Lee Man Football Club () is a

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club based in

Tseung Kwan O Tseung Kwan O New Town, commonly known as Tseung Kwan O ( zh, t=將軍澳新市鎮, j=Zoeng1 gwan1 ou3 san1 si5 zan3), is one of the nine New towns of Hong Kong, new towns in Hong Kong, built mainly on Land reclamation in Hong Kong, reclaimed ...

, which currently competes in the

Hong Kong Premier League The Hong Kong Premier League () is a Hong Kong professional football league organised by the Football Association of Hong Kong, China. It is currently sponsored by BOC Life and officially known as BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League (). The inau ...

. Lee & Man Chemical Limited is the major sponsor of the club. The club won their first league title in the 2023–24 season with an unbeaten record.

History

Lee Man Football Club was established on 19 June 2017 by ''Lee Man Football Limited'' with the aim of promoting football in Hong Kong and allowing Hong Kong football players to shine with the club. During the 2017–18 season, Lee Man Football Limited decided to invest their money in building their own football club. They paid an entrance fee of HKD 1 million to the

Hong Kong Football Association The Football Association of Hong Kong, China Limited (HKFA; ) is the governing body of association football in Hong Kong, People's Republic of China. Its current chairman is Eric Fok. History The HKFA was established in 1914. It is one of the ...

for the right to enter a club directly into the

. The club hired former Hong Kong international Fung Ka Ki as their first manager on 3 July 2017. Lee Man recorded their first win in the club history on 15 September in a 3–2 league win against Eastern with Spanish player Jordi Tarrés scoring the club's first official goal. However, Manager Fung Ka Ki would only last one season as manager since the club finished a disappointing 8th place.

First piece of silverware

On 21 May 2018, Lee Man hired former Hong Kong national team and Macau national team head coach Chan Hiu Ming as its manager. Under Chan, the club won its first trophy, capturing the 2018–19 Hong Kong Sapling Cup on 27 April 2019 in a 3–2 victory over

Yuen Long Yuen Long is a town in the western New Territories, Hong Kong. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu (), Tin Shui Wai, Lau Fau Shan and Ha Tsuen, to the south Shap Pat Heung and Tai Tong, to the east Au Tau and Kam Tin (), and to the north Nam Sang Wa ...

. Lee Man participated in their first intercontinental tournament, the

AFC Cup The AFC Champions League Two (abbreviated as the ACL Two or ACL2) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation. It is the second-tier competition of Asian club football, ranked below the AFC C ...

qualifying straight to the 2021 AFC Cup group stage, On 23 June 2021, Lee Man recorded their first win in the tournament against another local club, Eastern SC with Gil scoring the only goal in the match in a 1–0 win. Lee Man went on to win all of their group stage match winning Taiwanese club

Tainan City Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a special municipality in southern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and commonly called the " prefectural capital" for its over 260-year histo ...

4–1 on 26 June and winning against Mongolian club Athletic 220 thrashing them 1–5 on 29 June thus qualifying to the Inter-zone play-off finals playing against Uzbekistani club Nasaf on 20 October. Throughout the match, Lee Man put up a good fight against Nasaf drawing with them 2–2 thus seeing them both going through extra time, however in the first half of extra time, opponent player

Andrija Kaluđerović Andrija Kaluđerović (; born 5 July 1987) is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Club career The much-travelled Kaluđerović made his senior debut for OFK Beograd under manager Stevica Kuzmanovski, coming on a ...

scored the goal for Nasaf which would see Lee Man bowed out from the tournament with the final score being 3–2. Lee Man then qualified for the

2022 AFC Cup The 2022 AFC Cup was the 19th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club association football, football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). This season was the last in an all-year-round (spring-to-autumn) schedule; ...

group stage being placed with the same opponent in 2021, but this time, the club bowed out from the tournament early in the group stage. On 5 February 2023, Chan was sacked by Lee Man after a disappointing performance and on 27 April 2023, Tsang Chiu Tat was appointed as the head coach of the club. Lee Man finished the 2022–23 season as runners-up which sees the club qualified for the

2023–24 AFC Champions League The 2023–24 AFC Champions League was the 42nd edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 21st and final under the AFC Champions League title, as the competition would be rebra ...

qualifying phase. On 16 August 2023, Lee Man thrashed Indonesian club Bali United 5–1 at home which saw them qualified for the play-off round against

2022 AFC Champions League The 2022 AFC Champions League was the 41st edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 20th under the current AFC Champions League title. This edition was the last in an all-y ...

winner,

Urawa Red Diamonds The or simply Urawa Reds (浦和レッズ, ''Urawa Rezzu''), also known as Mitsubishi Urawa Football Club from April 1992 to January 1996, are a professional association football, football club in the city of Saitama (city), Saitama, part of t ...

