1905 Zhongwan F.C.
| Full name | 1905 Zhongwan Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | (大砲) The Cannons The Disciples | ||
| Short name | '05 ZFC | ||
| Founded | 10 March 1905 | ||
| Ground | ZhongwanInternational | ||
| Capacity | 85,000 | ||
| Owner | Riley Woo | ||
| Chairman | Harrison Chan | ||
| Head coach | Leung Hak-lam | ||
| League | Goulong First League | ||
| First League, 1st | |||
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1905 Zhongwan Football Club(also known as 1905 Zhongwan or 1905中環足球會), is a professional football club in Zhongwan, Goulong, Aeia that competes in the Goulong First League. Founded in 1905, the club's home ground was Hin Keng Park until 2001, when the club moved to their current home ground, ZhongwanInternational.
Goulong first won the First League title in 1919, followed by trophies from 1920 to 1945, and following a period in Goulong's second-tier division Goulong Division B from 1955 to 1967, the club has become a dominant force in Goulongese club football. In total, the club has won major trophies; eleven titles, eight GFA Cups, five Professional Cups and five Emperor's Shields. In 2018, Goulongese clubs, including 1905 Zhongwan, took part in Aeian football competitions for the first time.
1905 Zhongwan's regular kit colours are red shirts with black pants and black socks. The club's crest has been changed several times in attempts to re-brand the club and modernise its image. The current crest, a black shield with red stripes and a classic football, has been continuously modernized since its original use as the club logo after its founding. Since 1998, the club has been owned by Goulongese billionaire Riley Woo. In 2018, the club reported a total value of $1.88 billion.
History
The club was founded as Zhongwan FC on 1 October 1905 by factory manager Cheung Ng-ming as a recreational outlet for his workers. For the first decade of the club's history, Zhongwan FC was a works team for Southbank Factory, manufacturing shoes and boots for the Leung Footwear Company, who still own shares in the club. The club was strictly amateur fielding a majority works team until gaining professional status by joining the Goulong First league in 1916. Employees that heavily influenced the club in its infancy included Tsun Yiu-wun, Fung Yuen-ying, and Cheung Ng-ming himself, an avid sportsman.
A professional club
Prior to the 1916-17 Goulong First Division season Zhongwan FC applied to the Goulong Football Association for acceptance into the First Division to fill a spot in the 24-team league left by Victoria Hill, a collapsed club. The application was accepted, and Zhongwan FC's status as a professional club was official. However, due to another First Division club sharing the name 'Zhongwan', the club changed their name to '1905 Zhongwan' to avoid further confusion. Under the leadership of manager Chau Man-hei, 1905 Zhongwan lifted the 1918-1919 First Division title, with Cheung Ng-ming crowned top scorer recording 39 goals in 46 games.
Early success
The club remained in the top flight, consistently finishing in the top five every season and establishing itself as a title contender, winning the First Division in 1922, 1926, 1929, 1935, and 1937.
1905 Zhongwan also partook in newly established cup competitions including Goulong's national cup, the GFA Cup. The club would not win a GFA Cup until its return to the First Division after relegation in 1955. 1905 Zhongwan's earliest rivalry stems from a GFA Cup final against Canton SC, a fellow Zhongwan side. The 1937 Cup final saw Zhongwan's first-ever chance to do the double and came into the tie as favorites. However, two controversial penalties were awarded to Canton, which were converted, costing 1905 Zhongwan the match and the cup in a 2-1 loss. The club saw more luck whilst competing for the Goulong Professional Cup, winning the Professional Cup three times before its relegation to Division B in 1931, 1939 and 1945.
Financial struggles and relegation
The Leung Footwear Company sold 80% of its shares to Goulongese businessman Wong Pui-ham, who replaced the majority of the backroom staff including the manager and club president in 1952. However, Wong's business ventures failed and he was forced to use club assets to pay off debts. As such, the club sold many of its best players to balance the books. This saw a disappointing slump by 1905 Zhongwan in the 1952-53 season as they finished in 16th of 24, outside the top five for the first time since the 1918-1919 season. The club was nearly forced to sell its home ground, Hin Keng Park, but a GFA bailout in 1954 removed the need for this to take place.
