Eastern Sports Club
 | This article needs to be updated. (April 2017) |
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2014) |
 | |||
| Full name | Eastern Athletic Association Football Team Limited[1] (東方體育會足球隊有限公司) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1932 | ||
| Ground | Mong Kok Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 6,664 | ||
| Executive Director | Peter Leung | ||
| President | Lam Kin Ming | ||
| Coach | Szeto Man Chun | ||
| League | Hong Kong Premier League | ||
| 2016–17 | 2nd | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
|
| |||
Eastern Sports Club (Chinese: 東方體育會), is a Hong Kong professional football and basketball[2] club.
The football team is commonly known as Eastern Football Team (Chinese: 東方足球隊) (currently known for sponsorship reasons as Eastern Long Lions Football Team [1][3] (Chinese: 東方龍獅足球隊)) and plays in the Hong Kong Premier League.
History
The club was established in 1932 as Eastern Athletic Association. In 2012 it changed its name to Eastern Salon Football Team for sponsorship reasons. In the 1981/82 season the club was managed by former England captain and World Cup winner Bobby Moore. Notable English players Alan Ball (1966 World Cup winner) played for the club during 1982/83 season, and Graham Paddon in 1982–1984. It was very successful in the 1990s and was renowned the names "Great Eastern" and "Eastern Dynasty". In 2006/07 season Eastern was demoted to Third Division League but was subsequently invited by Hong Kong Football Association to compete in First Division League for 2007/08 season after obtaining sufficient sponsorship. However, after competing in the top level league for two seasons, Eastern abandoned to play in the First Division League and applied to participate in the Third Division League in 2009/10 season. In the 2013/14 season, Eastern was promoted back to the First Division League as the champion of Second Division League.[4]
In April 2016, Eastern won the 2015–16 Hong Kong Premier League under the guidance of Chan Yuen Ting. With Eastern's victory, the club became the first men's professional association football team to win a domestic, top flight championship under the management of a woman. Chan only lost one game in the 2015–16 season since being appointed.[5]
In the 2016-17 season, Eastern beat Kitchee SC 3-1 to win the Hong Kong Community Shield. The club also got to the final of the Hong Kong Senior Shield before losing to Kitchee 2-1 at Hong Kong Stadium. They also went on a season-long unbeaten run until the final matchday, when they lost to Kitchee 4-1 at the Mongkok Stadium and losing the league title. The club also drew 1-1 with Kawasaki Frontale, which was the first point earned by any Hong Kong club in the AFC Champions League. However, after losing 7-0 and 6-0 to Guangzhou Evergrande of China, 1-0 and 5-0 to Suwon Samsung Bluewings of South Korea and 4-0 away at Kawasaki, the club was knocked out in the group stages with 1 point from 6 games. It was also the first time any club from Hong Kong has participated in the competition. The club also progressed to the semifinals of the Sapling Cup, before losing to HK Pegasus 2-1. Pegasus would then lose in the final to Tai Po. 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.
Current squad
- As 11 July 2017.[3]
First team
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Reserves
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Honours
League
- Champions (2): 1947–48, 2012–13
- Champions (3): 2004–05, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12
Cup Competitions
- Champions (10): 1939–40, 1952–53, 1955–56, 1981–82, 1986–87, 1992–93, 1993–94, 2007–08, 2014–15, 2015–16
- Runners Up (2): 1947–48, 1971–72
- Champions (2): 1970–72, 1980–81
Performance in AFC competitions
- Asian Club Championship: 3 appearances
- AFC Cup: 1 appearance
- 2009: Group stage
- AFC Champions League:1 appearance
- 2017: Group stage
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 | Verdy Kawasaki
|
0-3 | 0-3 | 0-6 |
| 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 | 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 |
Record
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.[6]
Former coaches
- Bobby Moore (卜比·摩亞) (1981–82)[7]
- Peter Wong (黃興桂)
- Tsang Wai Chung (曾偉忠)
- Casemiro Mior (米路) (2007–08)
- Chan Hiu Ming (陳曉明), Lee Kin Wo (李健和), Lo Kai Wah (羅繼華) (2008–09)
- Chan Yuen Ting (陳婉婷) (2015–17)
See also
2013–14 Eastern Sports Club season
References
- ^ a b "Eastern Athletic Association Football Team Limited (CR No. 1253874)". ICRIS, Companies Registry, the Government of Hong Kong SAR. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ "Eastern set aside HK$10 million to become first professional basketball team in Hong Kong". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ^ a b "Eastern A.A. Football Team". Hong Kong Football Association. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ "About Eastern Sports Club". Eastern Sports Club. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
- ^ "Chan becomes first female to lead men's team to top-flight title". Four Four Two. Haymarket Media Group. 3 November 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
- ^ HKFA website (in Chinese) 東方不敗的一項全勝紀錄
- ^ [1]
External links
- Eastern football official website
- https://www.facebook.com/EasternLongLionsFootball/ Eastern football official facebook page]
- HKFA website: Club information
- SOCCERWAY