'Old Trafford is a once-in-a-lifetime ambition'

But some spectators who were present at Old Trafford to watch United's thrilling comeback had travelled much, much further.

 

Ahead of kick-off, our Hong Kong supporters’ branch enjoyed a pitchside reception, marking 10 years since its founding, as a small token of the club’s appreciation for the support. 

 

And when you consider what it takes for Reds from that part of the world to reach Old Trafford just once, you realise the respect is richly deserved.

“It used to be a 12-hour flight to either Heathrow or Manchester, but you can no longer fly above Russia,” explains branch secretary Nigel Lee.  “Planes have to re-route, so it’s now a 14-hour flight. 

 

“Air prices fluctuate, but a return ticket would be between £500 to £1,000. And then you’ve got accommodation and everything else. A couple of thousands of pounds? Easily.

“The football will be a key part of the trip, but usually it will be part of a wider trip to other parts of the UK or Europe.”

Nigel helped co-found the branch a decade ago, after studying at Manchester University during the 2000s. But United’s support in Hong Kong has deeper roots. 

 

“English football was really popular in Hong Kong even before the Premier League started. Back in the 1970s and ’80s, United even came to Hong Kong a couple of times.

“Our history as a fan group really stretches back to right after we won the Treble, in the year 2000, when my fellow co-founders, Bob and Nicholas, started a fan website in Chinese for United fans in Hong Kong. They used to have a web-based forum and that’s where it really gained momentum. It really got rolling and grew in size, and they were organising screening events for local fans.”

In late 2012, the club announced they would be heading to Hong Kong as part of the pre-season campaign for the 2013/14 season [a 5-2 win over Kitchee SC]. “We sat down and thought, ‘hmm’,” recalls Lee. 

 

“We were pretty high-profile in Hong Kong, with a well-known fan website, but we didn’t have any official recognition. With the size of our core group, we thought we could give it a go and try to organise ourselves as an official supporters’ club.

“We did, just in time for United’s pre-season visit that summer. We were able to engage with club officials, players, and had some degree of success in securing tickets from United, rather than having to go through a public sale.”

At the latest count, the branch has 1,100 paid-up members, with roughly half that number registered with United. Before Covid and its associated travel restrictions hit in 2020, Hong Kong’s numbers were second in size only to our gargantuan Scandinavian branch.

The community does not boast its own premises, but will regularly draw between 100-200 fans to watch United matches in hired venues (“We won’t watch with rival fans!”). And all this despite a seven or eight-hour time difference with the UK. 

 

“Asian supporters may have a reputation for being glory hunters,” ponders Nigel. “Unlike many British fans, we actually get to choose a team – it’s not strictly in our blood. And, yes, United would have been the natural choice in the ’90s and 2000s. But even in the last 10 years, though we haven’t always been great, United still remains the best-supported team in Hong Kong.

 

“Yes, City have been winning in the last five years or so, but if you think of their global fan base, it really is no match for United. And that’s the same in Hong Kong.”

Ten years in, challenges still remain, but Lee is in optimistic mood. With the worst of Covid finally behind Hong Kong, and the economy reviving, the ambition is to rebuild membership levels and increase the number of match screenings throughout 2023/24. And trips to Old Trafford – like this one to mark the 10th anniversary – are once more on the horizon.

 

“A big part of our supporters’ club really is to help local fans achieve their once-in-a-lifetime ambition of getting to Old Trafford,” he admits.

 

“We’ve helped a huge number of supporters achieve that, at face value. What’s their usual reaction? It depends on the result! But just going inside Old Trafford and getting the first-hand feeling of that electric atmosphere and that experience... it’s something our members will never forget.”