Ajax All Stars

After a one-year hiatus, the Ajax All Stars return to the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens with the aim of winning a third Masters title.

The famed Dutch side defeated Eastern Salon Top Class 6-1 in the 2012 final to claim their first Masters victory before beating USRC – BTS 1-0 after extra-time to win a second title in 2014.

Sandwiched in between their two victorious campaigns was a 2-0 final loss to Rangers All Stars, meaning Ajax are now seeking four successive finals at Hong Kong Football Club.

Founded in 1900, Ajax are one of the most decorated clubs in world football with the late Johan Cruyff, Rudi Krol and Johan Neeskens having all helped the Dutch side win a hat-trick of European Cups between 1971 and 1973.

More recently, household names such as Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids, Marc Overmars and Jari Litmanen were part of the star-studded line-up that defeated AC Milan to lift the UEFA Champions League in 1995.

And Litmanen, who won 137 caps for his native Finland, is one of several renowned players to have appeared at the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens for Ajax.

Former Dutch international Aron Winter and Dane Kenneth Perez, who scored four goals in the 6-1 final win over Top Class in 2012, have also represented the Amsterdam club.

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Rangers

Rangers are Scotland’s most successful football club with the origins dating back to 1872 when the club was formed on the banks of the River Clyde at Glasgow Green. Being the most successful club in Scotland, the team is under pressure to win every game, whether that be home or away, to ensure the club remains the dominant force in Scottish Football. 

Rangers have won more league titles and trebles than any other club in the world, winning the league title 55 times, the Scottish Cup 34 times and the Scottish League Cup 27 times. In European football, Rangers were the first British Club to reach a UEFA tournament final in the inaugural European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1961. Rangers were runners-up again in the same competition in 1967 before going on to win the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1972 defeating Dynamo Moscow. More recently, Rangers have been runners-up in the UEFA Cup in 2008, and last season witnessed an incredible cup run in the UEFA Europa League where Rangers were runners-up in the final to Eintracht Frankfurt. 

 Based at the Rangers Training Centre in Milngavie, Glasgow, the club prides itself on consistently producing players that have gone on to represent the Men’s 1st Team. Recent examples of this have been Nathan Patterson, Danny Wilson and Alan Hutton, to name a few. Whereas this season has seen 1st Team debuts for Adam Devine, Alex Lowry, Bailey Rice and Zak Lovelace.

Wallsend Boys Club

Returning to the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens is Wallsend Boys Club, a club that boasts a proud history as one of the most renowned footballing institutions in England. The likes of Alan Shearer, Michael Carrick and Steve Bruce spent their early playing days at the North Tyneside club, while former Premier League stars Michael Bridges, Alan Thompson and Robbie Elliot have all represented their former team at the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens. 

One of the side’s most famed graduates, Peter Beardsley, who represented England at the 1990 World Cup and boasts legendary status at both Liverpool and Newcastle United, also turned out for Wallsend in 2014 and 2015. A quarter final appearance on their debut was followed by a runner-up finish a year later. In 2016, the team advanced to the semi-finals but were eliminated by USRC. They made further progress in 2017, this time winning their group before seeing off HKFC Masters in the semi-finals to set up a meeting with Citi All Stars in the final. But Wallsend’s wait for that title continued after an agonizing 3-2 defeat. 

The hunt for that elusive trophy ended in 2019, with the Club managing to win the tournament for the first time. The 2023 tournament will see Wallsend doing their best to retain their title! 

USRC

Local amateur side USRC have appeared in the last three finals at the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens Masters event but, after defeating Wallsend Boys Club in the 2015 final, were unable to claim back-to-back titles as Citi All Stars ran out 3-1 victors in last year’s showpiece event.

Nonetheless, the Kowloon side put in another strong showing in 2016 when they topped Group A ahead of HKFC Chairman’s Select, KCC Veterans, Ajax All Stars and Discovery Bay. An impressive 2-1 victory over Ajax to seal top spot in the table and eliminate the Dutch team was among the highlights.