After similar finishes in the following seasons, 1905 Zhongwan FC were finally relegated to Goulong Division B following the 1954-55 First League season. The club placed dead last with a mere eight wins in 46 games, finishing fifteen points from safety. Despite the financial turmoil, the club still won the 1953-54 GFA Cup, defeating Tsuen Wan Old Boys(the predecessor to Athletic Tsuen Wan) 6-2 to claim the trophy.
Years in Division B
The club's first season in Division B also saw the GFA place 1905 Zhongwan in administration, to be owned by a GFA-appointed consortium. Due to national economic recession, 1905 Zhongwan failed to attract any majority investors that could lift the club out of administration, and the club remained in a mid-table Division B position for more than a decade.
The 1905 Zhongwan board successfully brought world-class Navish manager Terje Borre into the club on 19 January 1965 on a five-year contract. Borre's tactics began to show instant results for the club, as they lifted the Professional Cup for a fourth time on 27 February, taking down First Division champions Dongcheng Union 3-2 in extra time.
Borre also brought the club to the 1965 and 1966 promotion playoffs, losing to 1. Ölgii FC and AFC Oceania respectively. With three new signings including future club legend Lam Chun-kit, who scored 38 goals in 42 games during the 1966-67 Division B season. With just three losses for the entire season, 1905 Zhongwan finished with 99 points to become Division B champions, earning them automatic promotion, signalling their return to the Goulong First League.
Return to the top flight
The 1967-68 season saw the return of 1905 Zhongwan to the First League after a twelve-year absence, under the guidance of Terje Borre and club stars such as Lam Chun-kit, Wei Yiyang, and Danial Stones.
The club's first season in the First Division since its relegation saw an unexpected second-place finish out of 20 teams(a 1959 restructuring of the league system saw the number of First League teams reduced to 20, with Division B being contested by 22 teams, Division C by 24, etc.), with the side scoring a total of 113 goals, an unprecedented amount breaking the all-time league record.
Finally in the 1969-70 season 1905 Zhongwan were once again crowned league champions, winning the league on the final day after being neck-to-neck with competitive rivals Yilan Shoudu for the majority of the season. Zhongwan went into the match two points behind Yilan in the standings on matchday 38. An emphatic 4-0 win over 1. AFC Metropolitan, courtesy of a Lam Chun-kit hat-trick and Li Qiang goal, combined with a shock 2-1 defeat by Athletic Tsuen Wan over Yilan handed 1905 Zhongwan the First League trophy.
The Borre era
During his tenure at the club, Borre went onto win the 1971, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982 and 1983 First League, as well as racking up five GFA Cups in 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, and 1983. Borre led 1905 Zhongwan to four Professional Cups, winning the trophy in 1972, 1973, 1979, and 1980. Borre's achievements brought three doubles to the club, the first in 1905 Zhongwan's history, and the historic treble, a feat never previously attained. For his work, Borre was named Manager of the Season eleven times and was awarded the Grand Dragon Medal for his services to sport.
In addition to the trophies Borre collected, the Navish manager also revolutionized the footballer's diet, created the position of Director of Football to assist in club transfers, and revamped 1905 Zhongwan's youth academy, which led to a large influx of homegrown Goulongese players throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Terje Borre retired after the conclusion of the 1982-83 season, and became an official club ambassador until his death in 2001.
Late 20th century and Riley Woo
After the retirement of managerial legend Terje Borre, 1905 Zhongwan struggled to maintain its status as the undisputed champion of Goulong. The club floundered around the top six from the 1983-84 season, winning just two trophies(one GFA Cup and one Professional Cup) until 1989-90, when Goulongese footballing legend Choi Hong-man, already a prominent manager with spells at Navackian and Midrasian clubs, signed a three-year contract with the club.
