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| Full name | Kitchee Sports Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Hong KongBarça (香港巴塞) The Bluewaves The Bluebirds (藍鳥) | ||
| Founded | 1931; 94 years ago (1931) | ||
| President | Ken Ng | ||
| Head coach | Iñigo Calderón | ||
| League | Hong Kong Premier League | ||
| 2024–25 | Hong Kong Premier League, 4th of 9 | ||
| Website | www | ||
 Current season | |||
Kitchee Sports Club (Chinese:傑志體育會;Jyutping:Git6zi3 Tai2juk6wui2;[kit̚˨ tsi˧ tʰɐj˧˥ jʊk̚˨ wuj˧˥];pinyin:Jiézhì tǐyù huì) is a Hong Kong professionalfootball club based inKowloon. It was founded in 1931 and currently competes in theHong Kong Premier League.
The club has won 12league titles, including sixHong Kong First Division titles and sixHong Kong Premier League titles. They also won nineSenior Shields and sevenHong Kong FA Cups. The club is also the first Hong Kong club to win a game inAFC Champions League group stage and to advance to the round of 16 of the competition.
In the late 1920s, a group of Hong Kongers formed a football team in order to compete in theHong Kong Third Division. It was not until 1931, however, that the team was established as Kitchee Sports Club.[1]
Kitchee was founded as a grassroots organization, as such, they lacked the funding to pay the administrative and facilities costs necessary to become a multi sports club.
It was not until 1934 when the club were able to raise the money to rent an office at 130 Johnston Road inWan Chai, that they were admitted as members of theHong Kong Football Association.[2]
In 1939, Japanese bombs hit Hong Kong during theSecond Sino-Japanese War.[3] The club's records during this time were destroyed during the bombing.
As thePacific War began, Hong Kong fell to the Japanese on25 December 1941, therefore the club's operations were suspended during the three-year, eight-monthJapanese occupation of Hong Kong.
After the Japanese surrender of Hong Kong in August 1945, former members of Kitchee returned to the club. They resolved to help revitalize theChinese Amateur Athletic Federation of Hong Kong and establish the Chinese Football Association of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Chinese Football Referees’ Association and the Hong Kong Chinese Footballer's Fraternity.[4]
Following the war, Kitchee were admitted into the1947–48 Hong Kong First Division League where they won the league title, the club's first major trophy. Between 1947 and 1964, the club won threeHong Kong First Division titles, oneSecond Division title, fourHong Kong Senior Shield's and oneHong Kong Junior Shield.
During this period, Kitchee discovered Hong Kong football legendsYiu Cheuk Yin andLam Sheung Yee. Yiu led the club to its first two First Division titles and later became known as the "Treasure of Hong Kong Football."[5] Lam spent a total 14 years at Kitchee, split between two spells, and was a part of every Kitchee squad which won a trophy between 1948 and 1964.[6]
In1965–66, Kitchee won only one game while drawing four others in the season, finishing second bottom of the table. The club were relegated after a 17-year spell in the top flight. In the subsequent season, Kitchee slid into the Third Division for the first time in three decades.
In the late 1980s, Law Ding Chun was hired as the new chairman of Kitchee. Law moved quickly to modernize the operations of Kitchee, buying insurance for all of his players in order to provide them with peace of mind in the event of an injury. His changes worked as Kitchee were soon promoted back to the Second Division.
In 1991–92, Kitchee won the Second Division title, returning to the top flight for the first time in 26 years. The squad during this period featured many future Hong Kong internationals includingYau Kin Wai,Chung Ho Yin,Yeung Hei Chi,Yeung Ching Kwong,Dale Tempest, as well as former England internationalMark Barham. Kitchee spent three seasons in the top flight before they were relegated along withKui Tan at the end of the1994–95 season.
During the 1998–99 season, Kitchee won promotion back to the First Division as well as theHong Kong Junior Shield. The following year, the squad were led by a backbone of young local players such asLee Wai Lun,Man Pei Tak andNg Wai Chiu.
