Crisis in Hong Kong football: switching off the lights in clubs’ financial black hole
Asked why he continues to pump more than HK$20 million (US$2.56 million) of his own money into Kitchee every year, the club’s owner, Ken Ng Kin, said: “It’s not for fame or fortune.”
Frankie Yau, the vice-chairman of Eastern, told the Post the “business model” of a local Premier League club amounted to “burning the investor’s money”. Eastern are losing around HK$10 million per season, despite scaling back an annual HK$30 million budget two years ago.
The ongoing decline of the local club game is no laughing matter. A new season begins next month, and there is still no fixture list, nor a format for a nine-team league that is required to meet certain standards to remain a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Yau said the four major pillars that football clubs traditionally rely on for income do not exist in Hong Kong. “The broadcasting rights are almost nothing,” he said. “Gate receipts are small, there is little sponsorship, and if you transfer a player, you receive almost nothing.
“As a chairman, someone might want their picture taken with you, you get some publicity, and that’s [your return].”
Last season, the owners of the city’s leading four clubs emptied more than HK$100 million into a black hole. In addition to Ng’s HK$20 million-plus spend, Yau parted with upwards of HK$10 million.
Norman Lee Man-yan, president of champions Lee Man, funded a budget of roughly HK$30 million, while Francis and Catherine Yip, the altruistic owners of Tai Po, committed about HK$53 million.
Francis Yip acknowledged that “no owners or sponsors expect a return”. He suspected some of his counterparts used football to promote their business or gain status in the eyes of government. The Yips are retired, and view their Tai Po ownership as a way of “ensuring people have a future”.
“Football can help more people than we realised,” Francis Yip said. “We have around 22 players; that is 22 families.”
Ng, the president of EDPS Systems, which provides IT contract services for the government, said the vast majority of his football outgoings were swallowed up by salaries and bonuses.
He said his reason for continuing to pump funds into Kitchee was to “help Hong Kong improve” and provide a platform for young local players to earn moves abroad.
“I don’t really worry about [winning titles],” he said. “It’s important we play good football and have international matches [such as Kitchee’s impending friendly with Atletico Madrid] that get people excited about Hong Kong.
“We hope we make some money, but obviously not much comes back. I’ve been doing this since 2003, so it’s a lot of years and a lot of money.”
Asked if he would continue investing indefinitely, Ng said: “I don’t know.” The Yips, who have rejuvenated Tai Po since taking over two years ago, were unsure whether they would sustain their support beyond 2027.
The Premier League retains a modicum of lustre: Sham Shui Po tried to raise cash to extend their two-year stay, while Kowloon City accepted promotion. Kowloon co-chairman Dave Ho said: “Promoting and enhancing the quality and ecosystem of football has always been our goal.
It has been confirmed that Kowloon will play home matches at Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground, recently vacated by HKU23, illustrating the itinerant nature of a number of top-flight clubs.
Yau said Eastern enjoyed benefits “no better than the visiting team” when playing home matches at Mong Kok Stadium. “We are allowed to move in one hour before kick-off,” he said.
“Afterwards, they switch off the lights and we have to go. If you don’t have a home, you cannot generate the sense of belonging for fans. People just come and go.”
He was frustrated at the cost of hiring training facilities, other than at the Football Training Centre in Tseung Kwan O, which Eastern pay to use for two hours every day.
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