Tai Po FC
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| Full name | Tai Po Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Greens (綠戰士) | ||
| Short name | Tai Po | ||
| Founded | 2002 | ||
| Ground | Tai Po Sports Ground | ||
| Capacity | 3,200 | ||
| Chairman | Lam Yick Kuen | ||
| Head coach | Lee Chi Kin | ||
| League | Hong Kong Premier League | ||
| 2022–23 | 7th of 10 | ||
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Tai Po Football Club (
In the 2018–19 season, Tai Po won their first top-flight title. The club is the first district team to win a top-flight title since Yuen Long during the 1962–63 season and the first-ever district team to win the Hong Kong Premier League title.[1]
History
Early Stage (2002–2007)
Tai Po entered the newly formed Third District Division in 2002–03 season. The club was promoted to the Second Division in 2004–05 season after claiming the title of the Third Division in the previous season. In 2005–06 season, they gained the promotion to the First Division after finishing second in the Second Division, behind HKFC.
Tai Po struggled during early stage of the 2006–07 season, conceded 13 goals in the first three league matches, which is consistent with many pre-season predictions. The club's fourth game of the season was at home against local giants
Tai Po secured their First Division berth for the 2007–08 season after defeating
Ascension to the First Division (2007–2013)
After their maiden top flight season, the club's coach Chan Hiu Ming left the club for the newly promoted Workable (Chinese: 華家堡). Tai Po spent most of the off-season searching for a new coach. Finally, former Hong Kong football star Tim Bredbury, who coached Rangers for a short period of time in the previous season, accepted the job. Moreover, in response to the successful and popular home game last season, Tai Po has applied for 5 home games to be played in Tai Po in the following season.
Unfortunately, Tai Po Sports Ground's refurbishment didn't help much on the pitch quality. Up to this point, no Tai Po's game has been held at Tai Po Sports Ground.
Apart from promoting players from the youth team, the team kept most of its important homegrown players, except Kan Tsz Yeung (Chinese: 簡子洋) and Chung Kin Keung (Chinese: 鍾健強), both left to join
The first 5 matches in the season resulted in 7 league points, which met the expectation. The contract of Tim Bredbury was terminated with agreement from both parties, however. Some notable reasons are the board disagreeing on some decisions of Bredbury on starting line up and substitution. Tim Bredbury has also had very poor relationship with the players caused by the training methods. Formation, tactics and player deployment was also highly questionable (some notable decisions were deploying players well known with skill to play in center position to the wing, and wingers were deployed in the central midfield). Chan Ho Yin (Chinese: 陳浩然) was appointed as the main coach after Tim Bredbury's departure.[4]
Another notable events of the club in the season was the penalty dispute in the league game against
The team had some bad matches in the middle of the season but ended the season strongly, especially with two fabulous 2–1 winning against the eventually league champion South China. In the first match, Tai Po delayed the league championships declaration of South China and knocked it out of FA Cup in semi-final in the second match. Tai Po ended the league in the 3rd position with was over expectation. The team also played in first top division competition final against Citizen at 18 May 2008 in Hong Kong Stadium and lost the match 0–2.
With the success in the previous seasons, Tai Po secures several new sponsors in this season. New Territories Realty Association and Creative Property Services Consultants Limited ertr among the more remarkable new sponsors who signe don. Tai Po starts the 2008–09 season in a rather good style. Until 22 September 2008, they have recorded three straight wins. They have beaten Tuen Mun Progoal, Sheffield United and Pegasus respectively.
On 6 June 2009, Tai Po won 4:2 against Pegasus, in front of 4,042 fans at the
The 2013–14 season saw Tai Po secure promotion back to the First Division after a final day victory over top of the table rivals Wong Tai Sin. Building from a strong defensive foundation, Tai Po managed to complete the season having conceded just 11 goals in 22 league games.
Top flight tribulations and glory (2013–2019)
The club gained promotion to the newly formed Hong Kong Premier League after winning the 2013–14 Second Division. The club lost its first match in Hong Kong Premier League 4–1 against Kitchee. The club finished bottom at the table at the end of the season and were relegated back to the First Division.
