Hong Kong's soccer clubs want to play at the Stadium and the Board of Governors will decide the fate of the much-maligned pitch soon. A three-month closure is unavoidable and this will seriously jeopardise attendance and gate receipts although the HKFA are still optimistic they will exceed last year's $30 million figure as only nine matches were played at the $850 million So Kon Po facility last season.

While problems need to be sorted out at the 40,000-capacity Stadium - and urgently - Hong Kong fans can still look forward to a season full of promise.

Hong Kong has become a melting pot of nationalities as never before.

Players from as far afield as Russia and Latvia have made the territory their temporary home, playing in a League previously restricted to British and Australian players.

Last season's Second Division champions Frankwell and Happy Valley have shown initiative by bringing some Russian flair to Hong Kong but only time will tell if players like new defender Georgiy Shebarshin or Frankwell's centre-half Alekxandr Stradin will be a success in Hong Kong's money-spinning League.

Eight foreign players are allowed to be registered by any senior club although five remains the number allowed on the pitch at any one time.

The foreign players' quota increase has sent clubs scurrying for overseas talent scouts who have in turn have found players, albeit ones past their prime.

Sorry, no Klinsmanns or Dumitrescus here. Hong Kong soccer will again be relying on players who have had a glorious past - and nothing more.

New team Golden, who took over from the now-defunct Voicelink, signed the Bradford City pair of Mike Duxbury and Gary Williams, who together helped the Bantams to the First Division play-offs where they were narrowly beaten.

Former England full-back Duxbury, 34, is probably the most well-known name in Hong Kong football right now. As a former Manchester United regular, he won two FA Cup winners' medals in 1983 and 1985.

Fellow defender Williams has played at the top level for Aston Villa and Leeds United. He was part of Villa's glory team of the early 80s which won the League in 1980-81 and then the European Cup in 1982.

Golden have the depth and talent to make a strong impact, particularly after ex-Wimbledon striker Carlton Fairweather, Glenn Humphries, Lee Bullen and former South China hitman Alen Bajkusa opted to stay on after serving Voicelink.

Another team expecting success are Frankwell, better known for their exploits on the basketball court having won last year's Keung Sheung Bui (Super Commercial Cup).

The team, managed by Fung Siu-wai, have acquired a string of unpronounceable names such as Stradin, Grigjans, centre-back Harald Sprogis, striker Romans Sidorovs and midfielder Olegs Aleksetenko.

Happy Valley have followed the lead of the Second Division champions and have done away with their unsuccessful Chinese internationals, opting instead for good Russian players.

Happy Valley, who finished sixth in the League last season, have signed centre back Sergey Markin, defender Georgiy Shebarshin, centre-half Oleg Mehov, striker Sergey Volkov, goalkeeper Victor Derbunov and midfielder Murat Guneev to complement their ageing local players.

Kui Tan will also find the going tough despite taking Kitchee's entire playing staff at the end of last season.

They have put their faith in unknowns like Robert Millar, Darron Wilkinson and Nick Peverell, while retaining Jon Widdows, Jason Loryman and midfielders Otis Roberts and Mick Matthews. Another mediocre performance is expected.

If an entire team leaves one for another it presents a serious problem.

But instead of resigning themselves to defeat, Kitchee have decided to battle on although they are likely to be the weakest of all ten First Division teams.

They have signed Billy Bone, who played for Kui Tan last season before his mid-season move to Rangers.

Even big clubs like Rangers have had their problems. They could not have wished for a worse start after losing four of their six foreign players before a ball is kicked.

Running for cover were ex-England under-21 international Gary Bannister, defender Mark Blake, winger Bobby Barnes and goalkeeper Mark Walton, the quartet leaving after a wrangle over accommodation and wages.

Their most significant close season buy was Eastern golden boy Tam Siu-wai, signed on a two-year deal.

The way things are shaping, it promises to be a battle royale between the big four - Eastern, Instant-Dict, South China and Sing Tao.

Eastern, the super team of Hong Kong soccer for the last two seasons, have the edge on their rivals - in spirit, competitiveness and the confidence to go one better - to make a clean sweep of all four titles.

The Hong Kong champions remain the territory's most settled side despite losing four players, most significantly Tam Siu-wai and arguably Hong Kong's best defender, Lee Wai-man.

But that has been compensated by the signing of Instant-Dict's explosive striker Ian McParland and Happy Valley's livewire forward Ricky Cheng.

McParland and Dale Tempest have already teamed up with considerable success in pre-season matches and if that form is anything to go by then last season's leading goalscorers could develop a lethal partnership which could be good enough to take Eastern one step further by clinching the only trophy to have eluded them - the prestigious Viceroy Cup.

Arch-rivals South China will be hoping to do better than last season when their Viceroy Cup triumph saved them from total disaster.

But the club seem to have overcome their problems of last term and have become a settled side with their strength in defence aided by probably the best right-back in Hong Kong, Yau Kin-wai.

The old guard of Chan Ping-on and Ku Kam-fai will be there for another season and the midfield and attack looks as formidable as ever.

Dave Clarkson joins the Caroliners from Sing Tao and with Chinese midfielder Wu Qunli and Anto Grabo playing better than ever, happy days could be here again for South China.

Enigmatic Instant-Dict look set to finally burst into the big time after three seasons of trying to land a major trophy without success.

Now in their fourth season, Instant-Dict started the season on a high note by winning the President's Sevens but whether they have the flair and imagination to kill off opponents remains to be seen.

Despite losing top striker McParland, the 'Dickies' have acquired ex-St Mirren and Dundee striker Eddie Gallagher, who looks like a natural strike partner for fellow Scot Graham Harvey.

The Tigers of traditional giants Sing Tao promise to be prowling in the thick of things.

The club have retained most of their expat players, including striker John Moore, defender-midfielder Ian Docker and goalkeeper Harvey Lim. They have also signed midfielder Paul Wimbleton, defender Paul Morrell and 25-year-old striker Neil Ellis, whose former clubs include Maidstone and Chester.

Their biggest drawcard is expected to be exciting midfielder Lloyd McGrath, a former under-21 England international who spent 10 years with Coventry City.

With the HKFA told to follow the same FIFA directives which caused so much controversy at USA '94, outlawing the tackle from behind, it will be interesting to see how many yellow and red cards will be dished out this season.