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
2023–24	3rd
Home colours Away colours

The South China Athletic Association (often called South China or SCAA) is a famous football club from Hong Kong. They play in the Hong Kong First Division League, which is the second-highest league in Hong Kong football.

South China is one of the most successful football clubs in Hong Kong's history. They have won many championships, including a record 41 First Division titles, 31 Senior Shields, 10 FA Cups, and 3 League Cups. The club has a very long history of playing in the top league, but they chose to move down to the First Division after the 2016–17 season.

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

South China plays its home games at the Happy Valley Recreation Ground.

Club History

How it All Started

The club house building on Caroline Hill.

The club's entrance on Caroline Hill.

The club began in 1904 as the Chinese Football Team. 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. They were very successful early on.

Winning Championships for China

South China 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! This is a unique achievement in Hong Kong sports history.

China won almost every Far Eastern Championship Game from 1913 until 1934. Most of the players on the China team during these tournaments were from South China AA.

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

Changes in the 1980s

For a long time, South China only allowed players of Chinese background to join the club. They would only sign foreign players if they had Chinese family roots. This rule worked well for many years.

However, when professional football grew in Hong Kong, the club found it hard to compete against teams with many foreign players. Because of this, on November 2, 1981, the club decided to end its Chinese-only policy. This was a big change after sixty years!

Even with this change, there were some tough times. In 1982, after a match, fans protested outside the stadium. This protest grew into a large public disturbance in Causeway Bay.

Success in the 2000s

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

They kept their promise! South China brought in many new, talented players and coaches. Because of this, 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, completing a "treble" (winning three major trophies in one season).

The team became very strong, winning three league titles in a row. They also did well in international club competitions, reaching the semi-finals of the 2009 AFC Cup. South China even played friendly matches against big European clubs, like a 2–0 win against English Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur.

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

Much of this success was thanks to the former chairman, Steven Lo. He helped make the team popular again and brought new excitement to the Hong Kong Football League. South China also worked with different organizations and brands. In 2007, they partnered with the Hong Kong Red Cross, becoming the first football team to wear the Red Cross symbol on their official uniform. They even had the famous fashion brand Giorgio Armani as their official tailor!

Famous players like Nicky Butt and Mateja Kežman played for South China during the 2010–11 season.

The 2010s and Self-Relegation

Before the 2014–15 season, Wallace Cheung became the club's leader and promised to invest a lot of money. The team didn't win any trophies that season, but they did qualify for the 2016 AFC Cup group stage.

In the 2016–17 season, South China reached their first cup final in six years, playing against Kitchee in the 2016–17 Hong Kong FA Cup Final. However, they lost 2–1.

On June 5, 2017, South China made a surprising announcement: they would voluntarily move down to the First Division. This happened because the club's financial supporter left, and they couldn't afford their high player salaries anymore.

Current Squad

First 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 Numbers

Sometimes, football clubs retire a player's jersey number to honor them. This means no other player will wear that number again.

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

Club Achievements

South China is the most popular and successful football club in Hong Kong. They have won many trophies over the years. In November 2001, the team was even named the AFC Team of the Month by the Asian Football Confederation.

League Titles

• 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
  • Champions (10): 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2006–07, 2010–11
  • Runners-up (5): 1975–76, 1985–86, 1997–98, 2000–01, 2016–17
• Hong Kong League Cup
  • Champions (3): 2001–02, 2007–08, 2010–11
  • Runners-up (2): 2014–15, 2015–16
• 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

International Matches

South China has also played in many international club competitions, representing Hong Kong. They have faced teams from all over Asia.

