South China AA facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
South China

Full name	南華體育會 South China Athletic Association
Nickname(s)	少林寺 (Shaolin Temple) The Caroliners
Founded	1910; 115 years ago (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
2024–25	First Division, 6th of 13
Home colours Away colours

South China Athletic Association (often called South China or SCAA) is a professional sports club in Hong Kong. Its football team plays in the Hong Kong First Division League, which is the second-highest football league in Hong Kong.

South China is one of the most successful football clubs in Hong Kong's history. They have won many titles, including a record 41 First Division championships. The club has a very long history of playing in the top league. However, after the 2016–17 Hong Kong Premier League season, they chose to move down to a lower league.

The club is nicknamed "Shaolin Temple" and "Caroliners." Many great Hong Kong footballers have played for South China over the years. In November 2007, the club started a special partnership with the Hong Kong Red Cross. This was the first time a sports group and a humanitarian group worked together in Hong Kong.

The team plays its home games at Happy Valley Recreation Ground.

Club History: How South China Started

Early Days of Football in Hong Kong

The club house building on Caroline Hill.

The club's entrance on Caroline Hill.

The Chinese Football Team began in 1904. It was started by Chinese students in Hong Kong, including Mok Hing and Tong Fuk Cheung. Tong Fuk Cheung was even the captain of the China national football team in the 1910s.

In 1910, the team changed its name to South China Football Club. Later, in the 1920s, it officially became the South China Athletic Association.

Representing China in International Games

South China's team represented the Republic of China in the 1917 Far Eastern Games and 1919 Far Eastern Games. These games were also known as the Far East Olympics Tournament. South China won the football championship in both events. This is a unique achievement for a Hong Kong team.

China lost in the final of the first Far Eastern Games in 1913. But they won every time in the next nine tournaments until 1934. In 1934, China shared the win with Japan. Most of the players on the China team during these tournaments were from SCAA.

Success in Hong Kong and Asia

After World War II, South China continued to be very successful in the top league. They competed against other strong teams like Eastern and Kitchee.

In Asian competitions, South China reached the final of the 1993–94 Asian Cup Winners' Cup. They played against Al Qadsiah but lost. Still, this was the best result for any Hong Kong club in Asian competitions at that time.

Around 1920–1922, the club officially became the South China Athletic Association. They also started offering other sports, like basketball.

South China also played friendly matches against famous international clubs like Santos and Juventus. Many great Hong Kong footballers developed their skills at the club.

Important Changes in the 1980s

For many years, South China had a rule that only Chinese players could join the club. They would only sign foreign players if they had Chinese family backgrounds. This rule did not cause problems for the team's results for a long time.

However, as professional football grew in Hong Kong, the club found it hard to compete with teams that had many foreign players. The team did not play well at the start of the 1981–82 Hong Kong First Division League season.

Because of this, on November 2, 1981, the club decided to end its "Chinese only" rule. This rule had been in place for sixty years. Even with this change, the season was difficult. On June 6, 1982, after a crucial match, some fans reacted strongly outside the stadium.

South China in the 2000s

In the 2005–06 Hong Kong First Division League season, South China was set to be moved down to a lower league. This was because they lost their last game. However, on June 14, 2006, the Hong Kong Football Association allowed South China to stay in the Hong Kong First Division League. The club promised to make their team much stronger.

South China kept their promise. They brought in better players and coaches. As a result, they won the First Division League title in the 2006–07 season. They also won the Hong Kong FA Cup and the Hong Kong Senior Shield, achieving a "treble" (winning three major titles in one season).

The team became even stronger. They continued to win titles in Hong Kong and also did well in international club competitions. They reached the semi-finals of the 2009 AFC Cup. South China's success helped them rise in world club rankings. They even beat the English Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 in a friendly match.

Much of this success was thanks to the former chairman, Steven Lo. He helped rebuild the team and made Hong Kong football more exciting again. South China also worked with different groups and brands. In 2007, they partnered with the Hong Kong Red Cross. South China was the first football team to wear the Red Cross symbol on their official uniform.

The famous fashion brand Giorgio Armani became their official tailor. This put South China in the same group as other top clubs like Chelsea Football Club. For the 100th Anniversary of the South China Football Team, designer Philippe Starck created a special "Peninsula Chair" with pictures of the team and chairman on it.

Famous players like Nicky Butt and Mateja Kežman also played for South China during the 2010–11 Hong Kong First Division League season.

Recent Years: 2010s and Beyond

Before the 2014–15 Hong Kong Premier League season, Wallace Cheung became the club's leader. He promised to spend a lot of money on the team. The team finished fourth in the league that season and did not win any trophies. However, they won a playoff game, which allowed them to play in the 2016 AFC Cup group stage.

South China's performance in the Hong Kong Premier League era became more challenging. They found it hard to keep up with rivals like Kitchee and Eastern.

On June 5, 2017, South China announced that they would move down to the First Division league by choice. They also ended their partnership with Wallace Cheung. Since then, the team has mostly used amateur players and young talent.

