HKFA Premier League 香港職業聯賽

HKFA Premier League

One of the key recommendations of Project Phoenix was the establishment of a fully professional league based on a club licence system. The rationale for this was quite clear. Compared to the past, the standard and popularity of the 1^st Division has slumped to unacceptable levels. For a number of reasons we have entered a seemingly endless downward spiral of;

• Lowering standard of players and quality on the pitch leading to…

• Fewer spectators…..resulting in…..

• Less commercial (sponsor and TV interest)…. which in turn….

• Means less money for the Clubs….and therefore…..

• Reducing salaries for the players…. And so the spiral starts again.

The main problem is the lack of money in the sport which means that Clubs cannot invest in players, coaches and the other important things that Clubs need like Governance, management, marketing, administrative support etc. In Hong Kong Clubs don’t own their own facilities for playing and training and so (as well as the playing surface being poor due to overuse), they are denied vital secondary spend opportunities such as advertising, retail, food and beverage etc. The lack of a dedicated ground also means that Clubs (other than District teams) have no real affinity with a local community and therefore no fan base.

 

All of this has coincided with the ability to watch foreign matches on the television which has compounded the situation.

The current 1^st Division is comprised of 12 Clubs and these are all very different. Some are commercial entities, some are part of wider Sports Associations and some are District-based. Some are managed very professionally and others less so. Indeed it would not be unreasonable or inaccurate to describe some as semi-professional ‘teams’, rather than fully professional ‘Clubs’.

We have to be honest and say that the public perception of the HKFA football leagues is not great. There is a commonly held view that the sport is run by the ‘bosses’ and that players and coaches are not afforded the respect they are due. In the past there have been match-fixing incidents which have further damaged the reputation of the sport locally.

Whether the perception is true or not is hardly the issue. The point is that for many, the top tier of the sport is tarnished to some extent and this is not attractive to either fans or prospective sponsors and supporters. The number of active spectators is embarrassingly low for a place the size of Hong Kong. Another important issue is that football does not offer an attractive enough career for an aspiring young footballer.

For all of the above reasons the situation must change. The top tier of football in Hong Kong should be the lifeblood of the sport. It should be sufficiently attractive to entice the best players and coaches who in turn will provide players for the Hong Kong representative teams. International success will encourage more young people into the sport as well as creating ‘local heroes’ for the domestic league thus drawing back the crowds. It is time to unwind the downward spiral and turn it into a virtuous circle.

It is acknowledged that this will not be easy, particularly for the Clubs themselves. The Premier League has to be the vehicle to lead that change. The HKFA is taking the bold step of linking participation in the new league to the attainment of a ‘licence’. The criteria for getting a licence must be carefully positioned. The targets should be stretching so that Clubs have to work on improvements to get a licence but not so strict that they require unrealistic levels of investment or workload. This is a difficult balance to get right especially in Hong Kong where the degree of sophistication of the Clubs varies so widely.

Initially the HKFA wanted to set the ‘licence benchmarks’ at the level required for Clubs to enter the AFC Champions League. However, on reflection this threshold was deemed to be too high for some our Clubs to reach, at least initially. Therefore there will be two levels of licence. Tier One is the AFC Champions League Club Licence Regulations. Clubs wishing to participate in this competition will need to attain this level. Tier Two will be the Hong Kong Premier League Club Licence Regulations. The criteria are the same for both licences but the thresholds and targets within them are different, with the Hong Kong Licence being easier to achieve. Clubs will be able to decide which level to apply for depending on their ambitions and resources. However any Club wishing to participate in the Hong Kong Premier League will need to obtain the Tier Two Hong Kong Premier League licence – that is a prerequisite.

The regulations set minimum standards (criteria) in a number of areas including:

• Sporting Merit

• Personnel and Administration

• Facilities (infrastructure)*

• Legal

• Financial

*Clubs are not responsible for this area because they don’t own the grounds. This will be a Government responsibility.

In adopting the two tier approach, the HKFA has listened to the concerns of Clubs and believes that it is not asking them to do anything other than would be expected of a professional football Club. For example, a proper legal constitution, financial transparency, qualified coaches, bona fide player contracts etc are all basic requirements that the League, fans, sponsors etc would expect to be already in place.

