Hong Kong Rangers FC

Association football club in Hong Kong
Football club
Rangers
Full nameHong Kong Rangers Football Club
Founded1958; 66 years ago (1958) (as Rangers Football Team)
GroundTsing Yi Sports Ground
Capacity1,500
PresidentPeter Mok
Head coachVom Ca-nhum
LeagueHong Kong Premier League
2022–233rd of 10
WebsiteClub website
Home colours
Away colours
Third colours

Hong Kong Rangers Football Club (Chinese: 香港流浪足球會), often abbreviated to Rangers, currently known as Biu Chun Rangers due to sponsorship reasons, is a Hong Kong professional football club which currently competes in the Hong Kong Premier League. They have won the Hong Kong First Division once, the Senior Shield four times, and the Hong Kong FA Cup twice.

History

Formation to 2000

The club was founded in 1958 by a Scottish expatriate from Glasgow named Ian Petrie. He named his club after Rangers. It was the first Asian football club with a modern football club managing system. In the early days, the club could not compete with the bigger clubs financially so Petrie relied on young players and the team was known as a breeding ground for young players. Kwok Ka Ming was the best known players discovered by Petrie in the 1960s. In 1970, the club brought three Scottish professional players to Hong Kong. They were the first European professional players to play in the Hong Kong league, opening a new chapter in Hong Kong's football history. Great players such as Ian Taylor, Joe Brennan, Jimmy Liddell, and Derek Currie were a few to name. More were to follow in the 1980s such as Steve Paterson, Jimmy Bone and Tommy Nolan. Winner of the Ballon d’Or at 22, European champion and dubbed “El Beatle” - George Best came just a year before he finally retired from the game and played once for Hong Kong Rangers in 1982.

2000–2018

Since 12 October 2001, the club had been named after its sponsor, Buler, resulting in the name Buler Rangers up until summer 2006. On 15 September 2007, the club announced that it has secured a large sponsorship from Bulova, a watch brand which used to fund a famous Hong Kong football team decades ago, and used Bulova Rangers as the team name.

In 2011, the team changed their name as Kam Fung. They were the champions of the 2011–12 Hong Kong Second Division and were promoted to the Hong Kong First Division. The club has since renamed itself as Biu Chun Rangers due to being sponsorship by Biu Chun Watch Hands (except for the 2016–17 season when the club was renamed as Lee Man Rangers due to sponsorship reasons).

In the early part of the 2000s, Rangers' investment in youth player produced various Hong Kong internationals including Chan Wai Ho, Man Pei Tak, Lam Ka Wai and Lo Kwan Yee. However, this investment dried up in the later part of the 2010s resulting in lower budgets and declining performances of the club.[1]

2018–present

Following a last place finish in the 2017–18 Hong Kong Premier League, Rangers were relegated back the First Division after a six-year stay in the top flight.[2] Former Hong Kong international Wong Chin Hung was hired as the club's head coach.

Despite a third place finish in the 2018–19 season, Rangers were promoted back into the Hong Kong Premier League on 15 July 2019 following Dreams FC's decision to self-relegate.[3]

In 2019–20, Rangers were one of four teams that withdrew from the Premier League season due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Hong Kong.

During the 2022–23 season, Rangers finished 3rd within the Hong Kong Premier League in which they secured one of the two qualification play-off spots where they will make their AFC Champions League debut.[4]

Name history

  • 1958–1995: Rangers (香港流浪)
  • 1995–1997: UHLSPORT Rangers (UHLSPORT流浪)
  • 1997–1999: Rangers (香港流浪)
  • 1999: Rangers (奇利寶流浪)
  • 1999–2001: Rangers (香港流浪)
  • 2001–2006: Buler Rangers (澎馬流浪)
  • 2006–2007: Rangers (香港流浪)
  • 2007–2008: Bulova Rangers (寶路華流浪)
  • 2008–2009: Rangers (香港流浪)
  • 2009–2010: Ongood (安華)
  • 2010–2011: Biu Chun (標準錶針)
  • 2011–2012: Kam Fung (金鋒科技)
  • 2012–2016: Biu Chun Rangers (標準流浪)
  • 2016–2017: Lee Man Rangers (理文流浪)
  • 2017–: Biu Chun Rangers (標準流浪)

Team staff

Position Staff
Director of football Hong Kong Philip Lee
Head coach Chinese Taipei Vom Ca-nhum
Assistant coach Hong Kong Chiu Chung Man
Assistant coach Hong Kong Wong Chin Hung
Assistant coach Hong Kong Li Heung Leung
Assistant coach Brazil Fernando Lopes
Goalkeeping coach Hong Kong Cheung Wai Hong
Physiotherapist Canada Kevin Leung
Technical director Hong Kong Fung Wing Shing

Source: [citation needed]

