Konger FC: How Football Is Helping Manchester鈥檚 Hong Kong Community Find Home and Voice
Konger FC is a Manchester football team formed by Hong Kong migrants. Playing together helps them make friends, keep their culture alive, and feel at home in the UK, while also raising awareness of Hong Kong鈥檚 situation.
A Saturday morning football club in Manchester is doing more than just scoring goals - it鈥檚 helping a community rebuild its identity.
Founded in 2021, Konger FC is a football team made up of Hong Kongers who have relocated to Manchester, many on British National (Overseas) passports. Their move was prompted by increasing restrictions on activism and cultural expression in Hong Kong. Now, through football, they鈥檙e finding new ways to connect, integrate, and express themselves.
The club is at the heart of a new research project which received Community Partnership funding from the , led by University of Manchester academics, from the and from . The project, which includes short films and a multimedia documents the 2024/25 season of Konger FC and lays the foundation for a full documentary film.
But this is more than just a sports story. The researchers have embedded themselves in the club鈥檚 activities - attending matches, training sessions, and interviewing players, sponsors, and fans. Their goal is to amplify the voices of Hong Kongers in Manchester, showcasing how they preserve their culture, build community networks, and contribute to civic life.
The project also taps into resources at the University of Manchester鈥檚 , offering the Konger FC community tools and expertise to share their story with wider audiences.
Through everyday activities like football, the Hong Kong diaspora in Manchester is practising a quiet form of activism - championing democratic values and human rights while resisting the pressures of political repression back home. The upcoming documentary and website aim to shine a light on their journey, highlighting both the challenges and triumphs of starting anew in Britain.
Konger FC is proving that football can be more than a game鈥攊t can be a lifeline, a platform, and a powerful way to say, 鈥淲e鈥檙e still here.鈥