Lee Man FC

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Lee Man Football Club
Full nameBranded name:
Lee Man Football Club
Legal registration name:
Lee Man Football Limited
Nickname(s)Golden Dragon
Founded2017; 7 years ago (2017)
GroundTseung Kwan O Sports Ground
Capacity3,500
ChairmanNorman Lee
Head coachMatthew Holland
LeagueHong Kong Premier League
2023–24Premier League, 1st of 11 (champion)
Current season
Lee Man Football Club
Traditional Chinese理文足球會
Transcriptions
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingLei2man4 Zuk1kau4wui2
Lee Man
Traditional Chinese理文
Transcriptions
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingLei2man4
Lee Man Football Limited
Traditional Chinese理文足球有限公司
Transcriptions
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingLei2man4 Zuk1kau4 Jau5haan6gung1si1

Lee Man Football Club (Chinese: 理文足球會) is a Hong Kong professional football club based in Tseung Kwan O, which currently competes in the Hong Kong Premier League. Lee & Man Chemical Limited is the major sponsor of the club.

The club won their first league title in the 2023–24 season with an unbeaten record.

History

Lee Man Football Club was established on 19 June 2017 by Lee Man Football Limited with the aim of promoting football in Hong Kong and allowing Hong Kong football players to shine with the club.

During the 2017–18 season, Lee Man Football Limited decided to invest their money in building their own football club. They paid an entrance fee of HKD 1 million to the Hong Kong Football Association for the right to enter a club directly into the Hong Kong Premier League.[1] The club hired former Hong Kong international Fung Ka Ki as their first manager on 3 July 2017.[2] Lee Man recorded their first win in the club history on 15 September in a 3–2 league win against Eastern with Spanish player Jordi Tarrés scoring the club's first official goal. However, Manager Fung Ka Ki would only last one season as manager since the club finished a disappointing 8th place.

First piece of silverware

On 21 May 2018, Lee Man hired former Hong Kong national team and Macau national team head coach Chan Hiu Ming as its manager.[3] Under Chan, the club won its first trophy, capturing the 2018–19 Hong Kong Sapling Cup on 27 April 2019 in a 3–2 victory over Yuen Long.[4]

Lee Man participated in their first intercontinental tournament, the AFC Cup qualifying straight to the 2021 AFC Cup group stage, On 23 June 2021, Lee Man recorded their first win in the tournament against another local club, Eastern SC with Gil scoring the only goal in the match in a 1–0 win. Lee Man went on to win all of their group stage match winning Taiwanese club Tainan City 4–1 on 26 June and winning against Mongolian club Athletic 220 thrashing them 1–5 on 29 June thus qualifying to the Inter-zone play-off finals playing against Uzbekistani club Nasaf on 20 October. Throughout the match, Lee Man put up a good fight against Nasaf drawing with them 2–2 thus seeing them both going through extra time, however in the first half of extra time, opponent player Andrija Kaluđerović scored the goal for Nasaf which would see Lee Man bowed out from the tournament with the final score being 3–2.

Lee Man then qualified for the 2022 AFC Cup group stage being placed with the same opponent in 2021, but this time, the club bowed out from the tournament early in the group stage.

On 5 February 2023, Chan was sacked by Lee Man after a disappointing performance and on 27 April 2023, Tsang Chiu Tat was appointed as the head coach of the club. Lee Man finished the 2022–23 season as runners-up which sees the club qualified for the 2023–24 AFC Champions League qualifying phase. On 16 August 2023, Lee Man thrashed Indonesian club Bali United 5–1 at home which saw them qualified for the play-off round against 2022 AFC Champions League winner, Urawa Red Diamonds, however, Lee Man lost 3–0 to the Japanese side at the Saitama Stadium 2002 which see their opponent qualified to the group stage.

First league title with an unbeaten run

On 19 May 2024, Lee Man secured their first Hong Kong Premier League title after a 6–1 victory against Sham Shui Po.[5] They became the fourth club to win the league title and the second unbeaten title-winning team – a record of 17 wins and 3 draws. Lee Man also directly qualified for the group stage of the inaugural 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two. The club is then drawn into Group G alongside Thailand club Bangkok United, Vietnamese club Nam Định and Singaporean club Tampines Rovers.

Stadium

Lee Man played their home matches at the Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground which can hold a capacity of up to 5,000. However as the stadium didn't meet the AFC requirements, Lee Man used the Mong Kok Stadium as their home ground to host all of their 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two matches.

