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History of Spurs Fans in Hong Kong

Obviously Spurs fans have been living in Hong Kong for way before the late 90’s (both expat and locals) and smaller groups had been gathering even before 98 to watch live matches on TV. Small but regular gatherings had been taking place in the 90’s, mostly after the global usage of the Internet and more so, the use of chat forums on the Internet.

1998 Small group of Spurs fans based in Hong Kong communicate with each other (as well as fans from around the globe) on the world famous Spurs Interactive Message Board (SIMB). Five of them decided to meet up for a drink at a bar in the newly built Pacific Place in Admiralty. Those five were Hung, Johnny, Stew, Paul and Jez.
1999 Group of fans started watching live matches in various Wanchai pubs and noticed that other people in those pubs were also Spurs fans. They exchanged contact details and stayed in touch via email. Occasionally they would gather again to watch games. A good sized group gathered in the old Beer Castle on Luard Road to watch Spurs beat Leicester City in the League Cup Final with a late Nielsen goal!
2000 Spurs fans learnt that there were other fans, such as local Chinese supporters watching games together in Kowloon and decided to make contact. Hung set up a Chinese web site to reach out to other local fans.Spurs fans also started gathering is the old Delaney’s pub in Wanchai to watch matches. Some even watched a few matches in a local girlie bar due to the owner being a Spurs fan and offering a deal on the drinks. Yes, only on the drinks!
2001 Hong Kong based Spurs fans grew into a more significant sized group of people numbering 20-30 and even played the odd football match together. Hung started to reach out to more local fans to see if he could organise them into a regular supporters group. He did this with some success, although many of them preferred to watch matches in Kowloon. However the local fans did join the expat group from time to time on bigger match days.
2002 Local Tottenham and England fans Dave Knight and Jason Wallis brought a massive THFC flag to Japan’s FIFA World Cup to help put us on the map! Spurs fans also leant of another group of expats that started to watch matches in the old Skitz Bar in Wanchai (formerly known as Charlie Luciano’s). That group also maintained good links with each other.
2003 The local group set up by Hung became quite well organised and were generally a younger grouping of Spurs fans. Their Chinese web gained in popularity, however expat fans generally watched games in Hong Kong side and whilst the two groups knew each other, games were watched separately on both sides of the harbour. Also, the expat group(s) tended to rely on communication via telephone, texting and emails.
2004 Many fans were regularly watching live matches at Delaney’s in Wanchai and Dublin Jack’s in Central at this stage and the fan base expanded with several overseas educated Chinese fans, plus fans from other varying nationalities (apart from Brits). At this stage the fan base became pretty cosmopolitan. Atmospheres at match days became louder, happier, more fun and often with a party flavour.
2005 Most Spurs Supporters’ groups in Hong Kong were loosely connected but knew where to meet up for watching live matches. They were also loosely connected in a social network, which was expanding all the time. Some fans even made a few navy blue polo shirts with the Spurs badge on the chest and the club name in Chinese on the sleeve, under a T.H.F.C. These were quite popular!
2006 This was the year that Tottenham Hotspur changed their club badge (the last time they did that was in 1983). The newer simpler version was quite popular in Hong Kong. It also felt like a new era of optimism was taking place with Puma as new shirt makers and growing confidence in Martin Jol. H.K. fans on live match days were singing louder than before!
2007 A chance to see Spurs live locally – well the youth team anyway. Tottenham Hotspur in Hong Kong to play at the annual Soccer Sevens Tournament. This brings many different Spurs fans together under one stand at the Football Club’s stadium in Happy Valley. Spurs fans unite and make some serious noise supporting the team on the pitch. New bonds amongst fans are established and a new web site called Spurs in Hong Kong is created. The web site acts as a new communication point for fans with a very active chat forum. At this point, many active supporters contributed to the fan base solidarity and social scene as well, people like Baz, Chris B, Vish, DannyBoy, Johnboy, Kinson, Edman, James Y, Simon & Francis, Ronnie, Kelvin, Crouchie, Dodge, Justin - to name just a few!
