The Knowledge | Arsenal - why Hong Kong will make NLD history on Thursday
Wed 30 July 2025, 05:15|
Tottenham Hotspur
Hong Kong will host the first north London derby outside of the UK when we lock horns with Arsenal at the Kai Tak Stadium on Thursday (12.30pm UK).
We first played Woolwich Arsenal in the United League all the way back in 1896 at the Manor Ground, Plumstead. The north London derby was born after Arsenal's move to Highbury in 1913 - and it's been one of world football's great rivalries ever since.
We have played the Gunners in friendlies and Testimonial matches - Testimonials for Pat Jennings, John Pratt, Glenn Hoddle and Chris Hughton were all against Arsenal - and faced each other at Wembley on a number of occasions, most recently in March 2019, before we moved into our new stadium, but this will be the first NLD overseas.
We first faced Woolwich Arsenal in the Football League in the old First Division in the 1909/10 season, but the NLD was really born once Arsenal moved into Highbury and the first NLDs in the Football League were in the First Division in the 1920/21 season, when we played in back-to-back weeks - winning 2-1 at home on 15 January, 1921 before a 3-2 loss at Highbury on 22 January, 1921.
It wouldn't be long before that team was tasting glory - they lifted the FA Cup two months later, beating Wolves 1-0 in the final at Stamford Bridge, Jimmy Dimmock on target - the team pictured with the trophy at the top of the page.
Our history in Hong Kong
This is the sixth time our Men's First Team has visited Hong Kong.
The first goes back 40 years to 1985, when we beat Seiko 4-0 as part of a Tour of Hong Kong and Australia. Gary Mabbutt struck twice that day with further goals from Mark Falco and Ally Dick. Ten years later we were back for a Euro-Asia Challenge match against Eastern/Kitchee Select in what was Jurgen Klinsmann’s last match in his first spell for the Club. We were next in Hong Kong in 2009 to face South China in the Panasonic Invitation Cup, a team we played again in 2013 as part of the Barclays Asia Trophy. We were last here in 2017 for a post-season friendly against Kitchee SC.
Results in Hong Kong
26.05.2015 - Kitchee 1-4 Spurs (Son, Janssen, Kane, Sterling)
27.07.2013 - South China 0-6 Spurs (Defoe 3, Dempsey, Townsend, OG)
24.07.2013 - Spurs 1-3 Sunderland (Sigurdsson)
02.08.2009 - South China 2-0 Spurs
24.05.1995 - Guangzhou 1-2 Spurs (Sheringham 2)
21.05.1995 - Eastern/Kitchee Select 2-7 Spurs (Klinsmann 2, Kerslake 2, Anderton, Dozzell, Barmby)
23.05.1985 - Seiko 0-4 Spurs (Mabbutt 2, Falco, Dick)
Our reserve team, then led by Clive Allen, took part in the prestigious Hong Kong Sevens in 2007. Having progressed in a group including PSV, Sheffield FC and local side Kitchee, we lost out to another Hong Kong team, Happy Valley, in the quarter-finals.
