South China Athletic Association (known simply as South China, SCAA, ) is a Hong Kong professional sports club with a football team competing in the Hong Kong First Division, the second-tier league in Hong Kong football league system. The club is historically one of the most successful football clubs in Asia, having won a record 41 First Division titles, a record 31 Senior Shields, a record 10 FA Cups and 3 League Cups. The club has a long history in playing in the top-tier league, but decided to self-relegate after the end of the 2016–17 season.
Nicknamed "Shaolin Temple" and "Caroliners", South China has produced many great Hong Kong footballers over the years. In November 2007, the club entered into a charity partnership with Hong Kong Red Cross. The partnership is a pioneer between a sports association and a humanitarian organisation in Hong Kong.The club plays its home matches at Happy Valley Recreation Ground.
They are known to be the most successful club in Asia based on league titles.
History
Early history
The Chinese Football Team was founded in 1904 by a group of Chinese students in Hong Kong, including Mok Hing () and Tong Fuk Cheung (, the captain of China national football team in the 1910s).
In 1910, the team was renamed as South China Football Club and formally adopted the present name of South China Athletic Association in the 1920s.
In the 1917 Far Eastern Games and 1919 Far Eastern Games (also known as the Far East Olympics Tournament), the club represented the Republic of China and won the football championship. It is the only team in Hong Kong sports history to have accomplished this feat. China lost in the final to the Philippines in the first to be held, in 1913, but in the next nine it won every time, right through until the last FECG to be held in 1934. On that occasion China was a joint winner with Japan. Throughout these tournaments, the majority of the China team was composed of SCAA players.
Amid the post-WWII competition from league rivals like Eastern, Kitchee, Seiko, KMB, Sing Tao, Jardine, Lai Sun, Bulova, Happy Valley and Double Flower, SCAA remained a regular participant in the top-tier league and achieved sustained success during the period.
In 1920, South China which began as a club called the South China Athletic Association founded by Mok Hing.
In Asian competitions, South China were runners-up in the 1993–94 Asian Cup Winners' Cup final against Al Qadsiah, after having lost 2-6 on aggregate. Nonetheless, this is to date still the best result for Hong Kong clubs in Asian competitions.
Around 1920–1922, the club formally adopted the present name of South China Athletic Association and diversified into other sports such as basketball.
Outside Hong Kong and Asia, South China not only played in international club friendlies against Santos, Juventus, Tottenham Hotspur and LA Galaxy, they also had produced many Hong Kong footballers over the years.
1980s 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 the 1981–82 season. Therefore, on 2 November 1981 the club voted to end its six decade old Chinese only policy. Although the club was able to avoid relegation that season, it was not incident-free. On 6 June 1982, after the club drew an all-important match with Caroline Hill, the fans rioted outside the stadium that spread onto Causeway Bay. The riot was the largest civil disorder in Hong Kong since the leftist riot in 1967.
2000s As they failed to beat Citizen in the last game of the 2005–06 season, South China was to be relegated for the first time since 1983.傳媒報導 – 1 August 2006 羅傑承主政班費千萬增兵 南華搵摩連奴師兄執教 , SCAA Fans Club official site , Accessed on 20 October 2007. However, on 14 June 2006, the Hong Kong Football Association approved a request from South China to remain in the Hong Kong First Division with the promise of strengthening their squad. Staying true to their word, South China heavily strengthened their squad and coaching staff. As a result, South China successfully regained the First Division League title in the 2006–07 season, and also winning the Hong Kong FA Cup and the Hong Kong Senior Shield, achieving the famous treble.
The team has gone from strength to strength, while the team has had continued success on the domestic front, winning three consecutive league titles in the process, it has also had success in other international club competitions. The team has reached the semi-finals of the 2009 AFC Cup. South China's success has seen the team climb in world club rankings to their new high of 145th, even surpassing other mainland Chinese clubs which are widely considered to be of a better standard than clubs in Hong Kong. In recent years the South China has taken part in several pre-season exhibition matches with European clubs, with the most notable being a 2–0 win against the English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
Much of the recent success has been attributed to the former chairman, Steven Lo, and with his shrewd business sense he rebuilt the team as a brand, and played a major role in reigniting interest in the Hong Kong Football League. South China has reinvented their image and have partnered with several organisations and brands. In 2007, South China has enter into a partnership with Hong Kong Red Cross. The partnership is a pioneer between a sports association and a humanitarian organisation in Hong Kong, and South China is the first football team to ever bear the Red Cross emblem on the official kit. The appointment of the fashion brand Giorgio Armani as the official tailor, has allowed South China to join some of the world's elite, with the brand being associated with Chelsea Football Club and the England national team. In celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of South China Football Team, world-renowned designer Philippe Starck produced a special edition of the "Peninsula Chair", with the faces of the team and the chairman printed on.
Nicky Butt and Mateja Kežman played for South China during the 2010–11 season.
South China kits from the late 90s and early 2000s are considered as some of the finest works by sportswear giants, Adidas. They often feature highly in top kit rankings.
2010s Ahead of the 2014–15 season, AET chairman Wallace Cheung became the conveynor of the club, promising to spend $18–20 million per season. The domestic season was not initially a successful one as the club finished fourth in the league and did not win any silverware. The saving grace was a Season Playoff victory which allowed the club to directly qualify for the 2016 AFC Cup group stage.
