bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Paul McNamara

Experienced Hong Kong footballer Toby Down believes officials have failed in their duty to grow and market the sport in the city, and accused them of “not protecting” players.
The Football Club midfielder also believes some Premier League clubs have “no desire to get better” and cited instances of successful coaches being told by bosses to “relax, you’re making us look bad”.
Down, whose family moved to Hong Kong from England in 1997 when his engineer father James got a job with Cathay Pacific, began his football journey at Kowloon Cricket Club, before moving to Kitchee and then Sham Shui Po.
The 30-year-old was invited for a trial with League Two side Wycombe Wanderers in 2013, and quickly discovered the huge gap that existed between the game in England and Hong Kong.
“The day I got there, I thought, ‘I’ve got no chance’,” Down said. “The second-choice keeper was younger than me, he had two kids and was fighting to feed his family.
“It was a different hunger that kids here, me included, didn’t have. I was a pampered city boy with access to KCC and HKFC.”
Down said he had seen plenty of promising local players stagnate at 15 or 16, because education took priority and there had “been no progression” in the standard of coaching in the city.

Down, however, believes the recent exodus of Hong Kong players for mainland China illustrates a renewed desire among the city’s young players, who because “the money is not as astronomical as previously” give the impression of “going for the football”.
In Hong Kong, Down said it felt as though players were “meat sent to slaughter”, and highlighted instances “of players not being paid, the hassle getting medical treatment, and teams self-relegating and not worrying about players losing jobs”.
“Being a professional footballer in Hong Kong is not desirable or financially beneficial,” he said. “I know good players who worked for Deliveroo or [logistics firm] GoGoX, because they paid more.”
To generate more interest and money in the local game, Down would give free tickets to schools, and legalise gambling, in part to prevent match-fixing.
“The public don’t have much faith in our game, but [legalising gambling] would encourage more people to watch,” he said. “The clubs would make more money, better-paid players would be incentivised to stay clean and more people would be motivated to play.”
Down said he knew “qualified people in the sports sector” who had previously been keen to work for the Football Association of Hong Kong, China (HKFA), but “changed their minds” after speaking to people involved.
“There are forces preventing change,” he said. “I think the HKFA needs to do better, but they’re happy to stay where they are, rather than push. It’s the same at a lot of clubs.”

Down had four years at Concordia University, Nebraska, where he played for Concordia Bulldogs and “felt more like a sportsperson than in Hong Kong, even though I was a student athlete”.
Leaving behind the top-notch facilities and resources in 2018, he signed for Tai Po. After winning the league in the 2018-19 season, Down got a Hong Kong passport to play in the AFC Champions League, only for the club to bungle his registration for a qualifier against Kedah in Malaysia.
“My dad came to watch, we sat in the Prince of Kedah’s box, which was a cool experience, but the biggest game of my life was taken away from me,” Down said.
He played for Eastern and Southern before moving back to the US and joining Orlando FC Wolves in 2022, because of his partner Jeannelle’s teaching job and Hong Kong’s strict Covid-19 regulations.
The pair married in Florida that July, and he was in Minnesota for a friend’s wedding soon after when his parents called to tell him his brother, who had been born with an undiagnosed disability, had died at the age of 31.
“Nobody knew he was disabled until he was born,” Down said. “My parents wanted a diagnosis and saw lots of specialists, but they met one doctor who changed their perspective. He said the condition was so rare that they should accept it for what it was and figure out what worked for them.
“My parents were amazing with him. Nobody thought he would make it past 18. He shaped us as a family.”
Down, who also coaches and is training to be a PE teacher, said the decision to come back to Hong Kong with baby in tow was driven by the US education system and poor access to football for his wife, who plays for HKFC’s women.
“It’s still tough, we took a financial hit in the States, and neither of us have solid hours yet,” Down said. “It’s the most sane we’ve been for a long time, though.
“I wake up in the morning and come to kick a ball about with my mates … not everybody is that lucky.”


Prolific striker Silva’s Hong Kong passport regret, says watching team makes him sad

Hong Kong football’s surprise packages Kowloon City offer path for future stars

Hong Kong footballer who feared he would not walk properly after injury eyes China return

Macau head coach and new reality TV star Kwok says Hong Kong post is his ‘ideal job’

The Football Association of Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong footballer says players are ‘meat sent to slaughter’, urges bosses to do better

Toby Down is back in Hong Kong and playing for Football Club following two years in the USA. Photo: Edmond So

Down at Hong Kong Football Club who he thinks should be one of the city’s ‘top clubs’. Photo: Edmond So

Down thinks the local football association need to do more to grow the sport in Hong Kong. Photo: Edmond So

Hong Kong coach on injury that changed life amid battles with Ronaldo, Beckham, Guardiola

Roberto Losada celebrates Real Valladolid’s decisive goal at Real Madrid in a 2005 Spanish cup tie. Photo: AP

Roberto Losada scored in Real Oviedo’s 2-3 loss to Barcelona at the Nou Camp Stadium in 1999. Photo: Allsport UK

Losada shows off his 2010-11 Hong Kong footballer-of-the-year prize. Photo: Edward Wong

Roberto Losada (top) celebrates winning the 2012 Hong Kong FA Cup with Kitchee. Photo: Sam Tsang

‘World-class’ Kai Tak Sports Park ready but other Hong Kong venues ‘need upgrades’: Yeung

Yeung Tak-keung, head of the National Games Coordination Office, with Games mascots Lerongrong (left) and Xiyangyang at his offices in Wan Chai. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Kai Tak Arena will host its first official test event for the National Games this weekend. Photo: Nora Tam

The Hong Kong Coliseum is an “old arena” that may need to be upgraded, Yeung said. Photo: Edmond So

A basketball test event was played at Kai Tak Arena in December. Photo: Nora Tam

Sport

Football

Hong Kong

Toby Down believes number of clubs and local association have no desire to improve, as midfielder opens up on colourful life and career


Toby Down believes number of clubs and local association have no desire to improve, as midfielder opens up on colourful life and career.


Hong Kong Premier League