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History
Football is one of the most popular sections in the KCC with over
120 juniors and a similar number of adults taking part in football
training, matches and other events over the course of a season.
Social football started at KCC in the early 1970s and the section
was formally established in 1994, when the KCC entered a team
in the Yau Yee League, Hong Kong's leading amateur football competition.
The team quickly worked its way up the divisions and in 2000 did
the “double”, winning the Yau Yee League First Division
Championship and Cup. A second team, the KCC Dragons entered the
League in 2000, securing promotion to the First Division in 2005.
In 2002 a Junior Football programme was established. Teams of
children aged from 8 to 14 play in regular competitions of the
Hong Kong Junior Football League. Children from 3 years upwards
participate in weekly training sessions and in 2008 over 20 girls
joined the junior programme.
Adult Teams
The KCC Football section caters for players of all levels. There
are two teams – KCC Knights and KCC Dragons – playing
in the 1st Division of the Yau Yee League. In the 2008/09 season,
KCC Dragons came 5th whilst the KCC Knights finished 8th. Both
teams have dedicated Managers responsible for training, selection
and general administration. Weekly training takes place on Thursday
evenings at King’s Park.
KCC also runs a social football team –
the Royals, which has a full programme of friendly games throughout
the year. In the summer there are social games on the KCC grass
normally scheduled on Sunday afternoons, whilst for the remainder
of the year matches switch to Kings Park on Monday nights. KCC
members from other sporting sections, including cricket, squash,
hockey, snooker and lawn bowls are also regular Royals players
The KCC has participated in the HKFC International
Soccer 7s since it was first played in Y2000. Over the last few
years, KCC has participated in the Masters side of the tournament,
playing against teams of ex-pros from Chelsea, Charlton Athletic
and Glasgow Rangers to name a few. In recent years ex-professionals
John Barnes, Garry Nelson and Lawrie Sanchez have represented
the club in this tournament. KCC players have also played for
the Yau Yee League Select in the main tournament. In 2009, the
KCC won the Masters Plate – a significant achievement for
both the Club as a whole and for the Football section.
KCC Football teams are organised for the benefit
of Club members, however there are opportunities for non-members
to participate. The intention is for KCC and non-members to have
an opportunity to ‘assess each other’. If all goes well
it this leads to the non-members taking up one of the KCC membership
options, with Sporting Subscriber being a popular choice.
Playing Season
The Yau Yee League and Junior Football competitions begin in September
and run through to May. The KCC Knights and KCC Dragons teams
play Yau Yee League matches on Sundays, whilst Junior Football
tournaments are held on Saturday mornings. The Royals play mainly
mid-week evening matches.
Venues
The Yau Yee League teams play most of their fixtures at the Kings
Park Sports Ground in Ho Man Tin, though they play occasional
fixtures ‘away’ at the Hong Kong Football Club and King
George V School. Venues for Junior Football tournaments vary and
include King's Park, the Hong Kong Football Club, Tai Tam, and
for younger age groups the KCC. The social team plays most of
its games at Kings Park.
Social Events and Tours
The Football Section organises regular social events, including
summer 7-a-side tournaments, quiz nights and dinners. In May 2007,
the Section hosted an ‘Evening with John Barnes’, and
in May 2008, an ‘Evening with Lawrie Sanchez and Garry Nelson’.
Both events raised substantial sums for charity. In recent years,
KCC teams have participated in tours to Bangkok and China. The
club also regularly plays host to overseas teams.
A special relationship has been established with
the Royal Bangkok Sports Club (‘RBSC’). Each year there
is an Interport match that alternates between Hong Kong and Bangkok.
The KCC also sends teams to Bangkok in January each year to play
in RBSC’s annual 7-a-side competition.
Contacting the Football
Section
The Football Section welcomes players of all ages and levels of
ability to join us for training, matches and social events. Players
wishing to try out for the KCC Knights and KCC Dragons should
contact the respective team managers, whilst potential Junior
or Social players may contact the relevant Football Committee
members.
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An
Evening with John Barnes May 2007
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KCC
1998 Team Cup Winners March 2008
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KCC v Chelsea
HKFC International Soccer Sevens June 2000 |
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KCC Treble Winners - 1999/2000 |
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KCC's First Yau Yee League squad 1994 |
Committee
The Football Section Committee elected for the 2009-2010 Season
is as follows -
Captain of Football & GC Representative -
Jon Mckinley
KCC Knights Manager - Paul McGunnigle
KCC Dragons Manager - Shyam Nainani
KCC Royals Manager - Ravi Sujanani
Junior Football Manager - Jim Down
Secretary - James Gough
Treasurer - Tony Smith Proposed
Permanent Trophies
The
James Down Trophy for Junior Footballer of the Year (since 2006/07)
06/07 Toby Down
07/08 Toby Down
08/09 Ross White
The
Ken Wallis Trophy for Leading Goal Scorer
04/05 Matthew Wake
05/06 Matthew Wake
06/07 Marcel Sossnowski
07/08 James Stroud
08/09 James Stroud
The
Dragon's Trophy for Leading Goal Scorer
04/05 Faizul Hassan
05/06 Ali Mohammad
06/07 Deepak Bellani
07/08 Hassan Del
08/09 Chris Pickles
The
Mike Kennedy Trophy for The Most Improved Player
04/05 Boris Kam
05/06 Mathew Brectel
06/07 Humphrey Flowerdew
07/08 Richard Edge
08/09 Noah Ward
The
Mike Trayford Trophy for Young Player of the Year
04/05 David Tang
05/06 Matthew Nuttal
06/07 Mark Szeliga
07/08 Mark Szeliga
08/09 Ben Goodridge
The
KCC Player of the Year Trophy - Presented by Mike Kennedy
04/05 Iain Clark
05/06 Jonathan McKinley
06/07 Marcel Sossnowski
07/08 James Stroud
08/09 Steve Rigby
The
Shyam Nainani Trophy for Dragon's Player of the Year
04/05 Frankie Ferreira
04/05 Dharam Mirpuri
05/06 Ashgar Ali
06/07 Frankie Ferreira
07/08 Kevin Toong
08/09 Chris Pickles
The
Tony Smith Shield for KCC Royals’ Player of the Year (since
2007/08)
07/08 Malcolm Leigh
08/09 Ravi Sujanani
The
Nigel Sandford Chairman's Award
04/05 Shyam Nainani
05/06 Antony Smith
06/07 Antony Smith
07/08 Malcolm Leigh
08/09 Jonathan McKinley
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