However, these were soon poached by bigger clubs and due to inadequate replacements, the performance of the team suffered and Kitchee were once again relegated at the conclusion of the2000–01 season.
Ahead of the 2002–03 season, formerHong Kong national team managerChan Hung Ping was hired as Kitchee's manager. He led the team to the Second Division title in his one and only season as manager.
Following their return to the First Division in 2003, Kitchee became one of the most prominent teams in Hong Kong, winning three trophies in two seasons under coachDejan Antonic: two in 2005–06 and one in 2006–07 season.
The club secured 2nd place in the league, along with league championsSouth China who had already qualified for theAFC Cup as theHong Kong Senior Shield winners. As a result, Kitchee became one of two Hong Kong representatives in the2008 AFC Cup.
Since 2009, the club has been a partner of theChinese University of Hong Kong in its Injury Prevention and Performance Enhancement (IPPE) program.[7]
Kitchee were invited to take part in the2010 Singapore Cup,[8] becoming the first Hong Kong team to take part in the tournament. The club lost toÉtoile 4–6 over two legs in the quarter-final.
In the2010–11 season, under coachJosep Gombau, Kitchee won its first league title in 47 years by one point over arch rival South China,[9] allowing the club to compete in both the2011 Premier League Asia Trophy, where they lost 0–4 toChelsea and 0–3 toBlackburn Rovers, and in the2012 AFC Cup.[10]
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Between 2011 and 2014, Kitchee players combined to win theFootballer of the Year award for four straight years. The recipients of this award wereRoberto Losada in 2011,Lo Kwan Yee in 2012,Huang Yang in 2013 andFernando Recio in 2014.
In 2012, Kitchee Foundation submitted a successful proposal to The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for a youth football training centre. The club received over HK$44 million from the trust for the establishment of a training ground atShek Mun,Shatin,New Territories. The Jockey Club Kitchee Centre, as it was later called, opened in 2014. The trust provided 90% of the funding, with the rest coming in part from the proceeds of a Kitchee vsArsenal exhibition match where they drew 2–2.[11] Apart from serving as the training ground of Kitchee first team and Kitchee Academy, the centre also provides facilities for theEducation Bureau-approved Professional Footballer Preparatory Programme, which Kitchee jointly offers with Yan Chai Hospital Tung Chi Ying Memorial Secondary School, in order to integrate football training into regular school curriculum and schedule.
In October 2012, Arsenal donated HK$780,000 to Kitchee Foundation in support of the youth training centre.[12]
The club won the2013–14 First Division title. The following season, Kitchee won the inauguralHong Kong Premier League, the2014–15 HKFA Cup and the2014–15 League Cup, completing the treble for the second time.[13]
In 2016–17, Kitchee completed a treble for the third time, capturing theSenior Shield, theHong Kong FA Cup and theHong Kong Premier League title.[14] The club promoted long time assistant coachChu Chi Kwong to head coach role and Director of Football. Brazilian attacking midfielderFernando won the 2017 Footballer of the Year award while strikerSandro won the Golden Boot.[15]
During the2017 AFC Champions League qualifiers, Kitchee won against Vietnam'sHanoi 3–2 but lost in the playoff rounds toUlsan Hyundai in penalties.[16]
The following season, Kitchee directly qualified2018 AFC Champions League group stage through their HKPL title. To prepare for the competition, the club signed former World Cup Golden Ball winner,Uruguayan footballerDiego Forlán.[17] The club managed to achieve a 1–0 win overKashiwa Reysol at home, becoming the first team from Hong Kong to win a game in the history of theAFC Champions League group stage.[18] Domestically, Kitchee won thePremier League,FA Cup and theSapling Cup, completing a treble for the second consecutive season and the fourth in club history.[19]
In 2021, the club signed former Montenegrin internationalDejan Damjanović, who won the Golden Boot with 17 goals.
