Country Hong Kong Number of teams 11 | Confederation AFC Level on pyramid 1 | |
Founded 2014; 3 years ago (2014) Relegation to Hong Kong First Division League | ||
Hong kong premier league misbah ul haq six ball six sixes
Hong Kong Premier League (Chinese: 香港超級聯賽) is a Hong Kong professional league for men's association football clubs organised by the Hong Kong Football Association. It is currently sponsored by BOCG Life and officially known as BOCG Life Hong Kong Premier League (Chinese: 中銀集團人壽香港超級聯賽). The inaugural season began in September 2014.
Contents
- Hong kong premier league misbah ul haq six ball six sixes
- History
- Format
- Prize money
- Current Season
- Stadiums
- Media coverage
- Other tournaments
- References
Eastern are the defending champions.
History
On 7 February 2013, the Hong Kong Football Association stated that the new Premier League would get under way in Autumn 2014, where it was suggested that the 2013–14 season would be a transition year. As a result, the 2013–14 Hong Kong First Division League was the last season of the First Division to be the top tier of football in the Hong Kong league system.
The clubs already in the top division initially reacted negatively to the perceived increased running costs of competing in a professional league, particularly one where some felt that there was little difference to the old First Division. Five clubs - Citizen, Southern, Sun Hei, Happy Valley and Tuen Mun all eventually decided against joining the new league, which led to fears that the HKFA's plan to start the league with a minimum of 8 teams would not be possible. In the end, however, through public funding and government support, two teams from the Hong Kong Second Division were able to meet the new league license requirements and were promoted, making a total of 9 teams for the first season.
With the recent completion of 'Project Phoenix' which started in 2011, the league has seen some improvements with further amendments planned for the future. This includes a new five-year funding agreement, a new licensing scheme for league member clubs, prize money for all participating teams and new measures put in place against corruption and match-fixing.
Kitchee were crowned as champions of the inaugural season, after amassing a total of 36 points in the league with only 2 losses. Tai Po finished bottom of the league with only 7 points.
The following season, Eastern won the league with a game to spare, winning their first top flight championship in 20 years. They also created history, as they were the first team in the world to win a top flight men's title whilst being managed by a female coach. Wong Tai Sin were relegated after finishing last in the league.
Format
The first season kicked off in September 2014, with 9 teams competing for the championship. It was initially suggested that a relegation system would not apply for the first few seasons, and that teams would continue to be promoted to the top tier league until there were 12 member clubs. In the end, however, the HKFA decided that one club would be relegated and one club would be promoted from the 2014-15 Hong Kong First Division League.
By 2016-17, the league had expanded to 11 teams. The HKFA promoted Tai Po and HKFC who had finished at the top of the 2015-16 Hong Kong First Division into the league while adding expansion teams Hong Kong Sapling and R&F FC (Hong Kong). Wong Tai Sin were relegated from the previous season and Metro Gallery FC chose to self relegate due to financial difficulties. The league will revert to its previous system of promoting one club from the First Division and relegating the club at the bottom of the table.
The winners of the league qualify directly into the group stage for the AFC Champions League, while the Hong Kong FA Cup winners as well as teams finishing in 2nd, 3rd and 4th compete in an end of season playoff for Hong Kong's berth in the second qualifying round of the Champions League. If the FA Cup winners finish in the top four, then the 5th placed team qualifies for the playoff.
Prize money
The structure of the prize money for the inaugural season is as below.
Current Season
A total of 11 teams will contest the 2016–17 season, including seven of the sides from the 2015–16 Hong Kong Premier League as well as Tai Po and Hong Kong Football Club who were promoted from the 2015–16 Hong Kong First Division League, and two new teams - Hong Kong Sapling, who are to be reformed and renamed as Biu Chun Glory Sky after dissolving in 2012, and R&F, a satellite club for China Super League club Guangzhou R&F. Wong Tai Sin finished bottom of the table and are relegated to the Hong Kong First Division. Dreams Metro Gallery FC also departed from the league due to financial problems.
Stadiums
Primary venues used in the Hong Kong Premier League:
Media coverage
Live matches and highlights shows are provided free of charge through online website on.cc in Cantonese.
With regards to English coverage, the official Hong Kong Football Association website, and to a lesser extent the South China Morning Post, provide match reports, player interviews, club information and league data.
Offside.hk is also an excellent source of information on football in Hong Kong for English speakers. The Hong Kong Football Podcast gives detailed and in-depth match reviews and previews on a weekly basis.