阿媽隻狗西木
2025-08-12 00:27:07
Hong Kong Football Club boss says sky is limit for young team, sets big target
Chancy Cooke preparing for second campaign in charge after huge summer overhaul, as youngsters replace departed veterans
After overseeing a calculated squad overhaul, Chancy Cooke has set Football Club an ambitious top-half target for the new campaign.
In the longer term, head coach Cooke said that should his wholehearted backing of young talent pay off, the “sky is the limit” for an aspirational club.
Since finishing bottom of last season’s local Premier League, the South African has waved goodbye to thirtysomethings Andy Russell, Jack Sealy, Freddie Toomer and Marcus McMillan. Talented left-back Callum Beattie moved to Kitchee.
Of 14 new additions, only three are older than 25. Nine are 24 or younger.
Cooke said Football Club had studied data-driven models applied elsewhere, as they targeted the “athletic and young players who will allow us to get at teams, be forward thinking, possession dominant and aggressive”.
“Recruiting those types of individuals works for our game model, as well as where we are financially and in our development process,” Cooke added.
Last season, Cooke gave more than 1,000 minutes of league football to midfielder Yoshi Chan Ho-Ka, who recently turned 19.
“If he signs for a big club outside Hong Kong in two years, we’d be happy to see him progress, then bring in the next one,” Cooke said.
“We want to push youth development; to produce players from our academy and give them opportunities.
“If we have a youthful team coming through, the sky is the limit.”
Cooke cast his net far and wide when adding to his squad, recruiting from France, Mongolia, the Philippines, Germany and the US.
Nonetheless, for two reasons he welcomed a new demand to conform with the league’s limit on foreign players, after his club were previously exempt.
Firstly, the 39-year-old reiterated a long-standing wish that Football Club “don’t exist on our own island”.
“With our facilities, there’s no reason we can’t be a professional club that contributes to Hong Kong football,” Cooke said.
Additionally, Cooke wants to begin filling the club’s 2,750-capacity stadium, a lofty aim after they averaged 619 last season.
“A more local team that represents Hong Kong and plays exciting football will, hopefully, put bums on seats,” he said. “If we get people following us, it’ll attract more sponsorship and allow us to challenge the best teams in future.”
Cooke acknowledged that enticing crowds to local football would also require a better matchday experience, improved food and drink, and having more schools and local people involved.
“Above all, though, we need to perform on the pitch,” he said.
Results did not always reflect incremental progress last season, but nor were they a priority, as Cooke established a new, more intricate playing style during his first campaign.
For his second term, Cooke wants to “compete and develop”. “We understand there is more pressure on us as a coaching staff,” he said.
“We’ve had more time to research and pick players, and feel we’ve strengthened and have a better balance.”
Cooke joked that it would be helpful if the local football association belatedly confirmed arrangements and a start date for the new season. It is expected that after two rounds the 10-team league will be split into championship and relegation divisions.
“Our goal is to finish top half,” he said. “We need to be more dogged: take our chances and defend the big moments.”
Last summer, Football Club members voted to continue in the Premier League for at least two more seasons.
“If we become sustainable, there’s no reason we can’t become a long-term fixture,” Cooke said.
“If we professionalise off the pitch and make ourselves marketable, we can begin offering players housing, visas, and higher wages; then we can build every season.”
烏撒的貓
2025-08-12 00:31:28

Goalkeepers: Darlington Osuchukwu, Jake Ford
Defenders: Alfie Walker, Connor Laurie, Joe Deighton (U15), Jaume Camacho, Gazi Ibragimov, Joseph Akinsanya (U15), Sam O'Brien
Midfielders: Jacey Carrick, Emmanuel Ziro, Jed Bangura (U15), Jodie Nganga, Jasper Mantato (U15), Jack Waters (U15), Harlem McLaughlin, Brian Nyoni (U15)
Attackers: Tunde Shoretire, Edson DeJonge Seiros, Louis Kibbalya, Jaice Dore (U14), Silva Mexes, Camron Mpofu, Pharell Silvester