Hong Kong Sapling Cup
Hong Kong Sapling Cup (Chinese: 菁英盃), currently known as JC Sapling Cup (Chinese: 賽馬會菁英盃) for sponsorship reasons, is a Hong Kong domestic football competition contested by all the teams in the Hong Kong Premier League. The objective of the Cup is to provide more playing opportunities for youth players in Hong Kong.
The current logo for the JC Sapling Cup, starting from 2022–23. | |
| Founded | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Region | Hong Kong |
| Number of teams | 11 |
| Current champions | Rangers (1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) | Kitchee (2 titles) |
| 2023–24 Hong Kong Sapling Cup | |
HK$120,000 will go to the winners, with the runners-up getting HK$60,000. The two other losing semi-finalists will each receive HK$30,000, with the six remaining teams getting HK$15,000 each. Players will also be rewarded for their performances, with the best under-22 player from each team winning HK$3,000. The best of the best will earn an additional HK$5,000.[1]
The current Sapling Cup holder is Rangers.
Competition name and Rules
| Season | Name due to sponsorship | Logo | Format | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Henderson Sapling Cup
(Sponsorship from Henderson Land Development) |
Participating teams are divided into two groups for a single round-robin tournament.
Top two teams in each group advance to the semi-finals. |
During the course of competition, each team must have on the pitch no fewer than two players under the age of 21 and no more than six foreign players at any time, or to send no more than four foreign players at any time. | |
| 2016–17 | R&F Properties Sapling Cup
(Sponsorship from R&F Properties) |
Participating teams compete in a single-elimination tournament. | ||
| 2017–18 | Sapling Cup
(No sponsorship) |
Participating teams are divided into two groups for a single round-robin tournament.
Top two teams in each group advance to the semi-finals. |
During the course of competition, each team must have on the pitch no fewer than two players under the age of 22 and no more than four foreign players at any time. | |
| 2018–19 | ||||
| 2019–20 | The participating teams are divided into two groups for a double round-robin tournament.
Top team in each group advances to the final. |
During the course of competition, each team must have on the pitch no fewer than three players under the age of 22 and no more than four foreign players at any time. | ||
| 2020–21 | Participating teams are divided into two groups for a double round-robin tournament.
Top two teams in each group advance to the semi-finals. | |||
| 2021–22 | Participating teams compete in a double round-robin tournament. | |||
| 2022–23 | JC Sapling Cup
(Sponsorship from Hong Kong Jockey Club) |
Participating teams are divided into two groups for a double round-robin tournament.
Top two teams in each group advance to the semi-finals. | ||
| 2023–24 | ||||
| 2024–25 |
Finals
Key
| * | Match went to extra time |
| † | Match decided by a penalty shootout after extra time |
Results
| Season | Winner | Score | Runners-up | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Pegasus | 1–1 † | South China | Mong Kok Stadium | 2,150 |
| 2016–17 | Tai Po | 2–1 | Pegasus | Mong Kok Stadium | 2,956 |
| 2017–18 | Kitchee | 2–1 | Tai Po | Hong Kong Stadium | 2,165 |
| 2018–19 | Lee Man | 3–2 * | Yuen Long | Mong Kok Stadium | 2,685 |
| 2019–20 | Kitchee | 3–1 | Southern | Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground | 0[1] |
| 2020–21 | Eastern | 2–0 | Happy Valley | Mong Kok Stadium | 2,243 |
| 2021–22 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong | ||||
| 2022–23 | Southern | 2–0 | Lee Man | Mong Kok Stadium | 2,519 |
| 2023–24 | Rangers | 1–0 | Kitchee | Mong Kok Stadium | 3,769 |
Notes
- ^ Match was played behind closed doors due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Hong Kong.[2]
Performance by clubs
| Club | Winners | Last final won | Runners-up | Last final lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchee | 2 | 2019–20 | 1 | 2023–24 |
| Pegasus | 1 | 2015–16 | 1 | 2016–17 |
| Tai Po | 1 | 2016–17 | 1 | 2017–18 |
| Lee Man | 1 | 2018–19 | 1 | 2022–23 |
| Southern | 1 | 2022–23 | 1 | 2020–21 |
| Eastern | 1 | 2020–21 | – | – |
| Rangers | 1 | 2023–24 | – | – |
| South China | – | – | 1 | 2015–16 |
| Yuen Long | – | – | 1 | 2018–19 |
| Happy Valley | – | – | 1 | 2020–21 |
Players record
Most appearances
- As of the end of 2023–24 season
| Rank | Player | Apps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shu Sasaki | 48 |
| 2 | Lam Ka Wai | 42 |
| Yu Wai Lim | ||
| 4 | Tomas Maronesi | 41 |
| Stefan Pereira | ||
| 6 | Leung Kwun Chung | 40 |
| Cheng Tsz Sum | ||
| Wong Chun Ho | ||
| Cheng Chin Lung | ||
| 10 | Chan Hoi Pak | 39 |
| Lau Hok Ming | ||
| Wu Chun Ming |
Bolded players still playing in Hong Kong Sapling Cup.
Top scorers
- As of the end of 2023–24 season
| Rank | Player | Years | Goals | Apps | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stefan Pereira | 2016– | 30 | 41 | 0.73 |
| 2 | Mikael | 2019–2024 | 19 | 33 | 0.58 |
| Everton Camargo | 2016– | 19 | 36 | 0.53 | |
| 4 | Lucas Silva | 2016–2021 2024– | 17 | 21 | 0.81 |
| Juninho | 2017– | 17 | 32 | 0.53 | |
| 6 | Mahama Awal | 2015– | 15 | 36 | 0.42 |
| Shu Sasaki | 2018– | 15 | 48 | 0.31 | |
| 8 | Sandro | 2015–2021 | 14 | 17 | 0.82 |
| Travis Major | 2016–2020 | 14 | 19 | 0.74 | |
| 10 | Wellingsson de Souza | 2015–2022 2024– | 13 | 29 | 0.45 |
| Sun Ming Him | 2018– | 13 | 32 | 0.41 | |
Bold denotes players still playing in the Hong Kong Sapling Cup.
References
- "Hong Kong Jockey Club to pump nearly HK$2 million into Sapling Cup in new 3-year deal". SCMP.
- Chan, Kin-wa. "No showers for players with Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground to host domestic games again behind closed doors". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2 March 2020.