Choi's management led to stability in the table. 1905 Zhongwan successfully finished in the league's top three in each of Choi's nine years as manager, also bringing an influx of silverware to the club. Choi successfully cultivated club academy products in Harry Fung and Chan Tsz-ki, as well as signing 24-year-old star Tsang Wing-ki for a club record of $9.7 million.
A strong squad filled with promising youth players won 1905 Zhongwan four league titles between 1989 and 1998, Choi's tenure in charge of the club. 1905 Zhongwan also lifted three GFA Cups and three Professional Cups, as well as lifting the first-ever Emperor's Shield prior to the 1996-97 season, a competition contested between the league and domestic cup winner.
Choi left the club after the conclusion of the 1997-98 season to become the manager of the Goulong national football team, a post he would remain in charge of for four years.
On 5 July 1998, prior to the start of the 1998-99 First League season, the club announced that a majority shareholder had been established in Goulongese billionaire entrepreneur Riley Woo. Woo acquired the club for a fee of $260 million and proceeded to invest heavily in the club to solidify its position as Goulong's premier club. Since 1998 Woo has invested over $950 million into 1905 Zhongwan.
Due to the influx of cash into the club's transfer budget, Assistant Manager Luo Yuan, appointed to the job of Manager, oversaw the 1998-99 summer transfer window as five signings were made, the most prominent being 1997-98 league top scorer Siu Ka-yip. The transfers cost the club a total of $52 million.
Instantly the club's immense financial backing began to show results, as the 1998-99 Goulong First League trophy was lifted by the club. 1905 Zhongwan became the first-ever club to reach 100 points in a 38-game season(the side earned 101 with just a single loss the entire season) as Siu retained the title of top scorer, with 34 goals to his name.
Prior to the 1999-00 season, with the financial strength of the club, Zhongwan moved out of Hin Keng Park to a stadium just one mile from the ground, the newly-completed ZhongwanInternational which took eleven months to build, completed in July of 1999. The club did the double, lifting the league title and Professional Cup in that season.
A new millennium
With the start of the new millennium saw the rise of the "Big Four", the four teams(Zhongwan included) that would go on to dominate the First League. The 2000-01 season saw Zhongwan fail to win the title, as they were forced to share their hegemony over the league with three other major Goulongese teams: Canton SC, Athletic Tsuen Wan, and Yilan Shoudu.
During the first decade of the new millennium the club could not reach success akin to previous eras, winning just three First Leagues, two GFA Cups and two Professional Cups.
However, the 2010-11 season saw the breakout season of youth homegrown star Chan Tsz-ying, who at 17 years old became the first Zhongwan player to appear for the club's under-18, under-21, reserves and first team in one season. Tsz-ying, a centre-midfielder, scored three goals in his first eleven games in the under-18s as well as recording eight assists, earning promotion to the under-21s. He impressed in the youth and reserve leagues, eventually sealing himself a spot in the first team. He first appeared for the club in a GFA Cup match in February 2011, facing third-tier Lai King Town and scoring twice, as well as assisting two goals in a 5-1 thumping. His first league appearance came two weeks later against AFC Oceania where he assisted the match winner in stoppage time in a tight 1-0 victory. Despite only making 15 league appearances Chan made thirteen assists, placing him second on the top assists chart. Zhongwan lifted the GFA Cup that season.
The current era
The past seven seasons have seen Zhongwan win three titles, as well as two GFA Cups and five Professional Cups. Under the leadership of manager Leung Hak-lam appointed in the summer of 2014, the club won the 2016 FFA Champions Cup, the greatest honor for an Aeian club to attain, crowning them club champions of Aeia. Leung's academy stars, including midfielders Chan Tsz-ying and Yu Haidong, joining expensive signings such as defender Iver Sommerfeldt and striker Dayan Otgonbayar, have led the team to recent success.