Having won the First Division League championship during the
The club slowly built a stable roster of players, relying on a backbone of
Self relegation (2020–2022)
Tai Po's struggles off the pitch, however, commenced immediately after their title winning season. After budget cuts forced the club to say goodbye to their title winning head coach
Frustrated with the club's mismanagement, the Tai Po District Council voted unanimously on 7 July 2020 to revoke the club's authority to represent the District for the 2020–21 season.[12]
Return to top flight (2022–)
In July 2022, Tai Po accepted HKFA's invitation to be promoted to the 2022–23 Hong Kong Premier League.[13]
Name history
- 2002–2006: Tai Po (大埔)
- 2006–2008: Wofoo Tai Po (和富大埔)
- 2008–2011: NT Realty Wofoo Tai Po (新界地產和富大埔)
- 2011–2015：Wofoo Tai Po (和富大埔)
- 2015–2016：Tai Po (大埔)
- 2016–2023：Wofoo Tai Po (和富大埔)
- 2023–：Tai Po (大埔)
Team staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Lee Chi Kin
|
| Assistant coach | Chan Sze Chun
|
| Fitness coach | Ko Long Yin
|
| Goalkeeping coach | Tam Long Ming
|
Source: [citation needed]
Current squad
First team
- As of 12 January 2024[14]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Remarks:
LP These players are registered as local players in Hong Kong domestic football competitions.
FP These players are registered as foreign players.
Stadium
2006–07 season
Tai Po played their first home matches on Tai Po Sports Ground at 30 September 2006, against South China. As a public integrated sport facilities and is owned by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (Hong Kong Government), the pitch and grass quality are insufficient to meet the requirement of professional football.
2007–08 season
However, with the refurbishment in 2007, Tai Po has applied to have 5 home games, between September and November, to be held in the Sports Ground in season 2007–08.
The
The HKFA also considered arranging two matches on the same match day at the sports ground. (This type of arrangement is common in recent years of Hong Kong First Division League game, where two matches will be played immediately one after another in the same stadium, usually in weekend, so that fans can watch two matches with single match ticket price. It's known as double header. (Chinese: 雙料娛樂)
However, in a 2007–08 pre-season pitch examination, HKFA eventually decided that the ground was not up to standard for First Division matches and in the end no game was held at the ground.
2008–09 season
Nearly two years after Tai Po played their first ever home game in the sports ground in the First Division, Tai Po played the home game at the sports ground again against
Supporters
Tai Po fans are generally Tai Po District residents. The fans also give enough impact in terms of quantity and atmosphere.[15]
Book
Tai Po published its own book to commemorate its first season in the
Season-to-season record
| Season | Tier | Division | Teams | Position | Home Stadium | Attendance/G | FA Cup | Senior Shield | League Cup
|
Sapling Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 3 | Third District Division | 13 | 2 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Not held | ||
| 2003–04 | 3 | Third District Division | 1 | |||||||
| 2004–05 | 2 | Second Division | 12 | 9 | ||||||
| 2005–06 | 2 | Second Division | 13 | 2 | ||||||
| 2006–07 | 1 | First Division | 10 | 7 | First Round | Quarter-finals | Group Stage | |||
| 2007–08 | 1 | First Division | 10 | 3 | Runners-up | First Round | Group Stage | |||
| 2008–09 | 1 | First Division | 13 | 6 | Champions | First Round | Quarter-finals | |||
| 2009–10 | 1 | First Division | 11 | 6 | Tai Po Sports Ground | 843 | Semi-finals | Quarter-finals | Not held | |
| 2010–11 | 1 | First Division | 10 | 5 | Tai Po Sports Ground | 803 | Runners-up | Semi-finals | Quarter-finals | |
| 2011–12 | 1 | First Division | 10 | 8 | Tai Po Sports Ground | 801 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | |
| 2012–13 | 1 | First Division | 10 | 10 | Tai Po Sports Ground | 850 | Semi-finals | Champions | Not held | |
| 2013–14 | 2 | Second Division | 12 | 1 | First Round | – | ||||
| 2014–15 | 1 | Premier League | 9 | 9 | Tai Po Sports Ground | 829 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Knock-out Stage | |
| 2015–16 | 2 | First Division | 14 | 1 | First Round | Did not enter | ||||