ls in his first season with the club.[20] The Bluewaves won the2020–21 Hong Kong Premier League title on the final day of the season, beating rivals Eastern 2–0.[21] Kitchee followed up their domestic success by accumulating 11 points in their2021 AFC Champions League, a record for a Hong Kong club in the competition.[22]
During the2022 AFC Champions League, Kitchee made history by becoming the first Hong Kong club to advance to the round of 16.[23]
In 2022–23 season, Kitchee completed a treble again by winning theSenior Shield, theHong Kong FA Cup and theHong Kong Premier League title.[24]
During the 2023–24 season, the club went through a complete overhaul which saw the likes ofCharlie Scott,Mikael,Cleiton depart. However they have internally hired PortugueseEdgar Cardoso as their new head coach along with several new signings which include former Blackburn Rovers youth academy playerJay Haddow as well as English goalkeeperFynn Talley, Portuguese wingerLuis Machado and Brazilian strikerWelthon for the 2024–25 season.
However, the club once again failed to acquire any silverware and after Kitchee's humiliating loss to Hong Kong Premier League rivals Lee Man, the club confirmedEdgar Cardoso's departure and will leave once the 2024–25 season ends.
On 4 July 2025, the club unveiled formerBrighton & Hove Albion defenderIñigo Calderón as their newest manager to succeedEdgar Cardoso for the 2025–26 season.
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Kit sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2003–2004 |  Diadora |  Xplore |
| 2004–2008 |  Mizuno | Canon |
| 2008–2013 |  Nike | |
| 2013–2018 | Jockey Club Kitchee Centre | |
| 2018– | EDPS Systems Ltd. |
Since 2013,Mong Kok Stadium served as the home ground of Kitchee where it has a seating capacity of 6,664. Previously Kitchee has usedTseung Kwan O Sports Ground as their fix home ground from 2010 until 2012. Since the club was founded up until 2009, Kitchee home ground has been used as various home ground. However, the club host most of theirAFC Champions League home matches at the Hong Kong Stadium as it matches the specific requirements standard of the tournament.
| Location | Stadium | Capacity | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tseung Kwan O | Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground | 3,500 | 2010–2012, 2025– |
| Mong Kok | Mong Kok Stadium | 6,664 | 2013– |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Remarks:
LP These players are considered as local players in Hong Kong domestic football competitions.
FP These players are registered as foreign players.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach |  Iñigo Calderón |
| Assistant Coach | Fernando Recio |
| Poon Man Chun | |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Guo Jianqiao |
| Strength and Conditioning Coach | Kobe Kou |
| Technical Analyst | Dani Cancela |
| Men U22 Youth Team Coach | Poon Man Chun |
| Men U14 Youth Team Coach | Gao Wen |
| Women Team Head Coach | Paulinho |
| Women U18 Youth Team Coach | |
| Women U15 Youth Team Coach | Cheung Wai Ki |
| Kitchee Academy Coach | Gao Wen |
| Club Consultant Doctor | Dr. Yung Shu Hang / Samuel Ling |
| Club Consultant Dietitian | Sylvia Lam |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President | Ken Ng |
| General Manager | Wilson Ng |
| Licensing and Public Relations Manager | Ng Yee Yun |
| Director of Marketing | Lo Shuk Ting |
| Technical Director of Football Academy | Jordi Tarrés |
| Customer Service Manager | Cheng Ching Yu |
| Item | Name |
|---|---|
| Youth Training System and Football Academy | The Kitchee Academy |
| Training Ground | Jockey Club Kitchee Centre |
| Youth Football Training Academy | Kitchee Soccer Academy powered by DV7 Soccer Academy |
| Kitchee Soccer Academy Honors | The Asian Football Confederation AFC Elite Youth Scheme certified as The first Hong Kong “Two-Star Elite Youth Academy" |
| Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Sports Medicine Clinic@Kitchee | The Asian Football Confederation AFC Medical Centre/Clinic of Excellence |
| Football Players Diets and Nutritional Restaurant | The Kitchee Bistro |
| Systematic Football & Physical Training Program for Young Players | Kitchee Top Talent Elite Project for "Hong Kong 2034" |
| Official Fans Club | The Blue Wave |
| Official Mascot | Kit Jai (A Little Blue Bird) |
| Official Club Song | We Are Kitchee! |
| Home Stadium forHong Kong Premier League | Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground |
| Youth Football Training System Consultant |  Double Pass Company |
| Training Techniques and Research Sharing Platform |  Aspire Academy’s"Aspire in the World Fellows" |
| Years | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2002–2003 | Chan Hung Ping | |
| 2003–2005 | Cheng Siu Chung, Lam Hing Lun | Co-coaching and both coaches have played in part of the matches as players |
| 2005–2007 |  Dejan Antonić | |
| 2007–2008 2016 2020–2021 | Chu Chi Kwong | Caretaker |
| 2008–2009 |  Julio César Moreno | |
| 2009 | Cheng Siu Chung | Caretaker |
| 2009–2013 | Josep Gombau | |
| 2013 | Àlex Gómez | |
| 2013–2014 | Chu Chi Kwong, Cheng Siu Chung | Caretaker |
| 2014–2015 | José Francisco Molina | |
| 2015–2016 | Abraham García | |
| 2016–2019 2022–2023 | Chu Chi Kwong | |
| 2019–2020 |  Blaž Slišković | |
| 2021–2022 2023–2024 |  Kim Dong-jin | Interim Head Coach |
| 2024–2025 |  Edgar Cardoso |
| Season | League | League Position | Senior Shield | FA Cup | League Cup | Season Play-offs | Community Cup | Asia Tournament | Top scorer(s) and Goals | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938–1939 | Third Division | — | Did not enter | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held | — | — | Promoted | |
| 1946–1947 | Second Division | — | — | — | Promoted | |||||||
| 1947–1948 | First Division | Champion | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1949–1950 | First Division | Champion | Champion | — | — | Double Champions | ||||||
| 1950–1951 | Second Division | Champion | Did not enter | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1951–1952 | Second Division | — | — | — | — | Junior Shield Champion | ||||||
| 1953–1954 | First Division | — | Champion | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1959–1960 | First Division | — | Champion | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1963–1964 | First Division | Champion | Champion | — | — | Double Champions | ||||||
| 1964–1965 | First Division | — | — | — | — | Relegated | ||||||
| 1971–1972 | First Division | — | — | Did not enter | — | — | Relegated | |||||
| 1990–1991 | Third Division | — | Did not enter | — | — | — | Promoted | |||||
| 1991–1992 | Second Division | Champion | — | — | Promoted | |||||||
| 1993–1994 | First Division | — | — | — | — | Relegated | ||||||
| 1995–1996 | Second Division | — | Did not enter | — | — | Relegated | ||||||
| 1997–1998 | Third Division | Champion | — | — | Promoted | |||||||
| 1998–1999 | Second Division | — | — | — | — | Junior Shield Champion | ||||||
| 1999–2000 | First Division | 8th | — | — | — | Relegated | ||||||
| 2002–2003 | Second Division | Champion | Did not enter | — | — | — | Promoted | |||||
| 2003–2004 | First Division | Runners-up | Second round | Runners-up | Group stage | — | — | — | ||||
| 2004–2005 | 3rd | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Group stage | — | — | — | |||||
| 2005–2006 | 4th | Champion | 1st round | Champion |  Keith Gumbs | 15 | Double Champions | |||||
| 2006–2007 | Runners-up | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Champion | Keith Gumbs | 13 | — | |||||
| 2007–2008 | 6th | Runners-up | Quarter-finals | Runners-up | 2008 AFC Cup | Group stage |  Goran Stankovski | 12 | — | |||
