Hong Kong Sapling Cup
Association football tournament in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Sapling Cup (Chinese: 菁英盃) was a Hong Kong domestic football competition contested by the Hong Kong Premier League teams. The objective of the Cup was to provide more playing opportunities for youth players. It was discontinued after the 2024–25 season.
HK$120,000 reward goes to the winners, with the runners-up getting HK$60,000. The two other losing semi-finalists receive HK$30,000. The remaining teams get HK$15,000. The best under-22 player from each team gets HK$3,000, and player of the tournament earns an additional HK$5,000.[1] The last Sapling Cup holder is Southern.
Competition name and rules
| Season | Name | 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 advance to the semi-finals. | Each team must have no fewer than two players under the age of 21 and no more than six 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 advance to the semi-finals. | Each team must have no fewer than two players under the age of 22 and no more than four foreign players at any time. | |
| 2018–19 | ||||
| 2019–20 | Participating teams are divided into two groups for a double round-robin tournament. Top team advances to the final. | Each team must have 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 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 advance to the semi-finals. | |
| 2023–24 | | |||
| 2024–25 | Participating teams are divided into two groups for a single round-robin tournament. Top two advance to the semi-finals. |
Finals
Key
| * | Match went to extra time |
| † | Match decided by a penalty shootout after extra time |
Results
| Edition | Season | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015–16 | Pegasus | 1–1 † | South China | Mong Kok Stadium | 2,150 |
| 2 | 2016–17 | Tai Po | 2–1 * | Pegasus | 2,956 | |
| 3 | 2017–18 | Kitchee | 2–1 | Tai Po | Hong Kong Stadium | 2,165 |
| 4 | 2018–19 | Lee Man | 3–2 * | Yuen Long | Mong Kok Stadium | 2,685 |
| 5 | 2019–20 | Kitchee | 3–1 | Southern | Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground | 0[1] |
| 6 | 2020–21 | Eastern | 2–0 | Happy Valley | Mong Kok Stadium | 2,243 |
| 7 | 2021–22 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong | ||||
| 8 | 2022–23 | Southern | 2–0 | Lee Man | Mong Kok Stadium | 2,519 |
| 9 | 2023–24 | Rangers | 1–0 | Kitchee | 3,769 | |
| 10 | 2024–25 | Southern | 4–0 | Lee Man | 3,072 | |
Notes
- ^ Match was played behind closed doors due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Hong Kong.[2]
Performance by teams
| Team | Wins | Last final won | Runners-up | Last final lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchee | 2 | 2019–20 | 1 | 2023–24 |
| Southern | 2 | 2024–25 | 1 | 2020–21 |
| Lee Man | 1 | 2018–19 | 2 | 2024–25 |
| Pegasus | 1 | 2015–16 | 1 | 2016–17 |
| Tai Po | 1 | 2016–17 | 1 | 2017–18 |
| 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
| Rank | Player | Apps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Shu Sasaki |
53 |
| 2 |  Leung Kwun Chung |
44 |
| Wong Chun Ho | ||
| 4 | Cheng Chin Lung |
43 |
| Cheng Tsz Sum | ||
| Stefan Pereira | ||
| Yu Wai Lim | ||
| 8 | Lam Ka Wai |
42 |
| Wu Chun Ming | ||
| 10 | Chan Hoi Pak |
41 |
 Kessi | ||
| Lam Hin Ting | ||
| Tomas Maronesi |
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Goals | Apps | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stefan Pereira | 32 | 43 | 0.74 |
| 2 | Mikael | 19 | 33 | 0.58 |
| Everton Camargo | 19 | 38 | 0.5 | |
| 4 | Lucas Silva | 17 | 23 | 0.74 |
| Juninho | 17 | 32 | 0.53 | |
| 6 | Mahama Awal | 15 | 37 | 0.41 |
| Shu Sasaki | 15 | 53 | 0.28 | |
| 8 | Sandro | 14 | 17 | 0.82 |
 Travis Major | 14 | 19 | 0.74 | |
| 10 | Wellingsson de Souza | 13 | 29 | 0.45 |
| Sun Ming Him | 13 | 33 | 0.39 | |