The HKFA wants to work in partnership with the Clubs in establishing the League and will be there to provide help, advice, template documents etc between now and when the Licence application are due to be submitted in May 2014.

Applications will be independently and objectively evaluated and there will be an appeals process.

Twelve Licences will be available for the 2014/15 season. First refusal will go to the top 11 finishing teams in the current 1^st Division and the winners of the current Division 2.

It is important to note that eligibility to apply for a Licence does not automatically guarantee entry into the Premier League. Clubs will need to pass the application process. Whilst it is hoped that all twelve teams will apply and be successful, we are not going to worry unduly if some Clubs don’t want to participate or fail to meet the standard. We will start the Premier League with less teams if necessary because we only want professional, committed and ambitious Clubs to play in our top tier of football.

I do not believe that the criteria for entry are too onerous but it is inevitable that Clubs will need to invest some time and money in obtaining a Licence. We will do our utmost to secure additional resources that can be used to help the Clubs to ‘gear up’. We will also expect them to find the additional resources required. At the end of the day it is the Clubs that will ultimately benefit if the League is successful by attracting more money from gate receipts, sponsorship, merchandising, prize money etc.

If the new Premier League is established as a sustainable entity, it is the intention of the HKFA to ultimately set up the League as an autonomous body. Under such an arrangement the Clubs would be responsible for match-day organization and through a League Committee be more involved with setting the League Rules etc. We believe that this is what the Clubs want and the HKFA is happy to facilitate that. However the Premier League must be established first and prove that is sustainable and capable of self-regulation and management.

I sincerely hope that the Clubs will view the Premier League as a positive catalyst for change. I repeat, there is nothing in the criteria that a professional club should not already be doing. The criteria are attached so you can see for yourself.

The next few months are critical for the future of the Professional game in Hong Kong.

Read more about AFC Club Licensing Regulations

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香港職業聯賽

在「鳳凰計劃」其中一項重要建議方案，是以球會牌照制度為根本來成立一個全面性的職業聯賽，背後原因可謂十分清晰的。與昔日相比，本地甲組聯賽的競賽水平及球迷人數已跌落至無法接受的程度，究其原因，似乎我們正逐步墮入永無止境的深淵中：

• 參賽球員水準以及場地質素的下降導致．．．

• 愈來愈少的入場觀眾．．．引致．．．.

• 缺乏商業因素 (贊助商及電視傳播收益) ．．．帶來．．．

• 球會營運資金貧乏．．．結果．．．

• 球員薪金收入減少．．．惡性循環再次啟動

在運動事業中缺乏財政投入是一大難題，意即球會無法向球員、教練及其他重要事項，如球會管治、管理、市場推廣及行政支援上投放更多資本。香港球會沒有屬於自己的場地設施作為比賽及訓練之用（由於比賽場地過度徵用，導致草地質素下降），同時亦不容許拓展他們的開源機會，例如招徠廣告、經營零售及餐飲業等。在失去專屬場地的前提下，球會（地區球隊除外）無法與所屬社區保持緊密連繫，結果無法凝聚更多球迷。

 

綜合上述的見解，我們唯一可做的，只能安坐家中觀看其他國家的頂級賽事。

目前本地甲組聯賽由十二支球會所組成，而他們的性質各異。有些球會屬於商業團體，有些是隸屬體育總會的分支，亦有些是地區球隊。有些球會具有專業的管理制度，有些則不然。事實上，在專業「球會」的範疇中，我們很難界定某些屬於半職業「球隊」。

坦白說，公眾對香港足球總會舉辦的足球聯賽印象並不是很好，他們普遍認為體育事業是由「老闆」一手包辦，而球員及教練們無法享受他們應得的尊重。而昔日球圈存在不少賽事操控的事件，進一步敗壞了本土賽事的名聲。

無論有關看法孰真孰假，都很難去斷定，但其中一個重點指出這項最高級別的賽事，在一定程度上已今非昔比，難以吸引球迷或贊助機構的青睞。在全港七百多萬的人海中，現時只有極少部分的忠心球迷默默隨時支持，而另一個重要因素是本地足壇無法為具天賦的青年球員提供誘人的出路選擇。