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1986	Asian Club Championship	Group C	Liaoning FC	0–1	3rd
			Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian	1–1
1987	Asian Club Championship	Group 6	Yomiuri FC	0–1	0–2	2nd
1988–89	Asian Club Championship	Group 6	April 25	0–3	4th
			Guangdong Wanbao	0–1
			Yamaha Motors	1–1
			Wa Seng	3–0
1991	Asian Club Championship	First round	Sporting de Macau	9–1	5–0	14–1
		Second round	Yomiuri FC	1–0	1–3	2–4
1993–94	Asian Cup Winners' Cup	First round	Dalian Haichang	2–0	1–0	2–1
		Second round	East Bengal	1–0	4–1	5–1
		Quarter-final	bye
		Semi-final	Nissan	(w/o)
		Final	Al-Qadsiah	2–4	0–2	2–6
1997–98	Asian Club Championship	First round	Selangor FA	0–0	2–0	2–0
		Second round	Dalian Wanda	0–4	2–1	2–5
2000–01	Asian Club Championship	Second round	Júbilo Iwata	1–3	1–3	2–6
2002–03	2002–03 AFC Champions League Qualification Round 1	Second round	Home United	2–1	1–1	3–2
		Third round	Shimizu S-Pulse	0–5	1–3	1–8
2008	AFC Cup	Group D	Home United	2–3	4–1	3rd
			Victory SC	3–0	0–0
			Kedah FA	1–3	3–0
2009	AFC Cup	Group F	PSMS Medan	3–0	2–2	1st
			VB	2–1	1–2
			Johor FC	2–0	1–4
		Round of 16	Home United	4–0
		Quarter-final	Neftchi Farg'ona	1–0	5–4	5–5 (a)
		Semi-final	Al-Kuwait	0–1	2–1	1–3
2010	AFC Cup	Group G	Muangthong United	0–0	0–1	1st
			VB	3–1	1–0
			Persiwa Wamena	6–3	0–2
		Round of 16	Al-Riffa	1–3
2011	AFC Cup	Group H	Muangthong United	1–1	4–2	3rd
			Chonburi FC	0–3	3–0
			Kingfisher East Bengal	1–0	3–3
2014	AFC Cup	Group G	Vissai Ninh Bình	1–3	1–1	3rd
			Kelantan FA	4–0	2–0
			Yangon United	5–3	2–0
2015	AFC Cup	Group G	Global FC	3–0	1–6	1st
			Pahang FA	3–1	0–1
			Yadanarbon	3–1	0–3
		Round of 16	Bengaluru FC	2–0
		Quarter-final	Johor Darul Ta'zim	1–1	3–1	2–4
2016	AFC Cup	Group G	Yangon United	2–1	2–1	2nd
			Mohun Bagan	0–4	0–3
			Maziya	2–0	2–1
		Round of 16	Ceres	0–1(aet)
		Quarter-final	Johor Darul Ta'zim	1–1	2–1	2–3

Recent Seasons' Performance

Famous Players

Many talented players have been part of the South China team. Here are some of the notable ones:

Coaches of the Team

Here are some of the coaches who have led the South China football team.

Key

• Means they were a temporary coach.

Club Partnerships

On November 3, 2009, South China and the English club Tottenham Hotspur announced a special partnership in Hong Kong. South China became Tottenham's first club partner in Asia. This partnership was planned to last for 2 years, with a chance to extend it.

The partnership allowed the clubs to share their best practices in football, both on the field and in business. Tottenham Hotspur also got the first chance to sign any South China players of all ages. Tottenham Hotspur agreed to help South China's coaching by sharing information and having coaches visit each other's teams. The two clubs also looked into creating a joint youth academy and training center in Hong Kong or mainland China.

Team Songs

• 1) 南華歌 (South China Song)

This is a new official cheering song for SCAA. It was first played at a home match in the 2006–07 season. You can find a demo version of the song online.

• 2) 擁南躉之歌 (Song of the South China Fans)

This song is not an official club song, but it became very popular after it was released in 1977. It was sung by Albert Cheung (also known as Big Al). This song was especially famous in the late 1970s and 1980s, when South China was always one of the top teams. The song talks about how strong and well-known the team was.

See also

In Spanish: South China Athletic Association para niños