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22°16′32″N114°11′15″E / 22.275644°N 114.187539°E /22.275644; 114.187539

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) (asSouth 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

South China Athletic Association (known simply asSouth China,SCAA,Chinese:南華體育會) is a Hong Kong professionalsports club with a football team competing in theHong Kong First Division, the second-tier league inHong Kong football league system.

TheChinese Football Team was founded in 1904 by a group of Chinese students in Hong Kong,^[1][2] including Mok Hing (Chinese:莫慶)^{[citation needed]} andTong Fuk Cheung (Chinese:唐福祥, thecaptain ofChina national football team in the 1910s).^[3]

In 1910, the team was renamed asSouth China Football Club^[1][2] and formally adopted the present name ofSouth China Athletic Association in the 1920s.^[4][5]

Amid the post-WWII competition from league rivals likeEastern,Kitchee,Seiko,KMB,Sing Tao,Jardine,Lai Sun,Bulova,Happy Valley andDouble Flower, SCAA had a long and successful time in the top-tier league.

In Asian competitions, South China were runners-up in the1993–94 Asian Cup Winners' Cup final againstAl Qadsiah, after having lost 2-6 on aggregate. Nonetheless, this is to date still the best result for Hong Kong clubs in Asian competitions.

Outside Hong Kong and Asia, South China not only played well in international club friendlies againstSantos,Juventus,Tottenham Hotspur andLA Galaxy, they also had produced many greatHong Kong footballers over the years.

With a heavily strengthened squad and coaching staff team, South China achieving the famous treble in the 2006–07 season, with continued domestic success and a semi-final appearance in the2009 AFC Cup.

Ahead of the2014–15 season, AET chairmanWallace Cheung became the chairman of the club, promising to spend $18–20 million per season.^[6]

However, South China's performance in the HKPL era had suffered, as they struggled to keep up against rivalsKitchee andEastern.

On 5 June 2017, South China announced their self-relegation into the First Division^[7] and parted ways with Cheung, fielding an amateur squad with young players ever since.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  HKG Chow Long Hei 2 DF  HKG Law Man Chung 4 DF  HKG Ng Cheuk Hin 5 DF  HKG Law Wing Lun 6 MF  HKG Au Man Lok 7 MF  HKG Ho Min Tong 8 FW  HKG Ye Jia 9 FW  HKG Kwok Ting Him 10 MF  HKG Yung Cheuk Leung 11 FW  HKG Yau Ping Kai 12 GK  HKG Lit Hoi Yat

No. Pos. Nation Player 14 MF  HKG Ip Chung Long 15 DF  HKG Lee Chun Lok 17 MF  HKG So Yau Tin 18 DF  HKG Ma Kin Chung 21 GK  HKG Man Wai Sum 22 MF  JPN Takuya Tasaka 25 MF  JPN Kohei Ito 25 MF  HKG Yung Cheuk Leung 27 MF  HKG Mak Yin Kan 30 GK  HKG Wong Ka Kin — FW  GNB Walter Vaz

No.	Player	Nationality	Position	Years	Ref
38	Mateja Kežman	Serbia	Forward	2011, 2012	[8][9]

Historically, the most popular club in the city, SCAA is also the most successfulfootball club in Hong Kong.

In November 2001, the team was awarded the AFC Team of the Month by theAsian Football Confederation.

