Hong Kong soccer is taking a leaf out of US President Barack Obama's mantra 'Yes we can' but after two decades of dwindling interest in the local game, change is easier said than done.
If the professional game is to survive in the city then change - maybe even a revolution - is necessary. One group, led by First Division clubs South China and Kitchee, is ready to lead the charge and has proposed a new 'Hong Kong Professional League' that would offer a 300 per cent increase in prize money to HK$3 million when the new season begins in September.
The new league would replace the current structure set up more than 30 years ago. The halcyon days of the 1970s and 1980s, when teams like Seiko, South China and Bulova could fill the old Hong Kong Stadium's 28,000 seats are a distant memory.
This group and their partners have come up with a plan that would professionalise the operations of the Hong Kong Football Association. The group's plans include a club licensing committee, a marketing and sponsorship committee and a dispute resolution panel.
Far from increasing bureaucracy in the game, the new structure's aim is to have a more transparent set of rules that would encourage clubs to invest in their teams. Under the current regime, decisions are often made on an ad hoc basis by the HKFA's board of directors; teams relegated from the top flight can win a reprieve simply to make up numbers, while promoted sides often refuse to move up the ladder due to a lack of resources.
A vivid example can be found in the recently concluded season when 13 teams competed in the First Division, with some of the new faces hopelessly out of their depth.
