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Eastern

Full name	Eastern Sports Club Football Team Limited (東方體育會足球隊有限公司)
Founded	1932; 92 years ago (1932)
Ground	Mong Kok Stadium
Capacity	6,664
Head Coach	Roberto Losada
League	Hong Kong Premier League
2023–24	Premier League, 3rd of 11
Website	http://football.easternlonglions.com/
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Eastern Athletic Association Football Team Limited, also known as Eastern Sports Club (Chinese: 東方體育會), is a Hong Kong professional sports club whose football section competes in the Hong Kong Premier League, the top flight of Hong Kong football.

History

Early history

In 1925, a group of workers from the China Building in Central formed the Chinese Football team. Two years later in 1927, the club changed its name to the Eastern Athletic Association, establishing itself as an all Chinese football club, and entered the Hong Kong Second Division.

During the 1931–32 season, Eastern initially won the right to promotion but declined. It was not until the 1936–37 season that the club would make its debut in the Hong Kong First Division, finishing 11th.

1940–1990

Eastern won its first trophy in club history in 1940, capturing the Senior Shield in a 2–1 victory over South China. Success was not permanent at Eastern who were relegated back to the Second Division not long after and did not return until the 1948–49 season.

The 1950s saw the first period of sustained success for Eastern. The club won the First Division for the first time in 1955–56 and captured two Senior Shields during this decade.

It was also during the 50s when Hong Kong football legend Lam Sheung Yee signed with Eastern and earned his debut in the First Division. Lam would go on to spend four separate spells at Eastern throughout his career although silverware eluded Lam during those years.

In the 1981–82 season the club was managed by former England captain and World Cup winner Bobby Moore. He helped them in winning the 1981–82 Hong Kong Senior Shield, later returned to the club as a manager in August 1982 before departing in March 1983.

Notable English players - such as 1966 World Cup winner Alan Ball and Graham Paddon - also played for the club in the early 80s.

Eastern's ability to attract such players was due to their large budget, funded by billionaire businessman Peter Lam. The strong squad were able to win two Senior Shields and a Hong Kong FA Cup in the 80s, however, they were never able to capture the First Division title.

Eastern Dynasty

Following the 1990–91 season, third placed club Lai Sun announced that they would be withdrawing from the First Division. This became the catalyst for Eastern's dynasty in the first half of the 90s as many former Lai Sun players found a home at Eastern.

Starting with a runners up finish in 1991–92, the club then dominated Hong Kong football, winning three consecutive First Division titles between 1992 and 1995. During the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons, the club won the treble, capturing all three major trophies in both seasons.

Unfortunately, due to a massive reduction in sponsorship revenue prior to the 1995–96 season, Eastern had to release many of their top players and were forced to sign younger, less experienced players. A year later, the club were relegated after a last place finish and returned to the Second Division for the first time since 1948.

Relegation and subsequent promotion

In the subsequent ten years following relegation in 1997, Eastern struggled in the league. The club finished at the bottom of the Second Division in 2002–03 and dropped down to the Third Division. They would eventually turn the tide by capturing the Third Division title in 2004–05 and returned to the second tier.

Ahead of the 2006–07 season, Eastern were to be demoted to Hong Kong Third Division but the Hong Kong Football Association intervened and invited the club to compete in First Division League for 2007–08 season.

It looked unlikely at first that for the club to obtain sufficient sponsorship to make the move up, however the club confirmed their participation in July 2007.

After competing in the top flight for two seasons, Eastern decided to drop into the Third Division ahead of the 2009–10 season due to financial difficulties.

After declining the right to promotion twice during their stay in the Third Division, the club finally accepted promotion during the 2011–12 season in which they won all 18 of their league matches and finished as champions.

During the 2012–13 season, Eastern was promoted back to the First Division League as the third-place finishers in the Second Division League. They were branded as Eastern Salon from 2012 to 2016 for sponsorship reasons.

In April 2016, Eastern won the 2015–16 Hong Kong Premier League under the guidance of Chan Yuen Ting, becoming the first men's professional association football team to win a domestic, top flight championship under the management of a woman. Eastern lost only one game in the 2015–16 season under Chan.

In the 2016–17 season, Eastern was branded as Eastern Long Lions for sponsorship reasons.

They beat Kitchee 3–1 to win the Hong Kong Community Cup. The club also reached the final of the Senior Shield before losing to Kitchee 2–1 at Hong Kong Stadium.

The club went on a season-long unbeaten run in the league until the final match day when they lost to Kitchee 4–1 at Mong Kok Stadium and finished runners up.

The season also marked the first time for a Hong Kong club to compete in the group stage of the AFC Champions League.

The club's only silverware of the season came from the league playoff, where they beat Southern 3–0 in the final to secure their spot in the second qualifying round of the AFC Champions League the next year.

AFC Champions League debut

Eastern were grouped with Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale, China club Guangzhou Evergrande and Korean club Suwon Samsung Bluewings.They finished the AFC Champions League campaign with one point in six matches, finishing in the bottom of their group.