Stadium
1905 Zhongwan have occupied two stadiums in its existence. The first, Hin Keng Park, was constructed relatively close(half a mile away) from Southbank Factory as Zhongwan were their works team. The stadium was positioned on the riverfront of the Yue River, and was at the time of its construction considered to be in the outskirts of Zhongwan. The area is now the modern-day Centrebend District. Hin Keng Park was originally built with two single-tier stands sitting on the touchlines, seating 7,000 people. To meet capacity requirements when the club applied to join the First League in 1916, the stadium became completely enclosed to reach a total capacity of 13,000 people.
Hin Keng Park has undergone several renovations within its lifetime. The first in 1967 saw the near-complete demolition of the stands to construct a double-tiered, enclosed stadium that met new league safety standards, bringing capacity to 48,000. The Main Stand was renovated in 1981 to improve accessibility, facilities in the stand and to add another tier, raising capacity to 56,000.
With the newfound financial power Goulongese billionaire Riley Woo brought to the club in 1998, a new stadium, ZhongwanInternational, was funded and constructed prior to the start of the 2000-01 First League season. The stadium was located a mile away from Hin Keng Park, located on the site of an old abandoned factory, one which previously belonged to founders and minority shareholders Leung Footwear Company, who authorized the use of the land for the stadium in exchange for holding majority shares in the ground.
ZhongwanInternational was built in eleven days and cost $680 million to construct. The stadium features an enclosed bowl shape with a sloping glass and concrete facade exterior. The stadium has three tiers of stands and executive boxes between the second and third tiers. Other stadium facilities include two hotels, apartments, bars, restaurants, and an event hosting area, many of which sit adjacent to the ground. The stadium and the immediate vicinity has been termed "Zhongwan Football Village". The capacity of the ground is 98,000 and is sanctioned by the GFA to hold international and domestic cup matches. Since 2003, ZhongwanInternational hosts Goulong national team home matches, the GFA Cup final and semi-finals, the Professional Cup final, and the Emperor's Shield.
Crest and colours
Crest
1905 Zhongwan have only had one crest for the existence of the club. The crest was first used in 1916 on the team's first-ever First League kit. The badge consists of a shield like shape with a diagonal black bar across it reading the club's name. Below the bar are vertical black-and-red strips, and above it is solid white. The shield is outlined with a thick black line.
To celebrate the club's centenary the words 'CENTENARY - 100 YEARS' and '1905-2005' were added above and below the badge respectively in gold text for the 2005-06 season. The club permanently added a gold star above the badge to commemorate the club's 2016 Champions Cup victory as they became Aeian club champions for the first time.
Colours
The club's colours are red, black, white, and gold. Zhongwan's first kits used in the first twenty years of its existence tended to be white shirts with black shorts, but these changed to the present-day red shirts and black shorts for the 1927-28 season. Sock color varies but tends to be red. Away kits also vary and current kitmaker Owayo have opted for an all-black away kit since becoming the club's kit manufacturer in 2015. Historically away kits have been all-white and all-blue.
Support
1905 Zhongwan are among the most widely supported football clubs in the world. They have the second-highest average all-time attendance in Goulongese football and regularly attract over 90,000 fans to ZhongwanInternational; they were the best-supported First League team in the 2017–18 season, with an average gate of 99,853. 1905 Zhongwan's traditional fanbase comes from all over the Greater Zhongwan area including working-class parts such as Centrebend and Wan Chai, wealthier areas like the Royal District, and from the Cantonese-populated south Goulong in general.. There are also numerous official supporters clubs in Goulong and all over the world. Since 2012, Zhongwan were ranked third worldwide in annual replica kit sales, with an average of 980,000. Zhongwan's social media pages have millions of followers each across various platforms.
At matches, Zhongwan fans will sing chants such as "我們會再贏一次"(We'll Win It Again), "我們去玩一些足球"(Let's Play Some Football), and the club's unofficial anthem, "中環第一"(Zhongwan's Number One). During the 1970s and 1980s in particular, Zhongwan had a notorious "football firm", which engaged in football hooliganism- petty crime and violence against other rival firms. With the construction of the more secure and staffed ZhongwanInternational home ground, crimes before, during, and after matches significantly decreased.