| 2008–2009 | Runners-up | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Did not enter |  Paul Ngue | 14 | — | ||||
| 2009–2010 | 3rd | Runners-up | 1st round | Not held | Champion |  Baruc Nsue | 7 | — | ||||
| 2010–2011 | Champion | Quarter-finals | 1st round | Semi-finals | Not held | 2010 Singapore Cup | Quarter-finals | Jordi Tarrés | 15 | Double Champions | ||
| 2011–2012 | Champion | 1st round | Champion | Champion | 2012 AFC Cup | Round of 16 | Roberto Losada | 13 | Treble Champions | |||
| 2012–2013 | Runners-up | Quarter-finals | Champion | Not held | Champion | 2013 AFC Cup | Quarter-finals | Jordi Tarrés | 18 | Double Champions | ||
| 2013–2014 | Champion | 1st round | Runners-up | Did not enter | 2014 AFC Cup | Semi-finals | Juan Belencoso | 22 | — | |||
| Season | Premier League | Senior Shield | FA Cup | League Cup | Sapling Cup | Season Play-offs | Community Cup | HKPLC Cup | Asia Tournament | Top scorer(s) and Goals | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–2015 | Champion | Runners-up | Champion | Champion | Not held | Did not enter | Runners-up | Not held | 2015 AFC Champions League 2015 AFC Cup | Pre. round 2 Quarter-finals | Juan Belencoso | 34 | Treble Champions |
| 2015–2016 | Runners-up | Semi-finals | Quarter-finals | Champion | Group stage | Champion | Runners-up | 2016 AFC Champions League 2016 AFC Cup | Pre. round 2 Round of 16 | Rufino Segovia | 17 | Double Champions | |
| 2016–2017 | Champion | Champion | Champion | Defunct | 1st round | Did not enter | Runners-up | 2017 AFC Champions League | Play-off round | Sandro | 25 | Treble Champions | |
| 2017–2018 | Champion | Semi-finals | Champion | Champion | Defunct | Champion | 2018 AFC Champions League | Group stage |  Lucas SilvaSandro | 16 | Quadruple Champions | ||
| 2018–2019 | 4th | Champion | Champion | Group Stage | Champion | 2019 AFC Cup | East Asia Zone Group stage | FernandoLucas Silva | 17 | Treble Champions | |||
| 2019–2020 | Champion | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Champion | Defunct | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | Wellingsson | 14 | Double Champions | ||||
| 2020–2021 | Champion | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | Semi-finals | 2021 AFC Champions League | Group stage |  Dejan Damjanović | 21 | — | |||||
| 2021–2022 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | 2022 AFC Champions League | East Asia Quarter-finals | 15 | — | ||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Champion | Champion | Champion | Group stage | Not held | 25 | Treble Champions | ||||||
| 2023–2024 | 4th | Champion | Semi-finals | Runners-up | Champion | 2023–24 AFC Champions League | Group stage | Mikael | 26 | Double Champions | |||
| 2024–2025 | 4th | Semi-finals | Quarter-finals | Group stage | Defunct | Did not enter |  Sherzod Temirov | 15 | — | ||||
| 2025–2026 | Quarter-finals | Defunct | |||||||||||
All results list Kitchee's goal tally first.
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Asia Football Clubs Ranking | Team Name | Total Points | One year change | Club Ranking History Chart | Reference | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 180 | Kitchee SC | 1290 | +0 points | [26] | [27] | Updated on 1 July 2025 |
All results list Kitchee's goal tally first.
| Win | Draw | Loss |
Established in 2011, the Blue Wave is the official fans club organised by Kitchee to offer fans with special perks and offers.
Originally a fans-organised cheering group, the Blue Wave became the club's official fans club in 2011, while retaining the name Blue Wave after the reorganisation.
Since its formation, the Blue Wave has become an identity shared by all Kitchee fans as they come to the stadium every match day, cheering and supporting the players on the field.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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