Hong Kong Jockey Club to pump nearly HK$2 million into Sapling Cup in new 3-year deal
- All of the city’s Premier League clubs and their under-22 players will benefit from new agreement
- Competition has been proving ground for Hong Kong best young players, with some going on to play in Chinese Super League
Hong Kong Jockey Club has agreed to pump nearly HK$2 million into local football over three years, the game’s bosses in the city announced on Tuesday.
The money will be used to sponsor the Sapling Cup, a competition that is geared towards providing more opportunities for young players, with each team required to field three under-22 players in a game.
Although the season has been running since September, the Hong Kong Football Association hoped the deal would trigger a wave of financial support for the city’s Premier League clubs.
“It takes time to negotiate with potential commercial partners and we are happy to have started the first step by securing support from the Jockey Club,” said Chan Man-chun, the Premier League committee representative and manager of top-flight club Southern.
“Of course we want to get more for the clubs. While the Senior Shield is about to complete with the final on Sunday, we still have the FA Cup and we want to see if we can work out something for it.”
Under the agreement, the tournament, which is still in its group phase, will be renamed the JC Sapling Cup, while all 10 Premier League clubs will receive prize money depending on how they do.
Some HK$120,000 will go to the winners, with the runners-up getting HK$60,000. The two other losing semi-finalists will each receive HK$30,000, with the six remaining teams getting HK$15,000 each.