The 2018–19 Hong Kong Premier League (also known as the BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 5th season of the Hong Kong Premier League, the top division of Hong Kong football.
Tai Po won their first top flight title in club history. They are the third different team to win the Hong Kong Premier League and the first district team to win a top flight title since Yuen Long during the 1962–63 season.
Teams A total of 10 teams contest the league, including nine sides from the 2017–18 Hong Kong Premier League and one promoted from the 2017–18 Hong Kong First Division.
Stadia and locations
Primary venues used in the Hong Kong Premier League:
KitcheePegasus Tai Po Eastern Mong Kok Stadium Tai Po Sports Ground Hong Kong Stadium Capacity: 6,769 Capacity: 3,200 Capacity: 40,000 Southern Yuen Long R&F Aberdeen Sports Ground Yuen Long Stadium Yanzigang Stadium Capacity: 4,0001 Capacity: 5,000 Capacity: 1,0002 Lee Man Dreams FC Hoi King Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground Tsing Yi Sports Ground Sham Shui Po Sports Ground Capacity: 3,500 Capacity: 1,500 Capacity: 2,194
Remarks: 1The capacity of Aberdeen Sports Ground is artificially reduced from 9,000 to 4,000 as only the main stand is opened for football matches. 2The capacity of Yanzigang Stadium is artificially reduced from 2,000 to 1,000.
Personnel and kits Team Chairman Head coach Captain Kit manufacturer Kit sponsorDreams FCLeung Chi KuiLeung Chi WingChan Wai HoKelmeSDREEasternPeter Leung Andrejs ŠtolcersLeung Chun PongAdidasTopeastHoi KingLo King YauFung Hoi ManChan Man Chun KelmeKitcheeKen NgChu Chi KwongHuang YangNikeedpsPegasusCanny LeungChan Ho YinChan Siu KiAdidasLee ManNorman LeeChan Hiu Ming Fran GonzálezAdidasLee & Man ChemicalSouthernChan Man ChunCheng Siu ChungLeung Tsz ChunMacronIsuzuTai PoGary ChoyLee Chi KinWong WaiNikeSun MobileYuen LongWong Wai ShunKwok Kar LokFábio LopesKelme R&F Huang ShenghuaYeung Ching KwongRobertoUcanR&F Properties
Managerial changes
TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of appointment Eastern Lee Kin Wo Return as Coach 14 May 2018 Pre-season Chan Yuen Ting 19 July 2018 Lee Man Fung Hoi Man Signed by Hoi King 21 May 2018 Chan Hiu Ming 21 May 2018 Yuen Long Tsang Chiu Tat Signed by Lee Man 21 May 2018 Kwok Kar Lok 4 June 2018 R&F Bito Wu Return to Guangzhou R&F 3 June 2018Yeung Ching Kwong 14 June 2018 Pegasus Yeung Ching Kwong Signed by R&F 14 June 2018 Pedro García 2 July 2018 Pegasus Pedro García Sacked 30 September 2018 8th Chan Ho Yin 30 September 2018 Eastern Chan Yuen Ting Resigned 4 February 2019 2nd Wong Chun Yue 4 February 2019 Eastern Wong Chun Yue Role of caretaker ended 14 February 2019 2nd Andrejs Štolcers14 February 2019
Foreign players The number of foreign players is restricted to six (including one Asian player) per team, with no more than four on pitch during matches. R&F are allowed to register a maximum of 3 foreigners at any one time.
Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5 Asian Player Former PlayersDreams FC Jonathan Acosta Diego Higino Pablo Gallardo Gondra Nacho Martínez Kota Kawase Yoon Dong-hun JoaquínEastern Everton Diego Eli Robson Lima Pereira Manuel Bleda Yusuke Igawa José ÁngelHoi King Paulo César Robert Zé Victor Bae Chan-soo Kim Jin-seo Kim Min-ki Kim Dong-jin Seo Sang-minPegasus Juninho David Lazari Rosen Kolev Mahama Awal Shu Sasaki João Emir Travis MajorKitchee Fernando Lucas Silva Josip Tadić Krisztián Vadócz Jonathan Hernandez Matt Smith Robert Mohamed Sissoko Kim Bong-jin Seo Sang-minLee Man Stefan Chen Ting-yang Michaël N'dri Baek Ji-hoon Fran González Serhiy Shapoval Alexandre Talento Zé Victor Crescendo van BerkelSouthern Dhiego Martins Ticão Wellingsson Nikola Komazec Marko Krasić Zesh Rehman Tai Po Dudu João Emir Michel Lugo Eduardo Praes Igor Sartori Harry Sawyer David LazariYuen Long Cleiton Kessi Jean Moser Tomas Wang Ruei R&F Leonço Serges Déblé Saša Novaković
League table
Positions by round To preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included to the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for round 7, but then played between rounds 8 and 9, it will be added to the standings for round 8.
Fixtures and results Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Round 17
Round 18
Season Statistics
Top scorers RankPlayerClubGoals 1 Lucas SilvaKitchee12 Manolo Bleda Eastern3 Tiago Leonço R&F11Giovane R&F5 Everton CamargoEastern106 Travis MajorPegasus9 Jean Moser Yuen Long8 Igor SartoriTai Po8 Marcos Gondra KrugDreams FC10James HaSouthern7 FernandoKitchee Michel LugoTai PoChan Kwong HoYuen Long Shu Sasaki Pegasus
Hat-tricks Note: The results column shows the scorer's team score first. Teams in bold are home teams. # Player Nationality For Against Result Date Ref1Manolo BledaEasternDreams FC 4–0 2RobertKitcheeHoi King 8–1 3KrugDreams FCYuen Long 4–1 4James Ha Southern Eastern 4–1 5Manolo BledaEasternHoi King 5–0 6Leonço R&FDreams FC 5–1
Attendances
Hong Kong Top Footballer Awards Awards Prize Winner Club Votes Footballer of the Year Igor Sartori Tai Po 85.82% Women's Footballer of the Year Wong Shuk Fan Happy Valley (Women) 8 Coach of the Year Lee Chi Kin Tai Po 67.17% Young Players of the Year Wu Chun Ming Pegasus 29.01% Cheng Siu Kwan Lee Man 28.27% Players' Player Igor Sartori Tai Po 64 Most Favorite Player Igor Sartori Tai Po 3,709 Hong Kong Top Footballers Goalkeeper Tse Tak Him Southern 55.81% Defenders Eduardo Praes Tai Po 51.91% Leung Nok Hang R&F 51.17% Fung Hing Wa Tai Po 48.87% Fábio Yuen Long 38.97% Midfielders Chan Siu Kwan Tai Po 53.16% Wong Wai Tai Po 43.49% James Ha Southern 40.96% Fernando Kitchee 35.90% Forwards Igor Sartori Tai Po 85.82% Lucas Silva Kitchee 43.59%
References