Latest news with #FootballAssociationofHongKong
RTHK
5 days ago
- Sport
- RTHK
Women's football pioneer Veronica Chan dies at 102
Women's football pioneer Veronica Chan dies at 102 The city's football association has described Veronica Chan's passing as an "unspeakable loss". Photo courtesy of the Football Association of Hong Kong, China Prominent women's football advocate Veronica Chan has died at the age of 102, following decades of contributions to the sport in the SAR and Asia. Dubbed the "mother of Asian women's football", Chan founded the Hong Kong Ladies Football Association in 1965 and was in at ground level when the Asian Ladies Football Confederation was formed three years later. She oversaw the regional body's merger with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in the 1980s, and was the chairperson of the confederation's women's committee until 2002. Chan also backed a number of football clubs in the city, including Yuen Long, Rangers, Caroline Hill and Sea Bee, and was the first owner to introduce foreign players from Europe to Hong Kong. In 2024, she was awarded the AFC Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her contributions to football in Asia, especially in the women's game. The Football Association of Hong Kong, China, where Chan served many years at, said in a statement that her passing was an "unspeakable loss". "Chan is a legendary figure in Hong Kong football, and a pioneer and guardian of women's football in Asia," the association said on Saturday evening. "Her efforts not only changed Hong Kong, but also had a profound impact on the whole of Asia."
RTHK
13-05-2025
- Sport
- RTHK
HK bow out of women's futsal Asian Cup
HK bow out of women's futsal Asian Cup The SAR players celebrate a goal from Wu Choi-yiu (#8). Photo courtesy of the Football Association of Hong Kong, China The SAR women's futsal team held their heads high on Tuesday despite being eliminated from the AFC Asian Cup, losing 5-2 to Thailand in the quarter-finals. It's the first time Hong Kong, China have reached the last eight of the competition, but top-ranked Thailand proved too strong in the showdown in the Inner Mongolian capital, Hohhot. The Thais opened the scoring in the first minute and raced to a 5-0 lead, before midfielder Wu Choi-yiu got one back for the SAR before halftime. Defender So Hoi-lam scored in the second half but that was as close as Hong Kong, China got. Speaking after the match, So said she was nervous early on, noting that the SAR lost to the youth teams in Thailand during training there. Despite a big deficit at the break, she said she regained her composure and played better after the coach's halftime team talk. "We achieved our target of making the quarter-finals, showing to the world, to Asia, that the women's football team from Hong Kong, China, can do it," So said. She described the team's journey as a dream come true. "Hopefully we can advance to even later stages in future Asian Cups," she added. The football association's futsal manager, Tsang Wai-chung, praised the team for showing the Hong Kong spirit, saying they never quit all tournament and always fought hard even when they fell behind. He said their performance showed there's room for the development of futsal in Hong Kong.
RTHK
12-05-2025
- Sport
- RTHK
HK march into AFC Women's Futsal Asian Cup quarters
HK march into AFC Women's Futsal Asian Cup quarters The SAR are making their maiden appearance at the AFC Women's Futsal Asian Cup. Photo courtesy of the Football Association of Hong Kong, China Hong Kong, China on Sunday rolled into what will be their first appearance at the AFC Women's Futsal Asian Cup knock-out stage, after beating the Philippines 7-3 for their first win in their final group match at the Hohhot Sports Centre. While both sides needed a win to stay in contention in the competition, it was the SAR that hit the ground running through a diving goal by Tsang Lai-mae, who pushed the ball behind the keeper before parrying away another fierce strike. The Philippines took the lead in the 13th minute through Isabella Flanigan's strike in the top right corner. But it only took a minute for the SAR to draw level, as Chung Pui-ki's long-range shot fell to So Hoi-lam – who fired a rebound into the far left corner for her second goal in Hohhot. The SAR continued to score in the second half, finding a third in the 35th minute before going on to seal the victory in convincing fashion. They now join Vietnam and the and Iran in the last eight.
RTHK
02-05-2025
- Sport
- RTHK
Southern sink Lee Man to win Sapling Cup final
Southern sink Lee Man to win Sapling Cup final Southern's 4-0 triumph earned the club their second Sapling Cup title. Photo courtesy of Football Association of Hong Kong, China RTHK's Asia football correspondent Chris KL Lau reports Southern produced a dominant display against Lee Man to be crowned 2025 Sapling Cup champions after a dominant 4-0 win at the Mong Kok Stadium on Thursday. The victory earned Southern their second trophy in the club's history. It was a repeat of the final of two years ago, when Southern prevailed 2-0 against the same opponents. Southern opened the scoring in the 25th minute through midfielder Jonatan Acosta, before goals from Stefan Pereira and Kessi Isac secured a comfortable 3-0 lead at the break. Sohgo Ichikawa upped Southern's advantage in the 67th minute to seal the victory. Lee Man were not without their chances, but they failed to create any meaningful opportunities with shots hitting the bar and post several times. The Sapling Cup, which was founded in 2015, allows younger players to gain more experience at the top level.
South China Morning Post
01-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong great Yapp Hung-fai's warning over 2034 Saudi Arabia World Cup goal
Hong Kong most capped footballer said the city's 2034 World Cup ambition was doomed to failure unless there was speedy and significant improvement in the local game. Advertisement In its Vision 2025 plan, released in 2020, the Football Association of Hong Kong, China, listed qualification for the tournament in Saudi Arabia as one of its seven strategic goals. Despite undeniable improvement under former boss Jorn Andersen, who led Hong Kong to last year's AFC Asian Cup finals, they were nowhere near reaching the third qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup. And goalkeeper Yapp Hung-fai – the only player with a century of appearances for Hong Kong, having earned 104 caps – said he believed qualifying was 'going to be difficult'. 'It's only nine years away,' he said. 'The generation [of players] will change, but if you can't improve local matches, you can't improve the Hong Kong team. Advertisement 'Our players have good technique and skills, but when we play internationals, after 60-to-70 minutes, physically, we're done. There's a big gap between the rhythm of those games and local matches. If we could improve physically, we'd perform much better.'