2008 Hong Kong based fans are more active than ever and a new and expanded community has sprung up, with social events in pubs, a more organised football team and bigger gatherings at Delaney’s for live matches. This year also sees Spurs win the League Cup by beating Chelsea in the final. Fans gather to watch the live event at Al’s Diner in Central and Delaney’s Wanchai. Locals and expats singing in the streets, waving flags and having a party was a sight to see!
2009 After the disappointment in losing out to Man Utd in the League Cup Final, Tottenham Hotspur arrive in Hong Kong to play a friendly against local big club, South China. Several Spurs fans join H.K. based fans for a week of drinking and partying, culminating in making noise at the Hong Kong Stadium for a chance to see Spurs in action on Hong Kong soil. The weather was dreadfully hot and humid and the football was poor (yes we lost), however it did not stop Spurs fans from having a great time and meeting up with brothers from Singapore, Japan and Australia, as well as a few lads from the U.K. for a great time. Bonds created amongst the fans at this tournament would not be broken!
2010 Most Spurs fans were settling in quite happily with Harry as the boss and the football was starting to look quite promising with our first taste of Champions League football. The buzz was great amongst the fans and many late nights were had in the pub watching Spurs play some great football. This was the year that Bale started to shine as something special with a great on the pitch performances. The main Spurs fan web site went from Spurs in Hong Kong to another web site called Tottenham HK. Fans were growing in number each week and there were around 200 core fans as part of a growing community.
2011 A great but tough year for the fans. Despite finishing fourth, Spurs did not qualify for the Champions League because Chelsea won the CL on penalties. Many late nights watching the team in the pub ended in disappointment, but fans remain optimistic. Local and expat fans became more integrated and the community was stronger than ever. Although smaller groups of Spurs fans watch some matches in different pubs due to their geographical location, the fans were still sharing opinions, comments and social activities via the Tottenham HK forum. In addition, Spurs HK fans were reaching out to all fans including local chat Spurs fan groups on Facebook and the local group of fans under the HKSpurs umbrella which was now run by Louis Lai (formerly run by Hung).
2012 Harry was out and Andre Villa Boas was in as the new coach at Tottenham. Fans were 50-50 in Hong Kong on whether it was the right move by Levy, but most adopted a wait and see approach. The chaps in the pub witnessed a poor start, but the football got better. The Tottenham HK community was stronger than ever and well supported. Delaney’s were taking care of the fans and even showing nearly all the late games. Atmosphere was just as good as it was in 2008 when we won a League Cup. Disappointment again at the end of the season for missing out on fourth, but Spurs fans were encouraged by the improvement and consistency of the football, plus Superman Bale. The supporters club in full swing now sought to establish some firm roots.
2013 On May 30th, 2013, the Spurs Supporters’ Club is formed as an official supporters club in Hong Kong. The aim was to strengthen ties with White Hart Lane, firm up discounts, benefits and functions for all supporters in H.K. and unite fans under one umbrella so that all fans can obtain membership benefits and enjoy the football fan experience in the HK SAR. Reaching out to other sub-local groups of fans was also a priority (groups run by Louis and Thomas). Pre-season, we have Tottenham visiting Hong Kong along with Sunderland and Man City to play in the Barclays Asia Trophy. Several hundred Spurs fans coming over to Hong Kong for this one of course! Stay tuned ….
2015 Delaney's Wanchai closes in August. Spurs Hong Kong moves to the Cannyman, Wanchai.
2017 Spurs returned to Hong Kong for a friendly against Kitchee FC. Spurs HK and Spurs Fans welcomed the coaching team with a memorable night in Wan Chai.
2019 Delaney's returns to Wanchai and becomes the home of Spurs HK again.
2023 Spurs Hong Kong moves to Taboo Wanchai after the closure of Delaney's Wanchai in April, 2023.