, however, Lee Man lost 3–0 to the Japanese side at the

Saitama Stadium 2002 , the or simply , is a football stadium located in Midori-ku, Saitama, Japan. Currently, J1 League club Urawa Red Diamonds use this stadium for home games. It is the largest football-specific stadium in Japan and is one of the largest stadi ...

which see their opponent qualified to the group stage.

First league title with an unbeaten run

On 19 May 2024, Lee Man secured their first

title after a 6–1 victory against

Sham Shui Po Sham Shui Po () is an area of Kowloon, Hong Kong, situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, north of Tai Kok Tsui, east of Cheung Sha Wan and south of Shek Kip Mei (). It is located in and is the namesake of the Sham Shui ...

. They became the fourth club to win the league title and the second unbeaten title-winning team – a record of 17 wins and 3 draws. Lee Man also directly qualified for the group stage of the inaugural 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two. The club is then drawn into Group G alongside Thailand club

Bangkok United True Bangkok United Football Club () is a professional football club based in Pathum Thani province, Thailand. Known as Bangkok University Football Club until 2009, the club was relegated from the 2010 Thai Premier League only four years afte ...

, Vietnamese club

Nam Định Nam Định () is the capital city of Nam Định province in the Red River Delta of the Northern Vietnam. History From August 18–20 of each year, there is a festival held in Nam Định called the Cố Trạch. This celebration honors Gener ...

and Singaporean club Tampines Rovers.

Stadium

Lee Man played their home matches at the Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground which can hold a capacity of up to 5,000. However as the stadium didn't meet the AFC requirements, Lee Man used the

Mong Kok Stadium Mong Kok Stadium () is a stadium in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. With a capacity of 6,664 (comprising four stands of 1,666), it hosts Hong Kong Premier League football matches, with Kitchee SC, Kitchee currently using the venue. The stadium is ...

as their home ground to host all of their 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two matches.

Current squad

First team

^FP ^FP ^FP ^FP ^FP ^FP ^FP Remarks:
^LP These players are considered as local players in Hong Kong domestic football competitions.
^FP These players are registered as foreign players.

Club official

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Season-to-season record

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FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

! style=color:black; background:#ffee00;, Senior Shield ! style=color:black; background:#ffee00;, Sapling Cup ! style=color:black; background:#ffee00;, HKPLC Cup , - , align=center, 2017–18 , align=center, 1 , align=center,

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

, align=center, 10 , align=center, 8 , align=center rowspan=2, Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground , align=center, 509 , align=center, Quarter-finals , align=center, Quarter-finals , align=center, Group Stage , align=center rowspan=6 bgcolor=grey, Not held , - , align=center, 2018–19 , align=center, 1 , align=center,

, align=center, 10 , align=center, 9 , align=center, 627 , align=center, Quarter-finals , align=center, Quarter-finals , align=center bgcolor=gold, Champions , - , align=center, 2019–20 , align=center, 1 , align=center,

, align=center, 10 , align=center, 4 , align=center, Sham Shui Po Sports Ground , align=center, 877 , align=center, First Round , align=center bgcolor=silver, Runners-up , align=center, Group Stage , - , align=center, 2020–21 , align=center, 1 , align=center,

, align=center, 8 , align=center bgcolor=#cfaa88, 3 , align=center rowspan=5, Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground , align=center, 852 , colspan=2 align=center bgcolor=grey , Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic , align=center, Semi-finals , - , align=center, 2021–22 , align=center, 1 , align=center,

, align=center, 8 , align=center bgcolor=grey , Cancelled , align=center, 943 , colspan=3 align=center bgcolor=grey , Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic , - , align=center, 2022–23 , align=center, 1 , align=center,