Manolo Bleda scored the club only goal in the tournament and also gaining their first ever point in their debut tournament in a 1–1 draw against Kawasaki Frontale at the Mong Kok Stadium.

Recent times

In 2018, Eastern obtained the sponsorship of Top East Holdings, allowing the club to expand its budget.

The club launched a program known as Project E in which Eastern will send its most promising young players to train with Portuguese club Cova da Piedade.

Ahead of the 2019–20 season, Eastern lured reigning Coach of the Year Lee Chi Kin and many of his former players from Tai Po in hopes of returning the club to title contender status.

The club were successful in his first season, winning the Senior Shield-FA Cup double, and won the Sapling Cup in his second season. But the club failed to win the league in 2020–21. Lee stepped down as head coach following the season.

On 20 June 2024, AFC confirmed that Eastern will participate in the inaugural 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two.

Name history

• 1932–2012: Eastern (東方)
• 2012–2016: Eastern Salon (東方沙龍)
• 2016–2023: Eastern Long Lions (東方龍獅)
• 2023–: Eastern SC (東方)

Rivalries

During the 1960s and 70s, the majority of Eastern's funding came from pro-Taiwan backed groups while rivals Happy Valley received sponsorship from pro-China groups.

An intense rivalry developed between the clubs during this period and the media referred to the derbies between them as the "Chinese Civil War."

Current squad

First team

As of 17 October 2024

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  HKG Yapp Hung Fai (vice-captain) 2 DF  SCO Calum Hall 3 DF  KGZ Tamirlan Kozubayev 7 FW  ESP Noah Baffoe 9 FW  ESP Víctor Bertomeu 10 FW  BRA Felipe Sá 11 MF  HKG Wong Ho Chun 14 MF  HKG Yu Joy Yin 16 MF  HKG Leung Chun Pong (captain) 17 MF  HKG Ng Yu Hei 19 DF  HKG Alexander Jojo (on loan from IK Oddevold) 21 DF  ESP Daniel Almazan 22 DF  HKG Leung Kwun Chung (vice-captain) 23 MF  HKG Ma Hei Wai 24 DF  HKG Siu Chung Nam

No. Pos. Nation Player 26 GK  HKG Liu Fu Yuen 27 MF  ESP Marcos Gondra 28 MF  HKG Siu Ching 29 FW  HKG Liu Hing Yau 30 DF  HKG Wong Tsz Ho (vice-captain) 32 MF  HKG Lam Hin Ting 33 MF  HKG Gao Ming Ho 35 DF  HKG Lam Chin Yu 40 GK  HKG Chung Hoi Man 42 MF  HKG Yeung Tung Ki 43 DF  HKG Uriel Contiero 44 MF  HKG Prabhat Gurung 72 DF  NOR Nii Noye Narh 77 FW  HKG Lee Chun Ting 88 MF  HKG Cheung Man Ho

Remarks:
These players are registered as foreign players.

Club official

Position	Staff
Head coach	Roberto Losada
Assistant coach	Cristiano Cordeiro
Assistant coach	Lo Chi Kwan
Goalkeeping coach	Ricardo Navarro
Physiotherapist	Pau MP

Source:

Honours

League

• Hong Kong Premier League
  • Champions (1): 2015–16
  • Runners-up (4): 2014–15, 2016–17, 2019–20, 2020–21
• Hong Kong First Division
  • Champions (4): 1955–56, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95
  • Runners-up (2): 1986–87, 1991–92
• Hong Kong Second Division
  • Champions (1): 1947–48
• Hong Kong Third Division
  • Champions (3): 2004–05, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12

Cup competitions

• Hong Kong Senior Shield
  • Champions (11): 1939–40, 1952–53, 1955–56, 1981–82, 1986–87, 1992–93, 1993–94, 2007–08, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2019–20
  • Runners-up (6): 1947–48, 1971–72, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2022–23, 2023–24
• Hong Kong FA Cup
  • Champions (6): 1983–84, 1992–93, 1993–94, 2013–14, 2019–20, 2023–24
  • Runners-up (2): 1994–95, 2014–15
• Hong Kong Sapling Cup
  • Champions (1): 2020–21
• Hong Kong Viceroy Cup
  • Champions (2): 1970–72, 1980–81
• Hong Kong Community Cup
  • Champions (1): 2016
  • Runners-up (1): 2017

Season-to-season record

Note:

