President, Hong Kong Football Association：The Hon. Timothy T T FOK
The Hong Kong Football Association will like to extend the best wishes to thefootball fans in East Asia.
The formation of East Asian Football Federation has played a significant role inhelping the development of football in the region. The activities and competitionsorganized by the Federation has enabled the members, especially for thosewho have less opportunity to take part in international competitions, to raise theirstandards since the inauguration of EAFF. We wish the solidarity of theFederation will further enhance the football standard amongst its members inthe coming future.
| Association Established |
：1914 |
| FIFA Member Since |
：1954 |
| Number of players |
：1,500,000
(as of 2006,May) |
Hong Kong-China is undoubtedly the sacred football ground in Asia. The Asian Football Confederation used to be headquartered in Hong Kong-China, and the first professional football league in Asia was launched here in 1968. Back in those days, the stadium was always packed with fans that came to see such legends as George Best, Ali Hahn and Bobby Moore. Those glorious days are long gone. The diversity in the choice of entertainment, harsh financial situation, the small population of 6.9 million, and the area totaling 1103m2 all contribute to the difficulty in developing football in Hong Kong-China. To rebuild the football culture, the Hong Kong-China FA has been focusing on youth development, with its 18 districts as the base of their programs. In the beginning the districts varied widely, but efforts were put forward to provide high level coaching all throughout Hong Kong-China, and the information-sharing system that was put in place has allowed a smooth system of discovering talent. Another objective for this new direction is explained by the Chief Technical Consultant, Mr. Kwok Ka Ming: "By involving the districts further, we are hoping to promote community-based football, one of the reasons other countries like Japan has succeeded. This formula can work well in Hong Kong-China, where a corporate sport is popular, and we are prepared to undertake this program on a long-term basis."
