Kitchee return ‘home’ for first time since Typhoon Mangkhut devastation

Kitchee players said it felt like “coming home” after they returned to their training centre in Shek Mun for the first time since their ground was severely damaged by Typhoon Mangkhut last September.

Kitchee’s soccer training centre was hit by one of Hong Kong’s most powerful typhoons on record but six months after the centre was struck by strong winds, flooding and torrential rain, the centre has been patched up and reopened to little fanfare.

Led by coach Chu Chi-kwong, Kitchee returned to familiar ground for their first practice session after they were forced to train at the Football Association’s Tseung Kwan O football centre as repair work was carried out to patch up their training centre.

“We are using the same material as before and because this is a new turf, the players feel good and have no difficulty to adapting to it,” said the coach. “We only played one game this season before the typhoon hit us in September and it paralysed the entire centre. The players feel like they are returning home after six months of exile. It’s an opportunity for us to start over for the remaining season.”

Kitchee general manager Wilson Ng said the club was working with an insurance company over compensation with the final bill estimated to be more than HK$10 million.

“We have to import all the material from Italy and this is like a brand new pitch,” said Ng.

“To avoid another typhoon like we had last year, we have fixed two corners of the turf so that it won’t fold under windy conditions and avoid what we experienced last time.”

Other than the newly laid turf, the club plans to build barriers on three sides of the centre to avoid possible flooding from the nearby Shing Mun River during a heavy downpour.

Defending league champions have yet to hit their straps this season. Despite clinching the Senior Shield title, the first cup tie of the season, they are currently fourth in the league table with 21 points, five behind leaders R&F. Kitchee were also eliminated in the Sapling Cup, losing to Lee Man 3-2 in the last group match over the weekend.

“We don’t want to make any excuses such as losing our training ground for not performing,” said Chu. “We will try to catch up in the second half season. Returning home is the first step and it’s definitely boosting the confidence of the players.”

Captain Huang Yang was happy to return to the centre, saying it felt good to use the same locker for the first time since the typhoon struck.

“It’s nice returning home and we all feel excited,” said the Hong Kong international. “The pitch quality is very good and it will definitely help our training and hopefully we can improve.”