Recent times After making changes to the squad and coaching staff team, South China saw success in the 2006–07 season, reaching the semi-finals of the 2009 AFC Cup.
Ahead of the 2014–15 season, AET chairman Wallace Cheung became the chairman of the club, promising to spend $18–20 million per season.
However, South China's performance in the HKPL era had suffered, as they struggled to keep up against rivals Kitchee and Eastern.
On 5 June 2017, South China announced their self-relegation into the First Division and parted ways with Cheung, fielding an amateur squad with young players ever since.
Current squad Retired numbers
+ No. Player Nationality Position Years 38 Mateja Kežman Forward 2011, 2012 基士文賀歲盃作告別戰
Honours Historically, the most popular club in the city, SCAA is also the most successful football club in Hong Kong.
In November 2001, the team was awarded the AFC Team of the Month by the Asian Football Confederation.
League 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 Hong Kong Second Division Champions (5): 1917–18, 1925–26, 1933–34, 1951–52, 1952–53
Cup competitions 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 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 Hong Kong League Cup Champions (3): 2001–02, 2007–08, 2010–11 Hong Kong Viceroy Cup Champions (8): 1971–72, 1979–80, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98 Hong Kong Community Cup Champions (2): 2014, 2015 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 FA Cup Junior Division Champions (1): 2024–25
Continental record Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate 1986 Asian Club Championship Group C Liaoning FC0–13rd Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian1–1 1987 Asian Club Championship Group 6 Yomiuri FC0–10–2 2nd 1988–89 Asian Club Championship Group 6 April 250–34th Guangdong Wanbao0–1 Yamaha Motors1–1 Wa Seng3–0 1991 Asian Club Championship First round Sporting de Macau9–15–014–1 Second round Yomiuri FC1–01–32–4 1993–94 Asian Cup Winners' Cup First round Dalian Haichang2–01–02–1 Second round East Bengal1–04–15–1 Quarter-finalbye Semi-final Nissan(w/o) Final Al-Qadsiah2–40–22–6 1997–98 Asian Club Championship First round Selangor FA0–02–02–0 Second round Dalian Wanda0–42–12–5 2000–01 Asian Club Championship Second round Júbilo Iwata1–31–32–6 2002–03 2002–03 AFC Champions LeagueQualification Round 1 Second round Home United2–11–13–2 Third round Shimizu S-Pulse0–51–31–8 2008 AFC Cup Group D Home United2–31–4 3rd Victory SC3–00–0 Kedah FA1–30–3 2009 AFC Cup Group F PSMS Medan3–02–2 1st VB2–12–1 Johor FC2–04–1 Round of 16 Home United4–0 Quarter-final Neftchi Farg'ona1–04–55–5 (a) Semi-final Al-Kuwait0–11–21–3 2010 AFC Cup Group G Muangthong United0–01–0 1st VB3–10–1 Persiwa Wamena6–32–0 Round of 16 Al-Riffa1–3 2011 AFC Cup Group H Muangthong United1–12–4 3rd Chonburi FC0–30–3 Kingfisher East Bengal1–03–3 2014 AFC Cup Group G Vissai Ninh Bình1–31–1 3rd Kelantan FA4–00–2 Yangon United5–30–2 2015 AFC Cup Group G Global FC3–06–1 1st Pahang FA3–11–0 Yadanarbon3–13–0 Round of 16 Bengaluru FC2–0 Quarter-final Johor Darul Ta'zim1–11–32–4 2016 AFC Cup Group G Yangon United2–11–2 2nd Mohun Bagan0–43–0 Maziya2–01–2 Round of 16 Ceres1–0(aet) Quarter-final Johor Darul Ta'zim1–11–22–3
Recent seasons
Notable players
Hong Kong Leung Yuk Tong (梁玉堂) Lee Wai Tong (李惠堂) Yiu Cheuk Yin (姚卓然) Ho Cheung Yau, MBE (何祥友) Wong Chi Keung (黃志強) Wong Man Wai (黃文偉) (1967–69), (1972–82) Chan Kwok Hung (陳國雄) (1972–78) Kwok Kam Hung (郭錦洪) Choi York Yee (蔡育瑜) (1973–78), (1980–83) Chan Sai Kau (陳世九) (1968–78) Fung Chi Ming (馮志明) Sze Kin Hei (施建熙) Wu Kwok Hung (胡國雄) (1971–72) Ku Kam Fai (顧錦輝) (1984–99) Wan Chi Keung (尹志強) Cheung Chi Tak (張志德) (1984–87) Chan Fat Chi (陳發枝) Tim Bredbury (巴貝利) (1985–88) Leslie Santos (山度士) (1980–98) Dale Tempest (譚拔士) (1989–91) Richard Lant Armstrong (岩士唐) (1991–92), (1994–95) Shum Kwok Pui (岑國培) (1986–05) Lee Kin Wo (李健和) (1995–03) Au Wai Lun (歐偉倫) (1993–99), (1999–07) Yau Kin Wai (丘建威) (1995–05) Cheng Siu Chung (鄭兆聰) (1996), (1998–00), (2001–02) Sung Linyung (宋連勇) (1993–97) Cristiano Cordeiro (高尼路) (1998–03)
Austria Franz Blizenec (1998) Australia