Hong Kong’s Chan Yuen-ting appointed head coach of women’s Super League side Jiangsu
- The 33-year-old became a household name after leading Eastern to win the Hong Kong Premier League title in 2016
- Her achievement earned her the title of best women’s coach by the Asian Football Confederation in the same year
Hong Kong’s Chan Yuen-ting has been named head coach of Jiangsu women’s team ahead of the China Taiping CFA Women’s Super League season, mainland media have reported.
When asked about her appointment, the high-profile coach did not refute the news, but said she preferred to wait for an official announcement from the club. “It’s a very busy day for me today,” she said.
Mainland reports, however, said Chan had already arrived at the football training base in Kunming, Yunnan, where she will meet her players before starting off the preseason.
During the pandemic, the 2021 women’s Super League was conducted in the training base in three stages, with all matches played behind closed doors. Jiangsu lost the championship to Wuhan after losing 2-1 in the final stage and title playoff to finish runners-up of the league. China international Wang Shuang scored a brace for Wuhan.
Chan was with the Hainan team in the women’s League 2 last season, leading them to finish second in the standings and win promotion to League 1. Her position in Hainan was reported to be replaced by a former China national team player.
It will be the first time Chan will lead a top tier side in the mainland after leaving Hong Kong in 2019. The 33-year-old, more commonly known as “beefball” in the football community, became a household name after leading Eastern to win the Hong Kong Premier League title in 2016. As a result, she became the first female coach in the world to win a top tier men’s championship.