Yuen Long Stadium
Encyclopedia
Yuen Long Stadium is a football stadium at 6 Tai Yuk Road, Yuen Long
Yuen Long
Yuen Long , formerly Un Long, is an area and town located in the northwest of Hong Kong, on the Yuen Long Plain. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu and Ha Tsuen, to the south Shap Pat Heung and Tai Tong, to the east Au Tau and Kam Tin, and to the north Nam Sang Wai.-Name:The Cantonese name Yuen Long 元朗...

, New Territories
New Territories
New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...

, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

. It was originally just some empty land besides Shui Bin Village. Then Yuen Long District Sports Association decided to build a stadium at the site and received support from the locals. The contract was open for bidding and Yuen Long Cheong Kee won the contract for HK$198,000 in 1965.

The stadium opened in 1969 with a football game between Yuen Long and Fire Services. On the same day, a marathon sponsored by Tin Tin Daily was held.

In 1983, the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club provided HK$12 million for an expansion. A new 2,000 capacity covered grandstand, 8 lane all weather runway and relaying the grass of the entire pitch were added to the stadium.

In recent years, it is transferred to and operated by the Leisure and Culture Services Department of Hong Kong. The stadium has a capacity of 5,000.

Facilities

The stadium has a natural grass pitch and a 400m running track.

Hong Kong First Division League

In the 70s and 80s, Yuen Long Football Team used the stadium for their home matches in the Hong Kong First Division League
Hong Kong First Division League
Hong Kong First Division League is the top division football league in Hong Kong which was established in 1908, the oldest in Asia. It does not affiliate to any football leagues in the People's Republic of China.-Competition format:...

. Today, Yuen Long still plays in the district leagues, occasionally using Yuen Long Stadium for their home matches.

2008–09 season

In July 2008, TSW Pegasus
TSW Pegasus
TSW Pegasus Football Club is a football team in Hong Kong, formed in 2008. Its new head coach is Chan Hiu Ming, with Yeung Ching Kwong, Shum Kwok Pui and Leung Cheuk Cheung as assistant coaches.-History:...

 applied to the Hong Kong Football Association
Hong Kong Football Association
The Hong Kong Football Association , often abbreviated to the HKFA, is the governing body of association football in Hong Kong. Its current chairman is Brian Leung Hung-Tak and its general secretary is Vincent Yuen Mun-Chuen.- History :...

 to use Yuen Long Stadium for its home matches. The HKFA rejected the application due to the lack of guarantee on the quality of the grass turf. In September 2008, TSW Pegasus requested to play their home game against South China AA on 5 October at Yuen Long Stadium, with the agreement of South China AA. The HKFA thus decided to play the game here. The other game involving Mutual FC
Mutual FC
Pontic is a Hong Kong association football team. In 2010, the club was renamed from Mutual FC to Pontic Football Team. Pontic won promotion to the 2011-12 Hong Kong First Division League but was unable to raise enough sponsorship to take part...

 and Citizen on the same date will likely be moved here also, provided the two teams agree. The stadium manager said he cannot guarantee the pitch quality for more future home games for TSW Pegasus.

The HKFA officials and TSW Pegasus chairman visited the ground with Yuen Long Stadium officials on 17 September 2008, with the hope of using it for TSW Pegasus's home games. After a one and a half hour meeting, the HKFA understood that the stadium is not up to FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

 standards. There are not enough changing rooms for 4 teams; no scoreboards; no ticket sales booths and substitutes' benches. Also the spectators' exits are not clearly indicated. HKFA official Lam Shing Kui claims the stadium is only suitable for one game per match day.

On the other hand, the stadium's grass turf, lighting system, VIP room, first-aid room, match officials' room and changing rooms are up to standard. VIP areas, media room and internet facilities can be temporarily set up. Substitutes' benches can be borrowed from Tai Po Sports Ground
Tai Po Sports Ground
Tai Po Sports Ground is a sports ground at 21 Tai Po Tau Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong. It was opened on 23 September 1992....

. The HKFA and Yuen Long Stadium will discuss again the possibility of hosting home games for TSW Pegasus at the stadium on 26 September.

HKFA chairman Brian Leung confirmed that the Mutual FC
Mutual FC
Pontic is a Hong Kong association football team. In 2010, the club was renamed from Mutual FC to Pontic Football Team. Pontic won promotion to the 2011-12 Hong Kong First Division League but was unable to raise enough sponsorship to take part...

 and Citizen AA game at 12:30pm as requested by the clubs, while TSW Pegasus
TSW Pegasus
TSW Pegasus Football Club is a football team in Hong Kong, formed in 2008. Its new head coach is Chan Hiu Ming, with Yeung Ching Kwong, Shum Kwok Pui and Leung Cheuk Cheung as assistant coaches.-History:...

 will play South China AA at 4:00pm. However, both games were postponed due to heavy rain. The TSW Pegasus vs South China AA game will now be played on 8 October 2008 at 20:00.

2009–10 season

TSW Pegasus will continue to use the stadium as the home ground in 2009–10 season.

Transport

  • LRT
    LRT
    LRT may stand for:*IATA airport code for Lorient South Brittany Airport, France*Lewis Roberts-Thomson*Lithuanian National Radio and Television *Light rail, a form of urban rail public transportation...

    : Shui Pin Wai Stop
    Shui Pin Wai Stop
    The Shui Pin Wai Stop is a MTR Light Rail stop located on the ground at Castle Peak Road in Yuen Long District, near Shui Pin Wai Estate . It began service on 18 September 1988 and belongs to Zone 5. It serves Shui Pin Wai Estate and Yuen Long Park .-Neighbouring stops:-References:...

    , Fung Nin Road Stop
    Fung Nin Road Stop
    The Fung Nin Road Stop , formerly Town Hall Stop , is a MTR Light Rail stop located on the ground at the junction of Castle Peak Road and Fung Nin Road in Yuen Long District. It began service on 18 September 1988 and belongs to Zone 5...

  • KMB: 68X, 264M, 269D, 276, 276P, B1
  • Longwin Bus: E34
  • MTR Bus: K66, K68, K73, K74

External links

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