Mong Kok's makeover makes loyalty of First Division teams' fans crucial

The willingness of their supporters to travel to unfamiliar grounds will be crucial for First Division clubs, forced to visit new venues as the new season gets underway.

A two-year facelift of Mong Kok Stadium, the base of Hong Kong football for more than three decades, means clubs will have to play in Kowloon Bay, Sham Shui Po, Tsing Yi, Siu Sai Wan and Sha Tin, as well as Hong Kong Stadium at So Kon Po.

'There are groups of loyal fans who will watch matches at Mong Kok as a habit and also because of the venue's convenient location,' said Football Association director Pui Kwan-kay, who also runs First Division club Citizen.

'But I don't think these groups of fans will travel to Tsing Yi or Sha Tin in the new season. Clubs will now have to attract people in the district to watch their matches and I don't think it will be an easy task considering the standard of Hong Kong football.

'The problem is there is only one team in domestic football that can attract its hardcore fans to wherever the team plays. Other than South China, other clubs still have a long way to achieve this.'

Under the new arrangements, the 11 top-flight teams will use eight different venues as their home grounds. The top two sides - South China and Kitchee - will use the 40-000-seater Hong Kong Stadium, while Sun Hei and Shek Kip Mei will be based at Tsing Yi Sports Ground. Fourway Rangers will have a temporary home in Sham Shui Po; Happy Valley and Citizen are in Siu Sai Wan and newly promoted Tai Chung will play in Kowloon Bay.