User:Ishac/DYC2425
| Country | Hong Kong |
|---|---|
| Dates | 30 September 2023 – 15 May 2024 |
| Teams | 11 |
| Defending champions | Southern |
| Matches played | 53 |
| Goals scored | 209 (3.94 per match) |
| Attendance | 21,288 (402 per match) |
The 2023–24 Hong Kong Sapling Cup (named as JC Sapling Cup for sponsorship reasons) is the 9th edition of the Hong Kong Sapling Cup. The competition is contested by the 11 teams in the 2023–24 Hong Kong Premier League. Each team is required to field a minimum of three players born on or after 1 January 2002 (U-22) and a maximum of six foreign players during every whole match.
Southern are the defending champions, but were eliminated in the semi-finals. Rangers became the champions for the first time after beating Kitchee in the final.
The champions of the JC Sapling Cup will receive HKD$120,000 in prize money, and HKD$100,000 donation to the champions' specified organization. Meanwhile, the runner-up will receive HKD$60,000, and HKD$50,000 donation to the runner-up's specified organization. In addition, the two losing teams in the semi-finals will receive HK$30,000 while the remaining teams will receive HK$15,000.
In addition, the best U-22 player in each team will receive a prize of HKD$3,000. The most outstanding U-22 player among the selected best U-22 players from each team will receive an additional HKD$5,000 for being the best of all the U-22 players.[1]
Format
The participating teams were divided into two groups for a double round-robin tournament. Top two teams in each group advance to the semi-finals.
Calendar
| Phase | Draw Date | Date | Matches | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group stage | 20 September 2023 | 30 September 2023 – 24 March 2024 | 50 | 11 → 4 |
| Semi-finals | 3, 10 April 2024 | 2 | 4 → 2 | |
| Final | 15 May 2024 | 1 | 2 → 1 |
Fixtures and results
Group stage
Group A
Group B
Semi-finals
Final
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[2] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | File:ESP Noah Baffoe | Eastern | 7 |
| File:KEN Ismael Dunga | Sham Shui Po | ||
| File:BRA Mikael | Kitchee | ||
| File:GHA Nassam Ibrahim | Rangers | ||
| 5 | File:BRA Lucas | Tai Po | 6 |
| 6 | File:HKG Mahama Awal | Southern | 5 |
| File:BRA Léo | HKFC | ||
| 8 | 9 players | 4 | |
Awards
Best U-22 Player
| Prize | Team | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Best U-22 Player in Each Team[3] | Eastern | File:HKG Ma Hei Wai |
| HKFC | File:HKG Lee Chun Yin | |
| HK U23 | File:HKG Lee Lok Him | |
| Kitchee | File:HKG Chan Shinichi | |
| Lee Man | File:HKG Poon Sheung Hei | |
| Rangers | File:HKG Chiu Ching Yu | |
| Resources Capital | File:HKG Pong Cheuk Hei | |
| Southern | File:HKG Ng Wai Him | |
| Tai Po | File:HKG Wong Hin Sum | |
| Sham Shui Po | File:HKG Chang Kwong Yin | |
| Best of all U-22 Players | Rangers | File:HKG Chiu Ching Yu |
- ^ "馬會冠名贊助菁英盃 10支港超球會均獲獎金鼓勵". 17 January 2023. https://www.footballweekly.hk/local/%E9%A6%AC%E6%9C%83%E5%86%A0%E5%90%8D%E8%B4%8A%E5%8A%A9%E8%8F%81%E8%8B%B1%E7%9B%83-10%E6%94%AF%E6%B8%AF%E8%B6%85%E7%90%83%E6%9C%83%E5%9D%87%E7%8D%B2%E7%8D%8E%E9%87%91%E9%BC%93%E5%8B%B5/.
- ^ [1] HKFA 30 September 2023
- ^ 袁志浩 (2024-05-06). "菁英盃︱盧均宜林嘉緯將演告別戰 勸觀眾入場：看我們的最後一次" (in zh-HK). https://www.hk01.com/%E5%8D%B3%E6%99%82%E9%AB%94%E8%82%B2/1016786/%E8%8F%81%E8%8B%B1%E7%9B%83-%E7%9B%A7%E5%9D%87%E5%AE%9C%E6%9E%97%E5%98%89%E7%B7%AF%E5%B0%87%E6%BC%94%E5%91%8A%E5%88%A5%E6%88%B0-%E5%8B%B8%E8%A7%80%E7%9C%BE%E5%85%A5%E5%A0%B4-%E7%9C%8B%E6%88%91%E5%80%91%E7%9A%84%E6%9C%80%E5%BE%8C%E4%B8%80%E6%AC%A1.