Rivalries
Chelsea have long-standing rivalries with Central Zhongwan clubs Canton SC and Yuejiang FC. A strong rivalry with Athletic Tsuen Wan dates back to several heated and controversial matches in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly the 1954 GFA Cup Final. More recently a rivalry with Yilan Shoudu has grown following repeated clashes in cup competitions. 1905 Zhongwan's other fellow Central Zhongwan sides Pingshan United, Bridgetown FC, and Royal Barracks are generally not considered major rivals, as matches have only taken place intermittently due to the clubs often being in separate divisions.
Records
Zhongwan highest appearance-maker is former captain Lam Chun-kit, who played in 795 competitive games for the club between 1966 and 1984. The record for a Chelsea goalkeeper is held by Lam’s contemporary, Zhang Yuhai, who made 729 appearances (1959–79). With 105 caps (101 while at the club), Siu Ka-yip of Goulong is Zhongwan’s most capped international player.
Lam Chun-kit is Zhongwan’s all-time top goalscorer, with 368 goals in 795 games (1966-1984); he passed Cheung Ng-ming's long standing record of 311 in May 1982. Seven players have scored over 100 goals for the club; the most recent is Chan Tsz-ying who scored the 100th goal in April 2018. Siu Ka-yip holds the record for the most goals scored in one season with 34 in the 1998-99 season.
Zhongwan’s biggest winning scoreline in a competitive match is 13–0, achieved against Donghai Shiyi in the Division B in 1966. The club's biggest top-flight win was an 8–0 victory against 1. FC Ölgii in 2010. Chelsea's biggest loss was an 8–1 reverse against Tsuen Wan Old Boys in 1953. Officially, Zhongwan’s highest home attendance is 97,551 for a First League match against Canton SC on 12 October 2008. Every starting player in Zhongwan’s 57 games of the 2013–14 season had appeared for their nation in youth orsenior matches, a new record.
Zhongwan signed Navackian Iver Sommerfeldt for $91 million in 2015, then the record for a purchase by a Goulongese club.
Zhongwan hold the Goulongese record for the fewest goals conceded during a league season (15), the highest number of clean sheets overall in a First League season (25) (both set during the 1998–99 season), and the most consecutive clean sheets from the start of a league season (6, set during the 2005–06 season). Zhongwan hold the record for the longest streak of unbeaten matches at home in the Goulongese top flight, which lasted 104 matches from 20 March 1992 to 26 October 1997. They secured the record on 12 August 1995, beating the previous record of 67 matches unbeaten set by Athletic Tsuen Wan between 1978 and 1982. Zhongwan’s streak of eleven consecutive away league wins, set between 5 April 2008 and 6 December 2008, is also a record for the English top flight. Their $91 million purchase of Iver Sommerfeldt from Bersk SK in January 2015 was the record transfer fee paid by a Goulongese club until Newreyan Michael Taylor signed for Yilan Shoudu in August 2016 for $95 million.
Zhongwan, along with Sham Shui Po, were the first club to play with shirt numbers, on 25 August 1928 in their First League match. They were the first Goulongese side to travel by aeroplane to a domestic away match, when they visited 1. AFC Metropolitan on 19 April 1961, and the first First League side to play a match on a Sunday, when they faced Canton SC on 27 January 1974. On 26 December 1999, Chelsea became the first Goulongese side to field an entirely foreign starting line-up (no Goulongese players) in a First League match against Dongcheng United.
1905 Zhongwan Ladies F.C.
Zhongwan also operate a women's football team, 1905 Zhongwan Ladies Football Club or Zhongwan Ladies. They have been affiliated to the men's team since 1984 and are part of the club's Community Development programme. They play their home games at Hin Keng Park, which still belongs to the club despite ZhongwanInternational being the club’s home ground. The ground is shared with the under-18, under-21, and reserve teams. The club were promoted to the GFA Women’s Division One for the first time in 2005 as Southern Division champions and won the Women’s GFA Cup seven times between 2006 and 2018.
Current squad
First team
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Out on loan
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