Hong Kong Rangers FC
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| Full name | Hong Kong Rangers Football Club | ||
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| Founded |
1958, as Rangers Football Team 1960, as Hong Kong Rangers FC | ||
| Ground | Sham Shui Po Sports Ground | ||
| Capacity | 2,194 | ||
| Director of Football | Philip Lee | ||
| Head Coach | Dejan Antonić | ||
| League | Hong Kong Premier League | ||
| 2016–17 | 7th | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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Hong Kong Rangers Football Club (Chinese: 流浪足球會, often abbreviated to Rangers, currently known as Biu Chun Rangers due to sponsorship reasons), is a Hong Kong football club which currently competes in the Hong Kong Premier League. They have won the Hong Kong First Division once, the Senior Challenge Shield 4 times, and the Hong Kong FA Cup twice.
History
The club was founded in 1958 by a Scottish expatriate from Glasgow named Ian John Petrie. He named his club after Rangers. It was the first Asian football club with a modern football club managing system. In the early days, the club could not compete with the bigger clubs financially. So Petrie relied on young players and the team was known as a breeding ground for young players. Kwok Ka Ming was the best known players discovered by Petrie in the 1960s. In 1970, the club brought three Scottish professional players to Hong Kong. They were the first European professional players to play in the Hong Kong League, opening a new chapter in Hong Kong's football history. Great players such as Ian Taylor, Joe Brennan, Jimmy Liddell, and Derek Currie were a few to name. More were to follow in the 1980s such as Steve Paterson Jimmy Bone, and Tommy Nolan.
Today
Since 12 October 2001, the club had been named after its sponsor, Buler, resulting in the name "Buler Rangers" up until Summer 2006. On 15 September 2007, the club announced that it has secured a large sponsorship from Bulova, a watch brand which used to fund a famous Hong Kong football team decades ago, and used "Bulova Rangers" as the team name.
In 2011, the team changed their name as Kam Fung. They were the champions of the 2011–12 Hong Kong Second Division League and were promoted to the Hong Kong First Division League, where they have remained since. The club has since renamed itself as Biu Chun Rangers due to being sponsored by Biu Chun Watch Hands.
Over the last decade, Rangers' policy in youth investment has paid off and has gained the club a reputation as an excellent school for young footballers. The Rangers youth academy has produced many of Hong Kong's finest youngsters. Although many have been signed to bigger clubs since, some have chosen to stay with the club that nurtured them. Ranger's youth system has been so successful it is common to see Rangers providing the bulk of Hong Kong's age-grade international youth teams spanning all U-15, U-17, U-19 and U-21 levels.
Seasons
| Season | Team name | League | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Senior Shield |
FA Cup | League Cup | Junior Shield |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | Buler Rangers | D1 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 24 | 19 | 24 | First round | First round | Group stage | — | Hong Kong–Shanghai Championship – Runners-up Cite du Louvre Cup – 3rd |
| 2006–07 | Rangers | D1 | 4 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 23 | 19 | 28 | First round | Semi-finals | Group stage | — | |
| 2007–08 | Bulova Rangers | D1 | 10 | 18 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 19 | 35 | 15 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Group stage | — | Relegated to D2 |
| 2008–09 | Rangers | D2 | 6 | 18 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 32 | 32 | 23 | — | — | — | First round | |
| 2009–10 | Ongood | D2 | 4 | 16 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 49 | 31 | 31 | — | — | — | — | |
| 2010–11 | Biu Chun | D2 | 7 | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 37 | 38 | 31 | — | — | — | Third round | |
| 2011–12 | Kam Fung | D2 | 1 | 22 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 69 | 24 | 50 | — | — | — | Second round | Promoted to First Division League |
Honours
Major trophies are listed below.
League
- Champions (1): 1970-71
- Champions (2): 1964-65, 2011-12
- Champions (1): 1991–92
Cup Competitions
- Champions (4): 1965–66, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1994–95
- Runners Up (2): 1975–76, 1981–82
- Champions (2): 1973–74, 1974–75
Performance in AFC competitions
- Asian Cup Winners Cup: 1 appearance
- 1995–96: Second Round
Current squad
- As of 8 August 2017.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Remarks:
FP These players are registered as foreign players.
Retired numbers
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Managers
Goran Paulić (July 5, 2012 – Nov 4, 2012)
José Ricardo Rambo (July 6, 2013 – 2014) (2015–2016)
Cheung Po Chun (2014–2015)- Yan Lik Kin (2015, 2016)
- Fung Hoi Man (2016-2017)
Dejan Antonić (2017-)