  1st or Champions   2nd or Runners-up   3rd place   Promotion   Relegation

Continental record

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1994	Asian Club Championship	First round	Verdy Kawasaki	1–0	1–3	2–3
1995	Asian Club Championship	First round	Kota Ranger	6–1	6–1	12–2
		Second round	Verdy Kawasaki	1–2	3–4	4–6
2009	AFC Cup	Group G	Chonburi FC	2–1	1–4	3rd
			Hà Nội ACB	3–0	0–3
			Kedah FA	3–3	0–2
2017	AFC Champions League	Group G	Guangzhou Evergrande	0–6	0–7	4th
			Kawasaki Frontale	1–1	0–4
			Suwon Samsung Bluewings	0–1	0–5
2018	AFC Champions League	Qualifying preliminary round 2	FLC Thanh Hóa	2–4
2021	AFC Cup	Group J	Lee Man	0–1		2nd
			Athletic 220	1–0
			Tainan City	1–0
2022	AFC Cup	Group J	Lee Man	3–1		1st
			Tainan City	3–1
		Inter-zone play-off semi-finals	Sogdiana Jizzakh	0–1
2024–25	AFC Champions League Two	Group E	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	2–3	1–4	4th
			Sydney FC	1–4	0–5
			Kaya–Iloilo	1–2	2–1

Other achievements

1992-93 season

In 1992–93 season, Eastern maintained a record of 9 straight wins in the first half of the First Division League season.

The team scored 30 goals in the first 9 matches with no goals conceded. It was a record of 3-zero (0 draw, 0 loss, 0 conceded).

Eastern captured 3 trophies in that season, and regained the League Champion title after 37 years.

AFC Champions League

Eastern is the first Hong Kong club to compete in the group stage of the AFC Champions League.

Chan Yuen-ting is the first woman to coach a male football club in a top-flight continental competition, when she managed the club in the 2017 AFC Champions League match against Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande.

Head coaches

• Bobby Moore (卜比·摩亞) (1981–1982)
• Peter Wong (黃興桂) (1979–1982, 1988–1990)
• Tsang Wai Chung (曾偉忠) (1996–1998)
• Casemiro Mior (米路) (2007–2008)
• Chan Hiu Ming (陳曉明), Lee Kin Wo (李健和), Lo Kai Wah (羅繼華) (2008–2009)
• Lee Kin Wo (李健和) (2009–2013)
• Cristiano Cordeiro (高尼路) (2013–2015)
• Yeung Ching Kwong (楊正光) (2015)
• Chan Yuen Ting (陳婉婷) (2015–2017)
• Szeto Man Chun (司徒文俊) (2017–2018)
• Lee Kin Wo (李健和) (caretaker) (2018)
• Chan Yuen Ting (陳婉婷) (2018–2019)
• Wong Chun Yue (黃鎮宇) (caretaker) (2019)
• Andrejs Štolcers (安祖史杜錫) (caretaker) (2019)
• Lee Chi Kin (李志堅) (2019–2021)
• Roberto Losada (盧比度) (2021–present)

References

1. ^ "Eastern Athletic Association Football Team Limited (CR No. 1253874)". ICRIS, Companies Registry, the Government of Hong Kong SAR. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
2. "Eastern A.A. Football Team". Hong Kong Football Association. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
3. "Eastern set aside HK$10 million to become first professional basketball team in Hong Kong". South China Morning Post. 9 July 2015. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
4. 湯偉雄. 東方體育會足球隊訪問澳洲南洋特刊 (in Chinese).
5. 嗇名. 球國春秋 (in Chinese). p. 75.
6. 「國腳訪問記(十九) 鴻運當頭的林尚義」《Sing Tao》，1958年5月4日第5版 (in Chinese)
7. "東方王朝今季再現！". The Sun. Archived from the original on 25 January 2007. Retrieved 20 July 2007. (in Chinese)
8. "東方有先例 八年前自降丙組". Apple Daily. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017. (in Chinese)
9. "About Eastern Sports Club". Eastern Sports Club. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
10. "Chan becomes first female to lead men's team to top-flight title". Four Four Two. Haymarket Media Group. 3 November 2016. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
11. "尚東集團贊助東方龍獅力爭佳績". on.cc. November 2018. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2018. (in Chinese)
12. Lee, Chi Kin (17 July 2019). "李志堅攜大埔班底投東方龍獅 16新兵加盟佔全隊逾半". HK01. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019. (in Chinese)
13. Y-Shing. "港波佬Vol.12：淺談「港足」百餘載之十二──東方「皇朝". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018. (in Chinese)
14. "一隊球員 – 東方體育會" (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 15 February 2024.
15. "HKFA website (in Chinese) 東方不敗的一項全勝紀錄". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2007.
16. "Blue Anorak: Bobby Moore". Archived from the original on 8 October 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2007.
17. 東方龍獅足球隊主教練陳婉婷請辭 [Eastern Long Lions Football Team head coach Chan Yuen Ting resigns] (Press release) (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong: Eastern Sports Club. 4 February 2019. Archived from the original on 4 February 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2019.

External links

• Eastern Sports Club on Facebook
• Eastern Sports Club on Instagram
• Eastern Sports Club on Twitter

• Eastern Sports Club
• Football clubs in Hong Kong
• Association football clubs established in 1932
• 1932 establishments in Hong Kong