基於上述原因，情況必須儘快改善。本港最高級別的足球運動應該是體育事業中的生存命脈，它應該具備足夠條件招攬頂尖的球員及教練，從而為香港代表隊吸納新血。國際賽事的成功亦會鼓勵愈來愈多青年人加入其中，在本地聯賽塑造更多「香港球星」，自然吸引球迷回流。時至今日，必須撥亂反正，令一一切回復正軌。

上述所言，談何容易，尤其是球會本身。香港職業聯賽正如一輛轎車引領他們作出改革，而香港足球總會願意踏出重要一步，以頒發「牌照」與新聯賽掛鈎

，發牌準則必須審慎定位，大方向是球會可以根據要求作出改善以獲得牌照，但沒有硬性規定他們必須作出不合理的投資或增加龐大的工作量。以香港球壇而言，足總很難取得各方平衡，因為各球會所要求的準則亦大相徑庭。

足總原意是套用亞洲聯賽冠軍盃球會牌照的參賽標準作為釐定「牌照指標」的考量，但事實反映這項門檻太高，令不少球會難以達到此標準，特別在一開始的時候。因此，執行雙階制之球會牌照制度是必要的。第一級別的是亞洲聯賽冠軍盃球會牌照條例，球會必須明白要於將來參加亞洲聯賽冠軍盃，他們一定要取得更高級別之亞洲足協球會牌照。次一級別的香港職業聯賽球會牌照條例，兩類級別牌照的準則基本一致，惟獨參賽目標各異，而香港職業聯賽球會牌照屬於比較容易達標的牌照。球會可根據自己的目標及資源，以決定其申請意願。無論如何，要參加香港職業聯賽，球會必須先獲頒香港職業聯賽球會牌照，這是基本要求。

有關條例的最低指標（準則）涉及以下幾個重要範疇，包括：

• 體育功績

• 人事及行政

• 設施(基礎建設)*

• 法律

• 財務

*球會本身並不須履行這項準則，因為他們並不擁有自己的體育場地，這屬於香港特區政府的責任。

在執行這雙階制度時，香港足球總會經已聆聽有關球會的訴求，亦明白不會強制要求他們做出超越一間專業球會的事情，舉個例，一個合理的法律條文、健全及透明的財政狀況、聘用合資格的教練、真實的球員合約等等，這些都是聯賽、球迷以至贊助機構等的基本要求。

香港足球總會誠意與各大球會通力合作，共同為新聯賽而努力，由即日起至球會申請截止時間（二○一四年五月），我們會為各球會提供意見、幫助及各類文件範本等支援服務。

申請者將會獲得獨立及客觀的評審，同時亦提供上訴機制。

2014至15年度的十二間球會牌照已經準備就緒，包括本屆甲組聯賽的11支最高積分球隊與及乙組聯賽冠軍，將有資格加入新成立之香港職業聯賽。

事先聲明，申請牌照者並不代表能夠自動獲得參加全新職業聯賽的資格，球會必須通過申請程序。最理想的目標自然是全部十二間球會都能夠申請成功，但假若部分球會無意參加或申請失敗的話，足總亦不會放寬尺度，必要時可能會減少球隊獲准參加首屆聯賽的數量，以確保只有具誠信、專業及野心的球會才能參加最高級別的本地足球聯賽。

本人並不贊同有關申請準則過於煩瑣，但確信球會本身必須投放時間和金錢以獲得牌照，足總將盡最大努力以確保更多資源來幫助球會「升呢」，當然我們亦希望他們亦能尋求更多援助。有朝一日，球會將會從門票收益、贊助商、販賣商品、獎金中獲取最大回報。

如果全新的職業聯賽面世，香港足球總會打算賦予它作為一個自主的角色，球會將會肩責比賽日的管理工作，透過聯賽委員會更可參與制訂聯賽規例等事宜。

我們深信這是球會盼望已久的事情，而足總亦樂意這樣做。然而，我們必須先推出職業聯賽，以確保它能持之以恆，並具備自我管理及約束的能力。

本人誠意希望各大球會能夠視全新的職業聯賽作為重大改革的催化劑。我再三強調，這些牌照條例的準則並非一間專業球會無法辦到的事情，而這些準則亦經已向各大球會分別送達。

未來數月，將會踏入香港職業聯賽的關鍵時刻！

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