• 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

• 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

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	1–4	3rd
			Victory SC	3–0	0–0
			Kedah FA	1–3	0–3
2009	AFC Cup	Group F	PSMS Medan	3–0	2–2	1st
			VB	2–1	2–1
			Johor FC	2–0	4–1
		Round of 16	Home United	4–0
		Quarter-final	Neftchi Farg'ona	1–0	4–5	5–5 (a)
		Semi-final	Al-Kuwait	0–1	1–2	1–3
2010	AFC Cup	Group G	Muangthong United	0–0	1–0	1st
			VB	3–1	0–1
			Persiwa Wamena	6–3	2–0
		Round of 16	Al-Riffa	1–3
2011	AFC Cup	Group H	Muangthong United	1–1	2–4	3rd
			Chonburi FC	0–3	0–3
			Kingfisher East Bengal	1–0	3–3
2014	AFC Cup	Group G	Vissai Ninh Bình	1–3	1–1	3rd
			Kelantan FA	4–0	0–2
			Yangon United	5–3	0–2
2015	AFC Cup	Group G	Global FC	3–0	6–1	1st
			Pahang FA	3–1	1–0
			Yadanarbon	3–1	3–0
		Round of 16	Bengaluru FC	2–0
		Quarter-final	Johor Darul Ta'zim	1–1	1–3	2–4
2016	AFC Cup	Group G	Yangon United	2–1	1–2	2nd
			Mohun Bagan	0–4	3–0
			Maziya	2–0	1–2
		Round of 16	Ceres	1–0(aet)
		Quarter-final	Johor Darul Ta'zim	1–1	1–2	2–3

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As of 30 May 2014. Only competitive matches are counted. Wins, losses and draws are results at the final whistle; the results ofpenalty shoot-outs are not counted.

Key

* Served ascaretaker manager.

Under former chairman,Steven Lo, South China had reinvented their image and partnered with several organisations and brands to reignite interest in Hong Kong football.

In 2007, South China entered into a partnership withHong Kong Red Cross.

The partnership is a pioneer between a sports association and a humanitarian organisation in Hong Kong.

South China is the first football team to ever bear the Red Cross emblem on the official kit.

South China previously appointedGiorgio Armani as their official tailor.

In celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of South China Football Team, world-renowned designerPhilippe Starck produced a special edition of the "Peninsula Chair", with the faces of the team and the chairman printed on.

On 3 November 2009, South China andTottenham Hotspur jointly announced a club partnership in Hong Kong.

South China became the first club partner of Spurs in Asia. The partnership was for 2 years with an option to extend further.

Besides planning inandring of best practice in any areas of the technical and business sides of football, Tottenham had the first option on South China players at all age levels and supported South China's coaching development through the exchange of scientific data, coaching materials and visits of coaching staffs to and from both teams.

The two clubs explored the possibility of a joint youth Academy and training centre in Hong Kong or in mainland China.^[10]

• Sport Club Internacional
• Yokohama F. Marinos
• S.L. Benfica
• C.D. Nacional
• C.D. Cuenca
• SuperSport United F.C.
• San Jose Earthquakes

A new official cheering song for SCAA. It was introduced in the first home match in the 2006–07 season against HKFC.

The demo version of the song can be accessed on www.bma.com.hk.

It was sung by Albert Cheung (張武孝, also known as 大AI or Big Al), and became very well known after being released during the late 1970s and the 1980s, when they're a perennial challenger for the top spots in the league.^[11]

Since its foundation, South China had a Chinese only policy whereby the club would only field players of Chinese ethnicity.

In keeping with this policy, the club would only sign foreign players who had Chinese ancestry such as Edmund Wee,Chow Chee Keong and Chan Kwok Leung.

Up until the 1980s, the policy did not have a negative effect on results. However, when professional football took off in Hong Kong, the club could not cope with the influx of foreign players and performed poorly at the beginning of the1981–82 season.

Therefore, on 2 November 1981, the club voted to end its six decade old Chinese only policy.

On 6 June 1982, after the club drew an all-important match withCaroline Hill that relegated them, the fans rioted outside the stadium that spread ontoCauseway Bay. The riot was the largest civil disorder in Hong Kong sincethe leftist riot in 1967, prompting the HKFA to intervene.

South China was to be relegated for the first time since 1983 as they failed to beatCitizen in the last game of the2005–06 season.^[12] However, on 14 June, theHong Kong Football Association approved a request from South China to remain in theFirst Division with the promise of strengthening their squad.

Aside from football, SCAA fields other sports teams, including but are not limited to,basketball,^[4][5]volleyball,swimming,shooting andarchery. They field youth teams in the name of "Nam Ching", meaning "SCAA Youth" in Chinese.

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