tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post3226784479815064030..comments2024-02-01T20:52:24.827+08:00Comments on CEO 的話: 我們需要整合策略 讓體育於香港更為普及 (We need a joined-up strategy to build on the popularity of Hong Kong)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12311816601866550472noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-63402980394904990532013-04-12T10:06:23.532+08:002013-04-12T10:06:23.532+08:00http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Sports/S...http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Sports/Story/A1Story20130404-413520.html<br /><br />ASEAN countries area already joining up together to form an ASEAN Super League, even to the point of destroying their local leagues, because they know their local leagues are not commercially viable. <br /><br />This is what our neighbours in Asia are moving towards, and Hong Kong is being left very far behind, the people here still day-dreams that with government support the premier league will flourish, sponsors and fans will stream to the stadiums and bucket loads of money will appear.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Allan NgAllanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12646154376003357875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-90292584008924023502013-02-06T17:48:15.434+08:002013-02-06T17:48:15.434+08:00Dear Allan,
I understand what you are getting at a...Dear Allan,<br />I understand what you are getting at and as I said previously your ideas have some merit. I will give it some more thought and consideration. I am always open to new ideas.<br />Happy Chinese New Year to you too! MarkAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12311816601866550472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-1317960223460643422013-02-06T12:30:29.384+08:002013-02-06T12:30:29.384+08:00Dear Mark,
I am talking a combined league. That m...Dear Mark,<br /><br />I am talking a combined league. That means S-League and Hong Kong First Division League combines to form a new professional league and Macau, Brunei and Taiwan are invited to take part, as they have no pro leagues of their own.<br /><br />The issue about local leagues being the training ground can be resolved by limiting foreign players. <br /><br />Right now we allow six foreigners to be registered and five to be played (or something like that). If we lower the limit then more locals will get to play. <br /><br />It can be applied to all participating teams. A Singaporean team can only have 4 foreigners and 7 local Singaporeans on field. A Hong Kong team likewise can only have 4 foreigners and 7 local Hong Kong players. If you add the reserves you still get quite a good pool of local players for the national team. A squad of 20 players with only 4 foreigners means you still have 16 local players per team. If we have 4 HK teams we will get 64 players which is not bad, and these are players who play more competitive matches week in week out.<br /><br />Today it is really easy to travel between Singapore and Hong Kong. Do you know Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific EACH operate 14 flights a day (to and from) between the two cities? And then you add Tiger Airways, Air Asia, Jetstar...etc. It is because lots of businesses operate both in Hong Kong and Singapore as well as Macau. If the league offers HK, SG and Macau markets then it will become a much more efficient marketing tool for sponsors.<br /><br />Today any "away" game in the Hong Kong First Division League is just a one hour MTR journey away. But it would be much more difficult for the average HK fan to travel to the away game if it is in Singapore or Brunei or Taiwan and thus they will want live TV coverage. That's when TV companies can charge for the coverage and you get your TV income. Of course it is more complicated than this but I am sure you understand what I am getting at.<br /><br />Sorry for this long winded message, I hope it is clear and you understand the sporting and commercial merits of my suggestion.<br /><br />By the way, Happy Chinese New Year!<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Allan NgAllanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12646154376003357875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-19355228788883257222013-02-05T10:27:26.930+08:002013-02-05T10:27:26.930+08:00Dear Herman,
Thank you for your latest comment.
