Long-distance love affair

Never mind the Olympics: The English Premier League season is about to kick off again (the lower divisions kicked off yesterday) and fans across Hong Kong are waiting to watch their teams troop out, ready to do battle in the world's favourite football league.

After a turbulent 12 months, which has seen Cable TV pay $800 million for the exclusive rights to broadcast the English Premier League and legal warnings issued against the use of illegal satellite feed, there could be some big on-screen changes afoot for Hong Kong fans.

The quality of TV punditry, for instance, may dive more dramatically than Claude Makelele in the Chelsea-Marseille game. And any bar that manages to find a channel with some decent half-time analysis might find itself with less elbow room than the edge of Arsenal's 18-yard box at Old Trafford last season.

Club loyalties and allegiances remain rock solid, however, and whether you're an Arsenal fan looking for back-to-back championships or a Leeds fan looking for somewhere that screens the Nationwide League, you need never watch alone - even if your team is Walsall. Here is our guide to Hong Kong's fraternity of fan clubs so that you can share the highs and lows of the beautiful game with supporters who wear the same colours and know, like you, that soccer isn't a matter of life and death: It's far more important than that.

ARSENAL

Membership: 150 plus.

Annual cost: $100 for adults, $60 for children. Price includes discount on souvenirs and shirts and access to fan club channels for match ticket sales.