Meizhou Hakka Football Club (simplified Chinese: 梅州客家足球俱乐部; traditional Chinese: 梅州客家足球俱樂部; pinyin: Méizhōu Kèjiā Zúqiú Jùlèbù; Hakka language: Mòi-Chû Hag-Ga chuk-khiù khî-lo̍k-phu) is a Chinese professional football club based in Wuhua, Meizhou, Guangdong, that competes in China League One, the second tier of Chinese football. Meizhou Hakka plays its home matches at the Huitang Stadium, located within Wuhua County. Their current majority shareholders are the Meizhou municipal government, Municipal Sports Bureau, Wei Real Estate Development Co. Ltd. and partners.
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| Full name | Meizhou Hakka Football Club 梅州客家足球俱乐部 | ||
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| Founded | 2013 | ||
| Ground | Huitang Stadium, Wuhua | ||
| Capacity | 27,000 | ||
| Head coach | Milan Ristić | ||
| League | China League One | ||
| 2024 | Chinese Super League, 15th of 16 (relegated) | ||
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History
Meizhou Hakka F.C. was established in January 2013 by former Guangdong Sunray Cave manager Cao Yang along with the support of the Meizhou municipal government, Municipal Sports Bureau.[1] He would soon go on to gain financial support from the Chairman of Wei Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., Wei Jinping who was persuaded in investing into the team after Cao Yang described his envision of creating a footballing hub in Wuhua County, the home town of former Chinese footballer and coach Lee Wai Tong.[2] The squad was assembled with local Hakka players and players from other teams in Guangdong, including Guangdong Sunray Cave, Guangzhou Evergrande, Shenzhen Ruby and Shenzhen Fengpeng before entering the third tier in the 2013 league season where despite topping the group stages they finished fifth in the knock-out stages.[3]
Former Chinese national team head coach Qi Wusheng was brought in during the 2015 China League Two season.[4] He would go on to help guide the club to win the division title in a penalty shoot-out against Dalian Transcendence and promotion to the second tier for the first time in the club's history.[5] Qi Wusheng would not extend his contract with the club and Dutch football manager Luc Nijholt was brought in on 1 January 2016 as well as 80 million yuan to invest within the team.[6] Luc Nijholt would leave the team on 19 July 2016 as the club sat twelfth within the league and marginally above the relegation zone, a position they would remain in for the rest of the season.[7] After several managerial changes with limited success, Serbian manager Milan Ristić was brought in on 6 February 2021 and he was able to guide the team to promotion to the top tier at the end of the 2021 China League One season.[8]
Name history
According to the club's statement:
- 2013 Meizhou Kejia 梅州客家
- 2014– Meizhou Wuhua 梅州五华[9]
According to official documents of CFA:
Current squad
First-team squad
- As of 13 July 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Coaching staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Milan Ristić |
| Assistant coach |  Qu Gang |
| Goalkeeping coach |  Da Silva |
| Fitness coach | Zdravko Peric |
Source: CFA
Managerial history
Cao Yang (2013)- Tan Ende (2014–26 May 2015)
- Zhang Jun (26 May 2015 – 3 July 2015)
- Qi Wusheng (3 July 2015–31 Dec 2015)
Luc Nijholt (1 Jan 2016–19 Jul 2016)- Cao Yang (interim) (19 Jul 2016–31 Dec 2016)
Vjekoslav Lokica (16 Feb 2017–29 Apr 2017)- Cao Yang (interim) (29 Apr 2017–23 Jul 2017)
Aleksandar Stankov (23 Jul 2017–18 Dec 2017)
Rusmir Cviko (18 Dec 2017–28 Aug 2018)- Li Weijun (interim) (28 Aug 2018–19 Dec 2018)
- Zheng Xiaotian (19 Dec 2018–6 Nov 2019)
Marcelo Rospide (12 Nov 2019–31 Dec 2020)
Milan Ristić (2 Feb 2021–4 Jan 2024)
Pablo Villar (5 Jan 2024–20 May 2024)- Qu Gang (interim) (20 May 2024–12 Jun 2024)
- Milan Ristić (12 Jun 2024–present)
Honours
- China League Two (tier-III)[5]
- Champions (1): 2015
Results
All-time league rankings
As of the end of 2024 season.[18][19]
| Year | Div | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Pos. | FA Cup | Super Cup | AFC | Att./G | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 6 | 24 | 30 1 | 5[20] | DNE | DNQ | DNQ | Meixian Tsang Hin-chi Stadium Wuhua County Stadium | |
| 2014 | 3 | 16 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 45 | 7 | 38 | 42 1 | 4 | R3 | DNQ | DNQ | Wuhua County Stadium | |
| 2015 | 3 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 39 | 13 | 26 | 30 1 | W | R3 | DNQ | DNQ | 4,818 | |
| 2016 | 2 | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 48 | 50 | −2 | 39 | 12 | R3 | DNQ | DNQ | 6,450 | |
| 2017 | 2 | 30 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 33 | 39 | −6 | 33 | 12 | R2 | DNQ | DNQ | 5,865 | |
| 2018 | 2 | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 40 | 44 | −4 | 40 | 9 | R3 | DNQ | DNQ | 3,583 | |
| 2019 | 2 | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 44 | 41 | 3 | 39 | 10 | R3 | DNQ | DNQ | 5,984 | Huitang Stadium |
| 2020 | 2 | 15 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 27 | 16 | 11 | 28 | 5 | R2 | DNQ | DNQ | ||
| 2021 | 2 | 34 | 24 | 3 | 7 | 79 | 35 | 44 | 75 | RU | R3 | DNQ | DNQ | ||
| 2022 | 1 | 34 | 14 | 7 | 13 | 43 | 41 | 2 | 49 | 9 | R3 | DNQ | DNQ | ||
| 2023 | 1 | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 42 | 54 | −12 | 34 | 11 | R4 | DNQ | DNQ | 15,004 | |
| 2024 | 1 | 30 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 29 | 55 | −26 | 27 | 15 | R4 | DNQ | DNQ |
- ^1 In group stage.
Key
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References
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