The first Match at Football, we believe ever played in Hongkong took place on this
afternoon of the 10th instant, when the following members of the Colony assembled
to play the officers of the 2/9 Regiment.
Messrs J. F. Holliday.
'' Duncan Davidson.
'' H. Dent.
'' A. Dent.
'' F. J. Pereira.
'' Fred. T. Smith.
'' Crawford D. Kerr.
'' T. G. Linstead.
'' G. Maclean.
'' Ernest Major.
'' A. Carmichael.
'' H. Hodges. ^
'' E. Wallace.
'' H. J. H. Tripp.
'' P. Macintosh. ^
Colonel Sankey.
Captain Grantham.
'' Robert.
'' Morrison.
Lieut. Jeffares.
'' Wright.
'' Bradshaw.
'' Perry.
'' Glennie.
'' Fursden.
Ensign Jephson.
'' Lovell.
'' Maltby.
'' Duthie.
'' Leighton.
The game lasted about one hour, resulting in favor of the Hongkong Fifteen : they
obtaining a goal, while their opponents got nothing. On the side of the Officers, Colonel
SANKEY, Lieuts. PERRY and BRADSHAW played well. On the other side, Messrs A. DENT
and HOLLIDAY showed they had not forgotten their Eton and Rugby training.
Evening Mail, March 13.
Some notices issued by a Hongkong Football Club were on the Hong Kong Daily Press, as early as mid Nov. 1864. Not sure if it was connected to the Club
of same name decades later (1886). As history records show, modern football originated in England and the official rules were first set by the Football Association in London in Oct. 1863.
So above might not be a match 11-a-side back in 1865, not until this became an official rule in 1897.
Apparently, all players of the Hongkong Fifteen are known merchants or on the jurors list of 1865, except the two which marked with ^ above.
The location of the football field was not mentioned in the news article.
The liking of football by general residents in HK and it having a rich history for many decades are not without reasons. Now that we have a glimpse that it may have a remote root even from the dawn of modern football. : D
References
Overland China Mail, 1865-4-1
PFSA website
p.s. many AIs do not know any info about this football match in HK, except Gemini 3 Flash. It almost pinpoints the exact date of the match and
can access and digest some content of the Overland China Mail apparently (per query as of today).
place of the football match
As the notice, the club's football game was usually held at the Parade Ground then.
So the 1865 match was reasonably played there also.
The notice was posted by C.D. Kerr, Hon. Secretary of the Club.
source : Hong Kong Daily Press, 1864-11-15 p.1 (issues until 1864-12-3)
byname of the Football Club
At the begin of the Football Club (1886), most members were expatriates from the "Hong"s. Apparently, this persists all along the years.
It earned a byname commonly known in the last century : 大檯客, in Cantonese meaning 'big table masters', which suggests they are from high executives, upper-class.
One early example in print is on the Chinese Mail 華字日報 Jan. 1939. Few news samples suggested that local teams may already beat the Club in the league of the years 1939, 1940.