The "oft-mooted idea" of a Hong Kong team taking part in China competitions could be back on the agenda as the Hong Kong FA "tries to come up with ways to benefit from the mainland’s football explosion," according to James Porteous of the SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST. Chinese teams have "stunned world football in recent weeks by paying massive fees for players who never previously would have considered moving to China." So far the effect on Hong Kong has mainly been "limited to several of the national team’s players moving to the mainland for far more lucrative contracts than they can earn locally." But now the HKFA is "seeking to come up with more concrete ways to benefit from the revolution going on across the border." HKFA CEO Mark Sutcliffe said, "As you would expect we are trying to think about how Hong Kong football can benefit even vicariously from this increased interest and investment." One idea could be to have a Hong Kong team or teams "take part in one or more of China's competitions." Sutcliffe highlighted the current "ripple effect" China is having on Hong Kong, with national team players improving by playing in a stronger league, and local teams "enjoying better facilities in friendlies against mainland opposition for example." Sutcliffe: "It would be stupid not to at least consider how HK football can benefit from these developments" (SCMP, 2/6).
