HONG KONG FOOTBALL CLUB 2019 | 2020 [ CONTENTS ] HKFC ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20 Mission Statement 2 President’s Message 3 Chairman’s Report 5 Honorary Secretary’s Report 8 Honorary Treasurer’s Report 10 Community Outreach 13 Officers of the HKFC who held office from 1st June 2019 – 31st May 2020 14 Honorary Vice-Presidents 14 Candidates Nominated for Election 15 Notice of the Annual General Meeting for the Year 2020 16 SUB-COMMITTEE REPORTS Constitutional Affairs 19 Development 19 Membership 20 Sports and Recreation 21 SECTION REPORTS Hockey 32 Lawn Bowls 34 Rugby 36 Soccer 39 Squash 42 1 FINANCIAL REPORTS Report of the General Committee 47 Independent Auditor’s Report 51 Statement of Financial Position 53 Income and Expenditure Statement 54 Statement of Changes in Funds and Reserves 55 Statement of Cash Flows 55 Notes to the Financial Statements 56 Operating Budget 69 [ MISSION STATEMENT ] VISION ► TO BE RECOGNISED AS ONE OF THE LEADING SPORTS CLUBS IN THE WORLD. MISSION ► TO DELIVER QUALITY SERVICES ON THE PRINCIPLES OF ACCOUNTABILITY, CONSISTENCY AND TRANSPARENCY. ► TO DEVELOP AN ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE THAT RECOGNISES THE IMPORTANCE OF STAFF CONTRIBUTION AND COMMITMENT. ► TO FACILITATE THE DEVELOPMENT AND PARTICIPATION OF RECOGNISED 2 SPORTING ACTIVITIES. VALUES ► BEING ACCOUNTABLE – TO COMMUNICATE, CONSULT AND PROVIDE INFORMATION. ► LIVING WITHIN OUR MEANS – TO PLAN AHEAD WITHIN AVAILABLE RESOURCES. ► DEVELOPING A CULTURE OF SERVICE – TO ENCOURAGE COMMITMENT, INTEGRITY, COURTESY AND RESPONSIVENESS. ► MANAGING FOR PERFORMANCE – TO SET THE DIRECTION AND DEVELOP THE NECESSARY SKILLS. AIMS ► TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES THE MEMBERSHIP NEEDS. ► TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CLUB LIFE. ► TO UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION AND BYE-LAWS. ► TO ENCOURAGE MEMBERS TO PLAY THEIR PART IN THE CLUB. [ PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE ] President Nick Hunsworth hen one writes messages for Annual WReports, I always find it is a good idea to read the one you wrote last year because you cannot just write the same stuff on the same subjects year in and year out. People may still have a copy of last year’s Annual Report lurking on the coffee table or in the magazine rack and there is always someone who will take out last year’s and do a comparative analysis of the texts. Last year we were beset by the travails of the social discontent and I had the temerity to describe the times in Hong Kong as “almost unprecedented”. Well, I can confidently say this year, the times have been totally unprecedented. COVID-19 has had a huge impact on all of us and one might reasonably ask if life as we knew it at the beginning of 2020 will ever be the same again, whether in Hong Kong or the world. welfare of our members and our staff. Subject as we are to rules and regulations promulgated Since the virus was first identified in Wuhan in by Government, we have had to close down 3 January we have been engaged in a battle for many parts of the Club for large parts of 2020. All health where the setbacks have been frequent organised team sports have been on hold for many and the light at the end of the tunnel seems very months and as I write this at the beginning of what distant if indeed it is visible at all. Yet despite this, would normally be the new seasons for our outdoor Hong Kong has probably been one of the most team sports, there seems little prospect of things successful places on earth in terms of containing returning even partially to normal. the overall number of COVID-19 positive cases and in terms of COVID-19 related mortality rates. Within the restraints imposed upon us, the Club That has been achieved by the common sense of has done its best to try and provide some facilities purpose displayed by all who live in this wonderful and services to members. With each tightening city and by the willingness of everyone to knuckle and loosening of the restrictions messages fly down and accept with a reasonable degree of between senior management at clubs in Hong consensus the restrictions that have been imposed Kong so we all agree on the maximum amount on our society in the name of public health. we can do within the announced constraints to ensure the Club has at least something to offer As a Club, our priorities have been the health and to members. We are keenly aware that school [ PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE ] closures and working from home arrangements have all fallen victims to COVID-19. This has had make it especially important that the Club a significant impact on our finances as has