Current squad

First Team

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Hong Kong HKG Lo Siu Kei
3 DF South Korea KOR Choi Woo-jae FP
4 DF South Korea KOR Kim Min-kyu FP
5 DF Japan JPN Ryota Hayashi FP
6 MF Hong Kong HKG Remi Dujardin
7 FW Hong Kong HKG Lau Chi Lok
10 MF Hong Kong HKG Lam Ka Wai (captain)
12 DF Hong Kong HKG Lo Kwan Yee
13 GK Hong Kong HKG Chan Kun Sun
14 MF Japan JPN Akito Okamoto FP
16 MF Hong Kong HKG Lam Hin Ting
17 DF Hong Kong HKG Loong Tsz Hin
18 FW Japan JPN Yosuke Kamigata FP
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 MF Hong Kong HKG Yiu Ho Ming
20 MF Hong Kong HKG Chiu Ching Yu
21 FW Ghana GHA Nassam Ibrahim FP
22 FW Hong Kong HKG Ma Yung Sang
23 DF Japan JPN Makoto Rindo FP
25 MF Hong Kong HKG Leung Hoi Chun
26 MF Hong Kong HKG Lai Pui Kei
28 MF Hong Kong HKG Chan Yiu Cho
30 GK Ukraine UKR Oleksii Shliakotin (on loan from Sham Shui Po) FP
33 DF Brazil BRA Fernando Lopes FP
44 MF Japan JPN Yumemi Kanda FP
55 DF Hong Kong HKG Jean-Jacques Kilama
89 MF Hong Kong HKG Au Yeung Yiu Chung

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Chinese Taipei TPE Emilio Estevez (on loan at Tai Po)

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

Continental record

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
1995–96 Asian Cup Winners Cup First round bye
Second round Japan Yokohama Flügels 1–3 2–4 3–7
2023–24 AFC Champions League Preliminary stage Vietnam Haiphong 1–4

Honours

League

Cup competitions

Season-to-season record

Season Tier Division Teams Position Home Stadium Attendance/G FA Cup Senior Shield League Cup Sapling Cup
2000–01 1 First Division 8 6 Quarter-finals Group Stage Not held
2001–02 1 First Division 7 4 Semi-finals Runners-up
2002–03 1 First Division 8 3 Runners-up Semi-finals
2003–04 1 First Division 10 4 First Round Semi-finals
2004–05 1 First Division 9 4 Quarter-finals Quarter-finals Semi-finals
2005–06 1 First Division 8 3 Quarter-finals Quarter-finals Group Stage
2006–07 1 First Division 10 4 Semi-finals First Round Group Stage
2007–08 1 First Division 10 10 Quarter-finals Quarter-finals Group Stage
2008–09 2 Second Division 10 6 Did not enter Did not enter Did not enter
2009–10 2 Second Division 9 4 Not held
2010–11 2 Second Division 12 7 Did not enter
2011–12 2 Second Division 12 1
2012–13 1 First Division 10 6 Sham Shui Po Sports Ground 868 Quarter-finals First Round Not held
2013–14 1 First Division 12 5 Sham Shui Po Sports Ground 472 Semi-finals Quarter-finals
2014–15 1 Premier League 9 7 Kowloon Bay Park 485 Quarter-finals Quarter-finals Knock-out Stage
2015–16 1 Premier League 9 8 Kowloon Bay Park 477 Semi-finals Quarter-finals Semi-finals Semi-finals
2016–17 1 Premier League 11 7 Tsing Yi Sports Ground 519 Quarter-finals First Round Defunct Quarter-finals
2017–18 1 Premier League 10 10 Sham Shui Po Sports Ground 485 Quarter-finals Quarter-finals Group Stage
2018–19 2 First Division 14 3 Did not enter Did not enter Did not enter
2019–20 1 Premier League 10 Withdrew Tuen Mun Tang Shiu Kin Sports Ground 375 First Round Quarter-finals Group Stage
2020–21 1 Premier League 8 6 Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground 613 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic Group Stage
2021–22 1 Premier League 8 Cancelled Sham Shui Po Sports Ground 1,076 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022–23 1 Premier League 10 3 Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground 466 Runners-up Semi-finals Semi-finals
2023–24 1 Premier League 11 Quarter-finals Semi-finals TBD

Note:

  1st or Champions   2nd or Runners-up   3rd place   Promotion   Relegation

Retired numbers

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF Hong Kong HKG Cheung Yiu Lun (posthumous)

Head coaches

See also

References

  1. ^ Chan, Sun Jiu; So, Chi Yeung. "亞洲首支職業隊　本地波「兵工廠」造星無數". HK01. Archived from the original on 10 December 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2018. (in Chinese)
  2. ^ "流浪主場不敵富力 提早兩輪篤定包尾 降班或獲挽留仍是未知數". Ming Pao. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018. (in Chinese)
  3. ^ Yuen, Chi Ho. "足總通過夢想退賽申請　港甲季軍標準流浪獲邀升班". HK01. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019. (in Chinese)
  4. ^ "BC Rangers aiming to repair bruised pride in AFC Champions League debut". South China Morning Post. 15 August 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2024.

External links

  • Hong Kong Rangers F.C. official website (archived 21 February 2013)
  • Hong Kong Rangers FC on Facebook Edit this at Wikidata
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Hong Kong Rangers FC – current squad