Hong Kong’s Traditional Football School Faces Uncertain Future in Competition

Hong Kong’s renowned traditional football school, Yan Chai Hospital Tung Chi-ying Memorial Secondary School, has won the Shatin and Sai Kung District Group A football championship for 17 consecutive years and the elite school football competition six times. However, due to late registration, the school may miss the 24/25 competition.

A Legacy of Football Excellence

Yan Chai Hospital Tung Chi-ying Memorial Middle School has produced many professional player alumni and has a long history of football excellence. The school has won the Shatin and Sai Kung District A football championships for 17 consecutive years since 2003/04 and has won the Hong Kong Academic Elite Football Championship six times.

Administrative Error Leads to Registration Rejection

The school’s application was rejected by the Sha Tin and Sai Kung District Secondary School Branches of the Hong Kong School Sports Federation due to expired registration. The school’s principal, Huang Youjie, admitted that administrative errors were the school’s responsibility and apologized for the mistake.

Incident Stemmed from Resigned Physical Education Director

The incident stemmed from the fact that the director of the physical education department, who kept the password for the registration system, resigned at the end of August and did not cooperate during the handover. The new physical education director discovered that the school had not registered for the academic elite competition this year when he submitted the registration form on September 4.

Netizens React in Two Extremes

The incident attracted the attention of netizens, with some believing that the academic association should handle the situation as appropriate and that the school’s failure should not be borne by the students. Others believe that once the discretionary precedent is set, it will be difficult to handle similar situations in the future, and it will also be unfair to other schools that have registered on time.

Legislative Council Member Weighs In

Legislative Council member Ho Chun-yin said, “In fact, the competition has started before registration. Letting you go (referring to discretion) is unfair to other schools. If you are not let go, students will become a shield. School teachers and students are actually the same team. No matter what the outcome of this mistake is, it will be a valuable lesson in your life.”

Consequences of Missing the Competition

If the school is unable to participate in the competition, it may have to re-enter the Shaxi District Group A2 next year, be promoted to the Group A, and win the championship or runner-up to participate in the academic elite competition.

Past Achievements

Dong Zhiying last won the championship in the Hong Kong Academic Elite Football Competition in 2015/16 and won the third place in 2022/23 after the epidemic. The school has also produced many player alumni, including Ouyang Yaochong, Pan Peixuan, and Pang Zhuoxi.

Hong Kong Academic Elite Football Results in the Past Two Years

• 2022/23: St. Joseph’s College, Diocesan Boys’ School, Yan Chai Hospital Tung Chi-ying Memorial Secondary School
• 2023/24: Diocesan Boys’ School, Ying Hua College, St. Joseph’s College