the continues as an outlet for people to see something almost complete disappearance of our banqueting other than the four walls of home and to do things events because of social distancing requirements. which cannot easily be done otherwise in the Notwithstanding this, we remain solvent and I am crowded city we all call home. sure we can continue to find the money to do the necessary maintenance, repairs and refurbishment One early decision your General Committee made which will be needed in coming years. was we would make every effort to ensure none of our staff lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19. On the people front, your General Committee has One can never say anything in life is certain but we worked tirelessly throughout the year to grapple have striven to achieve that goal and I am pleased to with the problems COVID-19 has created. To each say we have been successful to date. Thanks must and every one of them I want to extend my thanks go to Government for the Employment Subsidy for their diligent application and wise counsel. I Scheme which has produced valuable income for us would particularly like to single out two of our former at a time when our Food and Beverage operations Chairmen, Fook Aun Chew and John Shanahan, 4 have been decimated by restrictions on opening who are both being proposed for Life Membership times and customer numbers. of the Club. I am sure you will all support me in applauding the enormous contributions each of But much greater thanks must go to our them has made and continues to make towards the management and staff who have between them betterment of the Club. I am sure you will also agree created flexible working arrangements which the accolade of Life Membership is richly deserved have allowed the Club to continue operating at full by both of them. capacity within Government-imposed constraints while protecting, as far as possible, the health of I thank on your behalf our management and staff our staff and also having plans to ensure the show for all their efforts during the year and the cheerful will go on even if we have the misfortune to have way in which they have carried on during these someone at the Club testing COVID-19 positive. difficult times. But, perhaps more unusually, I want to thank you, the members, for your patience I mentioned in my Message last year our and good-humoured acceptance of the many commitment to engage in a dialogue with inconveniences imposed on you as a result of members to listen to ideas, aspirations, wishes Government-mandated restrictions. As I said and hopes of members. Given the extraordinary earlier, COVID-19 has in many ways brought out events of recent months, many of our plans for the best in Hong Kong people and this is nowhere town hall meetings and other initiatives have more evident than in our little corner of Hong had to be put on hold but I can assure you we Kong: the Football Club. remain committed to such a dialogue. However, we have not been idle. Plans are on foot for the I look forward to seeing many of you at the AGM, refurbishment of the Sportsman’s Bar. I hear even if at a suitable social distance! I hope by then some of you saying the Sportsman’s Bar looks things may have improved but who knows with fine, which it does, but pop round the back to this wretched virus. If you cannot attend the AGM the kitchen as I have done and you will see why but want to discuss anything related to the Club, refurbishment is needed! please feel free to email or call me. There has of course been little to report on the sporting front. Our customary international events Nick Hunsworth such as the Rugby 10s and the Soccer Sevens President [ CHAIRMAN’S REPORT ] Chairman Michael Wood he past 12 months have been a turmoil for Tsociety as a whole, and by implication, the Club itself. Following on from months of social unrest we have now had to battle the onset of COVID-19 and this has had a dramatic effect on club life and the finances. The situation has of course also impacted other areas of Club management bringing with it unprecedented issues to face and deal with. I mentioned last year that the General Committee (GC) were aware of two particular areas of concern which were raised by the first Membership Satisfaction Survey, namely food and beverage and communication. This was borne out by the second Survey. • Several of our key F&B management team are hygiene and safety specialists A new Director of F&B joined us in February and (with some being lead auditors) who are despite the obvious challenges brought on by certified by HACCP and ISO 22001 which 5 the pandemic, has made great improvements has led to us putting our own Food Safety in this area.