Double Flower Football Association () is a Hong Kong
football club which plays in the
Hong Kong Second Division. The club was very successful in 1990s in the then top-tier
First Division under the name Instant-Dict ().
Major events
* 1981–82 season: The club finished second in the
Third Division and were promoted to
Second Division.
* 1984–85 season: The club finished third in the Second Division and were promoted to
First Division, then the top league in Hong Kong football.
* 1985–86 season: The club faced
Seiko
, commonly known as Seiko ( , ), is a Japanese maker of watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors, jewelry, and optical products. Founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Seiko introduced one of the first quartz watches and the ...
in their First Division debut, in which they led 3-2 at the beginning of the second half but then conceded 5 goals and lost the match 3-7. They then made remarkable progress and managed a goalless draw with Seiko when the two teams met again in the second half of the league. They eventually finished 5th in the league. They also won a 5-a-side tournament in December 1985. They were one of the teams taking part in the Super Six Cup. First-choice goalkeeper
Lau Tung Ping was called up by
Kwok Ka Ming
Kwok Ka Ming MBE, JP (, born 30 October 1949) is a Hong Kong former professional footballer and coach.
Early life
Kwok graduated from St. Francis Xavier's College where he played in the school basketball and table tennis team. He joined the H ...
to the
Hong Kong national football team
The Hong Kong national football team () represents Hong Kong in international football and is controlled by the Hong Kong Football Association, the governing body for football in Hong Kong. Hong Kong was the first in Asia to hold the AFC Asian ...
.
* 1986-87 season: Horse trainer
Brian Kan was appointed president of the club. Due to their excellent performance in the previous season and the HKFA's ban on foreign players, many key players left the team for other clubs like
South China AA
South China Athletic Association (known simply as South China, SCAA, ) is a Hong Kong professional football club that competes in the Hong Kong First Division, the second-tier league in Hong Kong football league system. The club is histori ...
,
Happy Valley AA
Happy Valley Athletic Association (), known simply as Happy Valley or HVAA, is a Hong Kong football club which currently competes in the Hong Kong First Division. They are historically one of the most successful football clubs in Hong Kong, ...
and
Sea Bee. The club fielded a young side and narrowly avoided relegation by finishing sixth in the league ahead of the
Hong Kong Football Club
Hong Kong Football Club (HKFC; ), established in 1886, is a private members' club in Hong Kong. The name reflects the origin as a club for playing association football and Rugby football, rugby.
The club is situated in Happy Valley, Hong Ko ...
on better goal difference. The latter then complained to the
Hong Kong ICAC alleging match-fixing by the club in their last three league victories over
Tsuen Wan
Tsuen Wan (formerly also spelled Tsun Wan) is a town built on a bay in the western New Territories of Hong Kong, opposite of Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged from the surrounding villages and fle ...
(4-3),
HK Police (2-0) and South China AA (1-0). Several players and other personnel, including Kan, were arrested but later released without charge. No further action was taken by the ICAC or
Hong Kong FA due to insufficient evidence.
* 1987-88 season: Double Flower finished 5th in the 1st division.
* 1988–89 season: The
HKFA membership of Double Flower was loaned to
Lai Sun, who played in the league under the name Lai Sun Double Flower. The team won the
Viceroy Cup
Hong Kong Viceroy Cup () was a football competition in Hong Kong held by British American Tobacco. Started in 1969, it was the first football competition in Hong Kong which allowed commercial sponsorship. Together with First Division League, FA ...
and
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...
this season.
* 1989–90 season: Lai Sun bought the membership of Po Chai; Double Flower played in the league under the original name.
* 1991–92 season: the HKFA membership of the team was loaned to
Instant-Dict, a company specializing in English-Chinese translation machines and dictionaries. The team played in the league under the name Instant-Dict until 2001.
* 2001–02 season: Instant-Dict returned the membership; the team reverted to the name to Double Flower.
* 2002–03 season: Relegated to the Second Division after finishing 7th out of 8 teams.
* 2009–10 season: Advance SC used the membership to participate in the Second Division, under the name Advance Double Flower.
* 2011–11 season: Reverted the name back to Double Flower.
* 2013–14 season: After the First Division became the second tier league, all clubs previously in the Second Division, including Double Flower, joined the rebranded First Division.
* 2018–19 season: Finished 13th and were relegated back to the Second Division.
Honours
League
As Instant Dict
*
First Division
: Champions (2):
1995–96,
[Team was named Instant-Dict for sponsorship reasons.] 1997–98
: Runners-up (3):
1993–94,
1996–97,
2000–01
Cup Competitions
*
Hong Kong FA Cup
Hong Kong FA Cup () is a knockout cup competition in Hong Kong football, run by and named after The Hong Kong Football Association. The first edition of the competition was held in 1975, before then the cup was known as the Golden Jubilee Cup. ...
: Champions (4): 1988–89 (as Lai Sun Double Flower),
1996–97,
1997–98,
2000–01 (all as Instant Dict)
: Runners-up (2): 1991–92,
1998–99
(all as Instant Dict)
*
Viceroy Cup
Hong Kong Viceroy Cup () was a football competition in Hong Kong held by British American Tobacco. Started in 1969, it was the first football competition in Hong Kong which allowed commercial sponsorship. Together with First Division League, FA ...
: Champions (2): 1988–89 (as Lai Sun Double Flower),
[The honour was won by Lai Sun Double Flower.] 1995–96
(as Instant Dict)
: Runners-up (3): 1993–94,
1994–95,
1997–98
(all as Instant Dict)
*
Hong Kong FA Cup Junior Division
:Runners-up (2): 2016–17, 2017–18
Continental record
Footnotes
External links
*
Double Flowers Football Team
{{Hong Kong Second Division League teamlist
Football clubs in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Second Division League
1979 establishments in Hong Kong