Current squad

First team

As of 16 November 2024[6]

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 Hong Kong HKG Leung Hing Kit
2 DF Hong Kong HKG Timothy Chow
4 DF Japan JPN Ryoya Tachibana FP
5 DF Hong Kong HKG Dudu
6 MF Hong Kong HKG Wu Chun Ming (vice-captain)
7 MF Netherlands NED Mitchel Paulissen FP
8 FW Hong Kong HKG Everton Camargo
9 FW Estonia EST Henri Anier FP
10 MF Hong Kong HKG Wong Wai (vice-captain)
11 FW Hong Kong HKG Cheng Siu Kwan
12 MF Hong Kong HKG Law Cheuk Hei
13 DF Hong Kong HKG Li Ngai Hoi
14 MF Iraq IRQ Jiloan Hamad FP
16 MF Hong Kong HKG Ngan Lok Fung (captain)
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 FW Hong Kong HKG Chang Hei Yin
18 MF Hong Kong HKG Tang In Chim
19 DF South Korea KOR Kim Min-kyu FP
20 FW Brazil BRA Paulinho Simionato FP
21 MF Hong Kong HKG Wong Long Kaa
22 DF Hong Kong HKG Jim Ho Chun
25 GK Hong Kong HKG Poon Sheung Hei
26 DF Hong Kong HKG Wong Chun Ho
27 DF Spain ESP Gaizka Martínez FP
28 GK Hong Kong HKG Chan Ka Ho
30 MF Hong Kong HKG Hui Siu Chung
31 DF Hong Kong HKG Yung Hui To
91 FW Brazil BRA Samuel Rosa FP

Remarks:
LP These players are considered as local players in Hong Kong domestic football competitions.
FP These players are registered as foreign players.

Club official

Position Staff
Head coach Wales Matthew Holland
Assistant coach England Darren Read
Assistant coach Hong Kong Chu Siu Kei
Assistant coach Hong Kong Szeto Man Chun
Goalkeeping coach Hong Kong Cheng Ho Man
Fitness coach Hong Kong Lee Kin Wai
Analytical coach Hong Kong Kwok Chun Lam

Source:[citation needed]

Season-to-season record

Season Tier Division Teams Position Home Stadium Attendance/G FA Cup Senior Shield Sapling Cup HKPLC Cup
2017–18 1 Premier League 10 8 Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground 509 Quarter-finals Quarter-finals Group Stage Not held
2018–19 1 Premier League 10 9 Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground 627 Quarter-finals Quarter-finals Champions
2019–20 1 Premier League 10 4 Sham Shui Po Sports Ground 877 First Round Runners-up Group Stage
2020–21 1 Premier League 8 3 Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground 852 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic Semi-finals
2021–22 1 Premier League 8 Cancelled Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground 943 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022–23 1 Premier League 10 2 Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground 817 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Runners-up
2023–24 1 Premier League 11 1 Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground 716 Semi-finals Semi-finals Group stage Runners-up

Note:

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

Continental record

Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate
2021 AFC Cup Group J Hong Kong Eastern 1–0 1st
Chinese Taipei Tainan City 4–1
Mongolia Athletic 220 5–1
Inter-zone play-off final Uzbekistan Nasaf Qarshi 2–3 (a.e.t.)
2022 AFC Cup Play-off round Mongolia Athletic 220 2–1
Group J Hong Kong Eastern 1–3 2nd
Chinese Taipei Tainan City 3–1
2023–24 AFC Champions League Preliminary stage Indonesia Bali United 5–1
Play-off stage Japan Urawa Red Diamonds 0–3
2024–25 AFC Champions League Two Group G Thailand Bangkok United 0–1 1–4 4th
Vietnam Thép Xanh Nam Định 0–2 0–3
Singapore Tampines Rovers 0–0 1–3

Honours

League

Cup competitions

Performance records

Performance by coach

Coach From To Achievements
Hong Kong Fung Ka Ki 1 July 2017 9 April 2018
Hong Kong Fung Hoi Man 10 April 2018 20 May 2018
Hong Kong Chan Hiu Ming 21 May 2018 5 February 2023[7] 2018–19 Hong Kong Sapling Cup
Hong Kong Tsang Chiu Tat 5 February 2023 3 October 2024 2023–24 Hong Kong Premier League
Hong Kong Chu Siu Kei 3 October 2024 21 November 2024
Wales Matthew Holland 21 November 2024

References

  1. ^ "上廣州鬥富力來回六粒鐘 港超兵被玩殘". Apple Daily. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2017. (in Chinese)
  2. ^ "理文密密簽唔想再靠借?". on.cc. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2017. (in Chinese)
  3. ^ "理文宣布陳曉明任主教練 曾昭達做副手 盼成「真專業」球會". Ming Pao. Archived from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018. (in Chinese)
  4. ^ "理文雨戰加時3:2挫元朗 稱霸菁英盃成球隊首冠". Ming Pao. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2019. (in Chinese)
  5. ^ 港超聯 理文大勝6比1 首奪聯賽冠軍 on.cc 19 May 2024
  6. ^ "球隊資料-理文足球會官方網頁". www.leemanfootball.com. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  7. ^ "理文宣布陳曉明任主教練 曾昭達做副手 盼成「真專業」球會". Ming Pao. Archived from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018. (in Chinese)