USRC then saw off tournament regulars Wallsend Boys Club 2-0 in the last four, but ultimately fell just short by suffering a 3-1 reversal to Citi All Stars in the final.

A year earlier, Brazilian duo Daniel Lins Cortes and Paulo Enrique each scored as USRC claimed the Masters title following a 2-1 final victory over a Wallsend side that featured former Leeds United striker Michael Bridges and ex-Newcastle United defender Robbie Elliott. They also reached the final in 2014, but lost out 1-0 to Ajax.

USRC won Hong Kong’s top amateur league, Division One of the Yau Yee League, in 2008, 2009 and 2014. They will return to the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens as one of the favourites to lift a second Masters crown.

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Singapore Cricket Club Masters

Established 1852, the Singapore Cricket Club is one of the premier sports clubs in Singapore. SCC is represented by two teams in the HKFC Soccer Sevens 2023, SCC Singapore Football League (SFL) team for the main tournament and SCC Masters team in the masters tournament. SCC has been in this tournament for over 5 years.

The SCC Masters team, which competes in several domestic football leagues, comprised ex-professional footballers and players who were formerly from the SCC SFL team.

Kowloon Cricket Club Veterans

Tournament regulars KCC Veterans return to the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens once more, since the last edition of the competition in 2019. They have a long-established history in the event and this year have signed-up the Leicester City Premier League Winning Defender, Danny Simpson, who joins KCC for the 2023 edition. Danny follows a long list of former players including Chelsea, West Ham and England International Carton Cole, Liverpool and England International legend John Barnes, ex-Scotland International and Everton forward Pat Nevin and former Northern Ireland International and Wimbledon striker Lawrie Sanchez, all who have represented the Club. The KCC Veterans reached the final of the Plate competition in both 2015 and 2016, losing to HKFC Chairman’s Select and Discovery Bay in respective years. KCC have also previously won the second-tier competition in 2009, by defeating Yau Yee League Masters 2-0 in the final. Their best-ever performances were in 2008 and 2011 when they advanced beyond the group stage to make the Cup quarter-finals. This year the team will be coached by the Hong Kong National Team Asst. Coach, Wolfgang Lussier and KCC are excited to be involved again in Hong Kong’s best Football 7’s Tournament.

HKFC Masters

The HKFC Masters team is honoured to be one of the two teams representing the Hong Kong Football Club in the upcoming annual seven-a-side event. Following a four-year break, the team has been working tirelessly to prepare for the tournament and is excited to represent the club once again. Although the results didn’t go their way in 2019, the players are optimistic that this year’s competition will be both enjoyable and successful.

HKFC Chairman’s Select

The HKFC Chairman’s Select team regularly participates in the HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens tournament. After a disappointing performance in the 2019 event, the team is determined to bounce back and make a strong showing this year. With their sights set on being competitive, the Chairman’s Select team has been working hard to improve their game and is eager to take the field. Along with the other HKFC team, the Chairman’s Select team hopes to represent the club and play some high-quality football proudly.

PFA Citi All Stars

The PFA are delighted to be providing the Citibank Allstars for the Hong Kong Soccer 7s once again.

This partnership has been going for 21 years with many former Professional players from all divisions in the English leagues taking part.

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Singapore Cricket Club

Established 1852, the Singapore Cricket Club is one of the premier sports clubs in Singapore. SCC is represented by two teams in the HKFC Soccer Sevens 2023, SCC Singapore Football League (SFL) team for the main tournament and SCC Masters team in the masters tournament. SCC has been in this tournament for over 5 years. 

 The SCC SFL team competes in the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) Singapore Football League One (SFL 1). In 2022, the Club picked up several accolades at the 2022 FAS Sports Awards Night, including the FAS Recognition Award, Top Goal Scorer Award and Fair Play Award. The former Head Coach and current Club Captain were also one of three nominees for the FAS SFL Coach of the Year and Player of the Year awards respectively. In 2023, SCC SFL team kicked off its pre-season campaign by finishing runners-up at the annual Royal Bangkok Sports Club (RBSC) Soccer Sevens and is currently in the midst of its 2023 SFL season. The SCC SFL team, led by Head Coach and former Singapore international Steven Tan, is expected to challenge for honours domestically. The team comprised some of the brightest young talents as well as former professionals.

