The 2024–25 Hong Kong Sapling Cup (named as JC Sapling Cup for sponsorship reasons) is the 10th edition of the Hong Kong Sapling Cup. The competition is contested by the 9 teams in the 2024–25 Hong Kong Premier League. Each team is required to field a minimum of three players born on or after 1 January 2003 (U-22) and a maximum of six foreign players during every whole match.[1]
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Dates | 12 October 2024 – 1 May 2025 |
| Teams | 9 |
| Defending champions | Rangers |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 8 |
| Goals scored | 22 (2.75 per match) |
| Attendance | 2,916 (365 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Matheus Chulapa (3 goals) |
All statistics correct as of 17 November 2024. | |
Rangers are the defending champions.
Details
editThe champions of the JC Sapling Cup will receive HKD$120,000 in prize money, and HKD$100,000 donation to the champions' specified organization. Meanwhile, the runner-up will receive HKD$60,000, and HKD$50,000 donation to the runner-up's specified organization. In addition, the two losing teams in the semi-finals will receive HK$30,000 while the remaining teams will receive HK$15,000.
In addition, the best U-22 player in each team will receive a prize of HKD$3,000. The most outstanding U-22 player among the selected best U-22 players from each team will receive an additional HKD$5,000 for being the best of all the U-22 players.[2]
Format
editThe participating teams were divided into two groups for a single round-robin tournament. Top two teams in each group advance to the semi-finals.
Calendar
edit| Phase | Draw Date | Date | Matches | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group stage | 23 September 2024 | 12 October 2024 – 23 March 2025 | 16 | 9 → 4 |
| Semi-finals | 2025 | 2 | 4 → 2 | |
| Final | 1 May 2025 | 1 | 2 → 1 |
Fixtures and results
editGroup stage
editGroup A
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North District | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | Tai Po | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 | |
| 3 | Eastern | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 3 | |
| 4 | Kitchee | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 5 | HKFC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Fair-play points;
| 13 October 2024 | Tai Po | 2–1 | Eastern | Tai Po, New Territories |
| 15:00 | Report |
|
Stadium: Tai Po Sports Ground Attendance: 586 Referee: Ho Wai Sing |
| 13 October 2024 | HKFC | 1–3 | North District | Diamond Hill, Kowloon |
| 15:00 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground Attendance: 155 Referee: Yu Kin Fung |
| 16 November 2024 | North District | 1–1 | Kitchee | Sheung Shui, New Territories |
| 15:00 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: North District Sports Ground Attendance: 288 Referee: Wong Po Sing |
| 16 November 2024 | Eastern | 4–0 | HKFC | Tsing Yi, New Territories |
| 18:00 |
|
Report | Stadium: Tsing Yi Sports Ground Attendance: 217 Referee: Poon Chun Kit |
| 8 December 2024 | Kitchee | – | HKFC | Diamond Hill, Kowloon |
| 15:00 | Stadium: Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground |
| 8 December 2024 | Tai Po | – | North District | Sheung Shui, New Territories |
| 15:00 | Stadium: North District Sports Ground |
| 15 December 2024 | North District | – | Eastern | Sheung Shui, New Territories |
| 15:00 | Stadium: North District Sports Ground |
| 15 December 2024 | Kitchee | – | Tai Po | Tsing Yi, New Territories |
| 18:00 | Stadium: Tsing Yi Sports Ground |
| 22 March 2025 | HKFC | – | Tai Po | Siu Sai Wan, Hong Kong Island |
| 15:00 | Stadium: Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground |
| 22 March 2025 | Eastern | – | Kitchee | Siu Sai Wan, Hong Kong Island |
| 18:00 | Stadium: Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground |
Group B
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 6 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | Lee Man | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 | Rangers | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | Kowloon City | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Fair-play points;
| 12 October 2024 | Rangers | 0–1 | Lee Man | Mong Kok, Kowloon |
| 15:00 | Report |
|
Stadium: Mong Kok Stadium Attendance: 574 Referee: Wong Wai Lun |
| 12 October 2024 | Southern | 4–0 | Kowloon City | Tsing Yi, New Territories |
| 18:00 |
|
Report | Stadium: Tsing Yi Sports Ground Attendance: 276 Referee: Tang Hing Fu |
| 17 November 2024 | Rangers | 2–1 | Kowloon City | Siu Sai Wan, Hong Kong Island |
| 15:00 | Lau Chi Lok  58', 74' |
Report | Lam Hok Hei 82' |
Stadium: Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground Attendance: 410 Referee: Woo Chun Sing |
| 17 November 2024 | Lee Man | 0–1 | Southern | Siu Sai Wan, Hong Kong Island |
| 18:00 | Report | Chan Hoi Pak 58' |
Stadium: Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground Attendance: 410 Referee: Ho Wai Sing |
| 15 December 2024 | Kowloon City | – | Lee Man | Sham Shui Po, Kowloon |
| 15:00 | Stadium: Sham Shui Po Sports Ground |
| 23 March 2025 | Southern | – | Rangers | Tai Po, New Territories |
| 15:00 | Stadium: Tai Po Sports Ground |
Semi-finals
editFinal
editTop scorers
edit- As of 13 October 2024
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[3] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Matheus Chulapa
|
North District | 2 |
| Gregory
|
Southern | ||
| 3 | Gabriel Cividini
|
Tai Po | 1 |
 Jahangir Khan
|
North District | ||
| Lam Chi Fung
|
HKFC | ||
| Leung Kwun Chung
|
Eastern | ||
 Gaizka Martínez
|
Lee Man | ||
| Igor Sartori
|
Tai Po | ||
| Jackson Sousa
|
Southern | ||
| Yau Cheuk Fung
|
Southern |
Awards
editBest U-22 Player
editReferences
edit- ^ 袁志浩 (2024-09-23). "菁英盃減場次 足總爭取馬會延續贊助 港足東亞錦外圍賽或遇朝鮮". 香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 2024-09-23.
- ^ "賽馬會菁英盃 分組賽改踢單循環 10．12展開". on.cc東網 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 2024-09-23. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
- ^ [1] HKFA 30 September 2023