, align=center, 10 , align=center bgcolor=silver, 2 , align=center, 817 , align=center, Quarter-finals , align=center, Semi-finals , align=center bgcolor=silver, Runners-up , - , align=center, 2023–24 , align=center, 1 , align=center,

, align=center, 11 , align=center bgcolor=gold, 1 , align=center, 716 , align=center, Semi-finals , align=center, Semi-finals , align=center, Group stage , align=center bgcolor=silver, Runners-up , - , align=center, 2024–25 , align=center, 1 , align=center,

, align=center, 9 , align=center bgcolor=silver, 2 , align=center, 574 , align=center, Quarter-finals , align=center bgcolor=silver, Runners-up , align=center bgcolor=silver, Runners-up , align=center bgcolor=grey, Not held ''Note'':

Continental record

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2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, rowspan=4,

, rowspan=3, Group J , Eastern , colspan=2 style="text-align:center; background:#dfd;", 1–0 , rowspan=3 style="text-align:center; background:#dfd;", 1st , - ,

, colspan=2 style="text-align:center; background:#dfd;", 4–1 , - , Athletic 220 , colspan=2 style="text-align:center; background:#dfd;", 5–1 , - , Inter-zone play-off final , Nasaf Qarshi , colspan=3 style="text-align:center; background:#fdd;", 2–3 ( a.e.t.) , - , rowspan=3,

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, rowspan=3,

, Play-off round , Athletic 220 , colspan=3 style="text-align:center; background:#dfd;", 2–1 , - , rowspan=2, Group J , Eastern , colspan=2 style="text-align:center; background:#fdd;", 1–3 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:center; background:#fdd;", 2nd , - ,

, colspan=2 style="text-align:center; background:#dfd;", 3–1 , - , rowspan="2", 2023–24 , rowspan="2",

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...

, Preliminary stage , Bali United , colspan=3 style="text-align:center; background:#dfd;", 5–1 , - , Play-off stage ,

, colspan=3 style="text-align:center; background:#fdd;", 0–3 , - , - , rowspan=3, 2024–25 , rowspan=3, AFC Champions League Two , rowspan=3,

Group G Group G may refer to: * A set of international motor racing regulations used in touring car racing Touring car racing is a motorsport road racing competition that uses race-prepared touring cars. It has both similarities to and significant dif ...

, style="text-align:center; background:#fdd;", 0–1 , style="text-align:center; background:#fdd;", 1–4 , rowspan=3 style="text-align:center; background:#fdd;", 4th , - , Thép Xanh Nam Định , style="text-align:center; background:#fdd;", 0–2 , style="text-align:center; background:#fdd;", 0–3 , - , Tampines Rovers , style="text-align:center; background:#ffd;", 0–0 , style="text-align:center; background:#fdd;", 1–3 , -

Honours

League

** Champions (1): 2023–24 ** Runners-up (2): 2022–23, 2024–25

Cup competitions

* Hong Kong Sapling Cup **Champions (1): 2018–19 **Runners-up (2): 2022–23, 2024–25 * Hong Kong Senior Shield **Runners-up (2): 2019–20, 2024–25 * Hong Kong Premier League Committee Cup **Runners-up (1): 2023–24

Performance records

Performance by coach

{, class="wikitable" , + !Coach !From !To !Achievements , - , Fung Ka Ki , 1 July 2017 , 9 April 2018 , , - , Fung Hoi Man , 10 April 2018 , 20 May 2018 , , - , Chan Hiu Ming , 21 May 2018 , 5 February 2023 , 2018–19 Hong Kong Sapling Cup , - , Tsang Chiu Tat , 5 February 2023 , 3 October 2024 , 2023–24 Hong Kong Premier League , - , Chu Siu Kei , 3 October 2024 , 21 November 2024 , , - , Matthew Holland , 21 November 2024 , 10 March 2025 , , - , Chu Siu Kei , 10 March 2025 , ,

References

External links

* * * * {{Hong Kong Premier League 2017 establishments in Hong Kong Football clubs in Hong Kong Association football clubs established in 2017 Hong Kong Premier League clubs