Leicester City

Leicester City’s youngsters are participating in HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens once more, returning to Happy Valley to represent the Club for the intense three-day, seven-a-side competition.

Leicester have been regular participants in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay district for a contest which provides Academy graduates with an opportunity to test their skills on a big stage. 

Over previous seasons, the Club’s brightest talents have flown out to Asia to experience a unique and challenging environment which further aids their development.

Some of the Club’s current first team stars have previously featured in the competition over the years, such as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Luke Thomas and Daniel Iversen, as well as loanees Hamza Choudhury and Marc Albrighton – who famously helped the Club win the English Premier League for the first time in 2016. 

The tournament, which began in 1999, took an unscheduled three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but is back this year with the Foxes looking to regain the youth trophy they have lifted on two occasions.

Since debuting at the event back in 2012, members of the Club’s Development Squad have enjoyed magnificent success in Hong Kong, notably winning the Main Cup crown twice. 

Firstly claiming the Shield following a 3-2 victory over Chelsea in the 2012 final, during their maiden tournament, the Foxes returned a year later to lift the Cup with a 2-0 win against holders Newcastle United.

Successive Plate finals followed, with victory in 2014 over BC Rangers and defeat on penalties the year after to Hong Kong Football Club. 

In 2016, meanwhile, Leicester advanced to the quarter-finals before going down 2-1 to New Zealand’s Wellington Phoenix, only to reach a fifth straight final after defeating Kashima Antlers 6-5 in the Shield Semi-Final. 

A 3-2 victory over Hong Kong Eastern in the final meant Leicester lifted four trophies in five HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens tournaments and an impressive showing in 2017 extended that record further. 

Claiming the Main Cup title for the second time, defeating Aston Villa 3-0 in the final, City’s side will again come up against an illustrious list of youngsters from across the globe, with fellow Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion and reigning Soccer Sevens champions Newcastle also competing this time around.

In total, 16 teams will take part in the main tournament at Sports Road, including Hong Kong Premier League sides Kitchee and HKU23.



Kitchee

Kitchee Sports Club was established in 1931 and has been competing in the top professional league in Hong Kong since 2003. The club has enjoyed a successful trophy-laden spell following their return to the top division, having won 12 championships, including 6 Hong Kong First Division titles and 6 Hong Kong Premier League titles, along with 8 Hong Kong Senior Shields and 7 x FA Cups, making them one of the most distinguished football clubs in Hong Kong’s footballing history. 

Kitchee have also been regularly competing in Asian continental competitions, and the qualifying for the East Region Knockout Stage for the first time in the AFC Champions League last August was the first Hong Kong club in history to advance to the Round of 16. Their domestic dominance has also been impressive as the recent FA Cup triumph has taken Kitchee to become domestic treble winners for the 5th time.

Hong Kong Football Club

Hong Kong Football Club are delighted to welcome everyone back to the World’s Number 1 Seven’s competition.The hosts have just completed an astonishing season in the top flight where they defeated every single professional side bar the top 2.

They hope to continue thriving in that underdog role given the draw has presented both Newcastle Utd and Leicester City in the group of Death.The squad is the strongest the HKFC have ever had and the home fans will hopefully generate the kind of atmosphere required to see some big names fall.

It has been a long wait for this fantastic tournament to return and everyone at Sports Road would like to thank all the competing teams for accepting the invitation to return. It’s a certainty that the tournament will produce a few superstars for the future to stand alongside the legends already created. Names such as Freddie Toomer, Nathan Paterson, Antoine Sahaghian, Ally McCoist, Marcus McMillan, Jorg Albertz, Robert Scott and Calvin Bassey.

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