We...Dear Herman,<br />Thank you for your latest comment.<br />We have established a Working Party to involve stakeholders in the planning and preparation of the new league. At the moment, this group includes the Government and the Clubs as well as the FA. When the plans are more developed we intend to include other stakeholders including the media and fans.<br />Next season will be a 'transitional' year with 12 teams. The following season will be the inaugural Premier League. The speed with which we can make it different will largely depend on how much additional funding we can lever in. We are aware that some of the Clubs currently have very limited resources (it was reported in the media recently in a way that implied that we are not aware of the financial difficulties and that we are not doing anythin about it - that is not true) and will need help if they are to introduce the changes that will ultimately improve the quality of play and make the 'product' more exciting and entertaining.<br />To make a difference, Clubs will need help to enhance their 'off-pitch' performance in areas such as governance, management, marketing, community development etc and additional resources to help to improve their 'on-pitch' performance for example coaching and conditioning programmes, youth academies etc. All of this will need time as well as resources and some patience will be required. Initially we will be looking for sponsorship to fund these changes and in time the league should become more sustainable through increased gate receipts, merchandising, advertising, broadcasting etc. There is a long way to go and the transition will not be easy. <br />The reason for doing this is that the professional part of our sport is very important for generating interest and for nurturing talent for our national teams. A strong league and national teams should inspire young people to get involved in football at the grassroots level. More people playing increases the talent pool and eventually a virtuous circle is created. We do not see the new league as an independent initiative, but rather as part of an integrated and systematic strategy to raise the standard of football in Hong Kong.<br />Improving community football facilities is part of that strategy but there again so is the provision of a new Stadium and a Football Training Centre.<br />All of the above are important factors in the long term transformation of football. Hopefully we can, over time encourage the existing football fans in Hong Kong to be loyal to local football as well as folowing foreign football.We should also be working to interest those that are currently not 'engaged'. The more interest we can get, new and old, the better.<br />The decline of local footall in Hong Kon has happened over say a 20 year period, it can't be turned around overnight. <br />What we are trying to do with Project Phoenix is lay down strong foundations that will reap benefits in he long run.<br />Regards<br />Mark Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12311816601866550472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-29760677194421091782013-02-04T18:31:00.332+08:002013-02-04T18:31:00.332+08:00Dear Allan,
Your suggestion has some merit and I w...Dear Allan,<br />Your suggestion has some merit and I will give it some thought. There are many examples of domestic leagues having teams from other countries playing in it. One of the main issues will be that the local League is supposed to be the 'training ground' for young players and so in turn strengthen the representative teams. If there are too many foreign teams playing in the league, fewer local players will get the chance to play and improve.<br />Thank you for the information on the stadium, I will check this out.<br />Regards<br />Mark<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12311816601866550472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-85576364397197460902013-02-01T16:26:18.513+08:002013-02-01T16:26:18.513+08:00Dear Mr. Sutcliffe,
Thank you for writing your bl...Dear Mr. Sutcliffe,<br /><br />Thank you for writing your blog and sharing your thoughts on HK football with the local fans.<br /><br />I am a local football supporter but I have always found it difficult to be interested in the weaker and smaller clubs. Sure, we can get thousands to watch South China versus Kitchee, but you will never get a big crowd for Sun Hei versus Citizen, for example.<br /><br />HK is not the only league to suffer this problem. Singapore's S-League has also had years of problems with small crowds. Many of their small clubs gone bust and they have to get teams from Korea, Japan, Brunei, France and Malaysia to join their league.<br /><br />My suggestion is, why don't HKFA, FAS, Macau, Brunei and maybe Chinese Taipei work together to form a professional league? Hong Kong and Singapore provide 4 clubs, Macau and Brunei 1 clubs each and 2 clubs from Taiwan for a 12 club pro-league. This will provide a real and competitive home and away format football league with some real rivalry among clubs.<br /><br />I know it has never been done before but I am quite sure AFC and FIFA will understand the need for its development. The countries/regions I listed: Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, Brunei and Taiwan are really too small to have commercially successful professional leagues.<br /><br />I hope you will give it a thought.<br /><br />BTW, The Standard said Hong Kong Stadium will be adapted into a 10,000 capacity multi-use stadium for district use. Apparently Wan Chai Sports Ground will be torn down to make way for HKCEC phase III.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Allan NgAllanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12646154376003357875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-71631161921630770572013-02-01T14:08:33.606+08:002013-02-01T14:08:33.606+08:00Could you please explain a bit about the "New...Could you please explain a bit about the "New League". How is that it going to be different to the current division one? What are the benefits of having a new league in realistic terms?