Current Team Players

No. Position Player 1 GK Chow Long Hei 2 DF Law Man Chung 4 DF Ng Cheuk Hin 5 DF Law Wing Lun 6 MF Au Man Lok 7 MF Ho Min Tong 8 FW Ye Jia 9 FW Kwok Ting Him 10 MF Yung Cheuk Leung 11 FW Yau Ping Kai 12 GK Lit Hoi Yat

No. Position Player 14 MF Ip Chung Long 15 DF Lee Chun Lok 17 MF So Yau Tin 18 DF Ma Kin Chung 21 GK Man Wai Sum 22 MF Takuya Tasaka 25 MF Kohei Ito 25 MF Yung Cheuk Leung 27 MF Mak Yin Kan 30 GK Wong Ka Kin — FW Walter Vaz

Retired Jersey Numbers

Mateja Kežman played for South China at the end of his professional football career.

Some football clubs retire jersey numbers to honor special players. South China has retired one number:

No.	Player	Nationality	Position	Years	Ref
38	Mateja Kežman	Serbia	Forward	2011, 2012

Club Achievements: Trophies and Awards

South China is known as the most popular and successful football club in Hong Kong. In November 2001, the Asian Football Confederation named them the AFC Team of the Month.

League Titles

• Hong Kong First Division
  • Champions (41 times): 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
• Hong Kong Second Division
  • Champions (5 times): 1917–18, 1925–26, 1933–34, 1951–52, 1952–53

Cup Competition Wins

• Hong Kong Senior Shield
  • Champions (31 times): 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
• Hong Kong FA Cup
  • Champions (10 times): 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2006–07, 2010–11
• Hong Kong League Cup
  • Champions (3 times): 2001–02, 2007–08, 2010–11
• Hong Kong Viceroy Cup
  • Champions (8 times): 1971–72, 1979–80, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98
• Hong Kong Community Cup
  • Champions (2 times): 2014, 2015
• Hong Kong Junior Shield
  • Champions (9 times): 1947–48, 1950–51, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1966–67
• Hong Kong FA Cup Junior Division
  • Champions (1 time): 2024–25

Famous Players Who Played for South China

Club Coaches

Many coaches have led the South China team over the years. Here are some of them:

Key

* Served as caretaker manager.

Club Partnerships and Branding

Under former chairman Steven Lo, South China improved its image. It partnered with several groups and brands to make Hong Kong football more popular.

Working with Hong Kong Red Cross

In 2007, South China started working with the Hong Kong Red Cross. This was a new kind of partnership between a sports group and a humanitarian group in Hong Kong. South China was the first football team to put the Red Cross symbol on its official uniform.

Fashion and Design Partners

South China also worked with famous brands. They chose Giorgio Armani as their official tailor. For the club's 100th Anniversary, the famous designer Philippe Starck created a special "Peninsula Chair" with pictures of the team and chairman.

Partnership with Tottenham Hotspur

On November 3, 2009, South China and Tottenham Hotspur (a famous English club) announced a partnership. South China became Tottenham's first club partner in Asia. This partnership lasted for two years and could be extended.

The clubs planned to share ideas on how to run a football team, both on the field and in business. Tottenham could also choose South China players first at all age levels. They also supported South China's coaching by sharing information and having coaches visit each other. The two clubs even thought about creating a joint youth academy in Hong Kong or mainland China.

Other Past Club Partnerships

South China has also had partnerships with clubs from other countries:

• Sport Club Internacional
• Yokohama F. Marinos
• S.L. Benfica
• C.D. Nacional
• C.D. Cuenca
• SuperSport United F.C.
• San Jose Earthquakes

Club Songs

南華歌 ("The song of South China")

This is a new official cheering song for SCAA. It was first used in the team's first home match of the 2006–07 season.

擁南躉之歌 ("The song of SCAA fans")

This song was sung by Albert Cheung (also known as Big Al). It became very popular in the late 1970s and 1980s. This was when South China was often competing for the top spots in the league.

Other Interesting Facts

The "All Chinese Policy"

When South China first started, they had a rule that only players of Chinese background could play for the club. This meant that even foreign players had to have Chinese family roots. This rule did not cause problems for the team's performance for many decades.

However, as professional football grew in Hong Kong, the club found it hard to compete with teams that signed many foreign players. The team's performance suffered in the early 1981–82 Hong Kong First Division League season. So, on November 2, 1981, the club decided to end this long-standing policy.

Fan Reactions

On June 6, 1982, after a very important match, some fans reacted strongly outside the stadium. This event was a significant public disturbance in Hong Kong at the time.

Later, in the 2005–06 Hong Kong First Division League season, South China was almost moved down to a lower league. But the Hong Kong Football Association allowed them to stay. This was after South China promised to make their team stronger.

Beyond Football: Other Sports at SCAA

South China Athletic Association is not just about football! They also have teams for many other sports. These include basketball, volleyball, swimming, shooting, and archery. They also have youth teams called "Nam Ching," which means "SCAA Youth" in Chinese.

Images for kids

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  South China player (in red) in action against Victory Sports Club during the 2008 AFC Cup match at the Maldives National Stadium.

See also

In Spanish: South China Athletic Association para niños