2014	Hong Kong–Shanghai Inter Club Championship	Friendly	Shanghai SIPG	1–6	0–0	1–6
2017	Lunar New Year Cup	Semi-finals	Muangthong United	1–1 (5–4 penalties)
		Final	Auckland City FC	0–1

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Club culture and supporters

Established in 2011, the Blue Wave is the official fans club organised by Kitchee to offer fans with special perks and offers. Originally a fans-organised cheering group, the Blue Wave became the club's official fans club in 2011, while retaining the name Blue Wave after the reorganisation. Since its formation, the Blue Wave has become an identity shared by all Kitchee fans as they come to the stadium every match day, cheering and supporting the players on the field.

Notable head coaches

Years	Name	Notes
2002–2003	Chan Hung Ping
2003–2005	Cheng Siu Chung, Lam Hing Lun	Co-coaching and both coaches have played in part of the matches as players
2005–2007	Dejan Antonić
2007–2008 2016 2020–2021	Chu Chi Kwong	Caretaker
2008–2009	Julio César Moreno
2009	Cheng Siu Chung	Caretaker
2009–2013	Josep Gombau
2013	Àlex Gómez
2013–2014	Chu Chi Kwong, Cheng Siu Chung	Caretaker
2014–2015	José Francisco Molina
2015–2016	Abraham García
2016–2019 2022–2023	Chu Chi Kwong
2019–2020	Blaž Slišković
2021–2022 2023–2024	Kim Dong-jin	Interim Head Coach
2024–Present	Edgar Cardoso

All-time player records

Most appearances

As of 26 May 2024; active players still with the club in bold.

Most goals

As of 26 May 2024; active players still with the club in bold.

Retired numbers

No. Position Player 19 MF Huang Yang

Asia Football Clubs Ranking

See also

In Spanish: Kitchee SC para niños