<br /><br />As for creating a loyal fan base, we should not be thinking of new. We already have a lot of loyal fans of football, just not HK football. It is not about high profile player (check what happened with Drogba/Anelka in Shanghai Shenhua). It is not about brand of football or style of play, because that needs long term players, coaches, and academies development. Barca way is not suited for everyone. New stadium should be the least of our worries, whereas better football grounds around HK for grassroots development will prove vital.<br /><br />Bums on seats: YES! Will they buy tickets all the time? NO! So the question is do you want tiny revenue or do you want a packed Mongkok Stadium every day? If it is the latter, then there are gazilion ways to achieve that. With a little bit of innovative marketing, technology, and social responsibility, it is easily achievable.<br /><br />I understand that there are too many grounds to cover and there are things you cannot say or decide. But please be honest with us on what can be achieve that will realistically improve the future of football in HK.<br /><br />I am still looking forward to your invite and when we can possibly meet up for tea.Herman Yuehhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10072183453212372419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-90388261199987234882013-02-01T10:11:12.344+08:002013-02-01T10:11:12.344+08:00Desmond,
You make a good point. I do not know what...Desmond,<br />You make a good point. I do not know what the Government plans to do with the existing stadium when the new one is ready (which by the way is likely to be around 2019/2020). The HKFA has been asked to respond to an 'Expressions of Interest' consultation document and I will address the issue in our response.<br />Thank you for your observation.<br />Regards<br />MarkAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12311816601866550472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-57588207848965748312013-02-01T03:28:19.378+08:002013-02-01T03:28:19.378+08:00Hello Mark,
Did you mean Hong Kong Stadium would ...Hello Mark,<br /><br />Did you mean Hong Kong Stadium would be demolished for property or other purposes?<br /><br />Even a new stadium is expected to appear at Kai Tak, HKFA should negotiate with the Government and stand firm on keeping Hong Kong Stadium in use (renovating it if necessary), as we need "more" rather than "replacement", especially the new football league is going to be in place.<br /><br />Desmond. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08270832168496151458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-78628317714591149642013-01-31T14:44:16.278+08:002013-01-31T14:44:16.278+08:00Dear Bruno,
Thank you for your comment. It is inde...Dear Bruno,<br />Thank you for your comment. It is indeed difficult to change the football culture overnight. Like you, I come from a place where life often revolves around a local club. That concept exists here to a limited extent with the District teams but many of the other teams do not have a consistent 'home' ground. This makes it very difficult to build up a sense of belonging and empathy.<br />We need to create something unique about Clubs that attracts a new loyal fan base. That might be a certain 'brand' of football, a high profile player, a certain style of play, a partnership with another foreign team etc etc. We are working on ideas to make the new league different. For the professional part of the sport to be sustainable, we must find ways to break down the apathy and as the marketeers would say 'put bums on seats'.<br />I would like to hear from people with ideas in this respect.<br />Good luck with your studies.<br />Regards<br />Mark Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12311816601866550472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-54543292128460051312013-01-29T11:47:15.497+08:002013-01-29T11:47:15.497+08:00Hi Mark,
I find very difficult to come up with a ...Hi Mark,<br /><br />I find very difficult to come up with a strategy that would change the football culture in HK. I grew up in Sao Paulo / Brazil, I am a member of the club that I support, I started my football career in this club when I was about 5 years old, my first pro match was for the club, and on a everyday basis I went to the club to enjoy the facilities as my apartment is just 5 minutes walking from there. My life was spent in the stadium and that atmosphere, feelings and sense of community are hard to be beaten and has molded me and million others in passionate football/club fans.<br />I am saying that because I understand that the big deal is not only changing the actual football supporters' behavior (which is pretty hard) but the main thing is to "create" and "develop" the supporters of tomorrow. That is a long-term strategy but with potential solid results. I am still thinking about a short-term strategy that would help the development and improvement in the football - club - fan relation as I am using the HK football scenario as part of my studies for the Master in Sport Management.<br />I would love to have the chance to discuss it a bit further as I think that everyone has some experience of life in football that would be of great value.<br />I am looking forward for the opportunity to show you my thoughts as I sent my CV for the futsal manager vacancy. I am sure that I could help a lot and would be delighted of being part of the project.<br /><br />Thanks for sharing your thoughts.<br /><br />Bruno Cannavan<br /><br />Brunohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16958484247727601779noreply@blogger.com