| 2016–17 | 1 | Premier League | 11 | 6 | Tai Po Sports Ground | 764 | First Round | Semi-finals | Defunct | Champions |
| 2017–18 | 1 | Premier League | 10 | 2 | Tai Po Sports Ground | 951 | Runners-up | Quarter-finals | Runners-up | |
| 2018–19 | 1 | Premier League | 10 | 1 | Tai Po Sports Ground | 1,277 | Quarter-finals | Runners-up | Group Stage | |
| 2019–20 | 1 | Premier League | 10 | Withdrew | Tai Po Sports Ground | 793 | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Group Stage | |
| 2020–21 | 2 | First Division | 14 | 13 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | Did not enter | ||||
| 2021–22 | 2 | First Division | 14 | Cancelled | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 2022–23 | 1 | Premier League | 10 | 7 | Tai Po Sports Ground | 584 | Quarter-finals | First Round | Group Stage | |
| 2023–24 | 1 | Premier League | 11 | Tai Po Sports Ground | First Round | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | |||
Note:
1st or Champions 2nd or Runners-up 3rd place Promotion Relegation
Continental record
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | AFC Cup | Group H | Geylang United
|
1–1 | 1–1 | 4th |
Thai Port
|
0–1 | 2–0 | ||||
SHB Đà Nẵng
|
1–2 | 3–0 | ||||
| 2019 | AFC Cup | Play-off round |  Ryomyong
|
0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 (5–3 p) |
| Group I | Kitchee
|
3–3 | 4–2 | 3rd | ||
Hang Yuen
|
4–2 | 1–1 | ||||
April 25
|
1–3 | 0–4 | ||||
| 2020 | AFC Champions League | Preliminary Round 2 | Kedah
|
1–5 |
Retired numbers
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Honours
League
- Hong Kong Premier League
- Hong Kong First Division
- Hong Kong Second Division
- Champions (1): 2013–14
- Runners-up (1): 2005–06
- Hong Kong Third Division
- Champions (1): 2003–04
Cup
- Hong Kong FA Cup
- Champions (1): 2008–09
- Runners-up (3): 2017–18
- Champions (1):
- Hong Kong Senior Shield
- Hong Kong Sapling Cup
- Hong Kong Community Cup
- Runners-up (1): 2018
- Hong Kong FA Cup Junior Division
- Runners-up (1): 2015–16
Head coaches
Chan Hiu Ming (2006–2007)- Tim Bredbury (2007)
- Chan Ho Yin (2008–2009)
- Cheung Po Chun (2009–2013)
- Pau Ka Yiu (2013–2016)
- Lee Chi Kin (2016–2019)
- Fung Hoi Man, Kwok Kar Lok (2019)
- Fung Hoi Man (2019–2020)
Davor Berber (2020)- Chan Yuk Chi (2020–2022)
- Li Hang Wui (2022–2023)
- Lee Chi Kin (2023–present)
References
- ^ "Tai Po win historic league title". chinadailyhk. Archived from the original on 15 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ 〈大埔主場或有「雙料娛樂」 Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine〉, 大公報, 4 August 2007
- ^ 〈大埔對手華家堡堅拒作客 Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine〉, 大公報, 8 August 2007
- ^ 〈和富大埔炒巴貝利 Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine〉, 蘋果日報, 10 October 2007
- ^ 〈處理有關2007年12月2日甲組聯賽『和富大埔 對 東方』和富大埔之抗議事宜 Archived 11 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine〉,香港足總 , 10 December 2007
- ^ "Tai Po become first district side to claim the Hong Kong Premier League". South China Morning Post. 4 May 2019. Archived from the original on 10 September 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ Chan, Kin-wa. "Fairy-tale set to end as Hong Kong Premier League champions Wofoo Tai Po face big budget cuts". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 28 June 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ Kwong, Adrian (6 May 2019). "Tai Po crowned Premier League Champions – offside.hk". Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ Chan, Kin-wa; McNicol, Andrew. "Hong Kong Premier League down to six teams after Wofoo Tai Po withdraw due to financial problems". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 30 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- ^ "港超聯 佳聯元朗和富大埔齊齊唔玩". on.cc. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020. (in Chinese)
- ^ Mak, King Zhi. "議員斥區隊如怪獸欠監管 區議會通過收回大埔足球會授權". Sportsroad. Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020. (in Chinese)
- ^ "港超聯 和富大埔升班班費800萬 李恆匯掌帥". on.cc東網 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 10 July 2022. Archived from the original on 26 July 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "TEAM". Tai Po Football Club. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ 〈本地波Fans對撼 Archived 26 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine〉, 蘋果日報副刊, 22 April 2007