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

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.

Highlights | Kitchee 1-4 Spurs

Micky van de Ven’s thought process is crystal clear ahead of Thursday’s north London derby in Hong Kong.

“It’s a massive game for us,” he told us after training on Tuesday. “It’s the north London derby. Even if it’s pre-season, it’s a big game. You always want to win the north London derby.”

The defender was in good spirits as he spoke to SPURSPLAY and the wider media ahead of an historic clash at the Kai Tak Stadium. A rivalry first played in the Football League in 1920/21 following Arsenal’s move from Woolwich to Highbury, this will be the first NLD to be played outside of the UK.

The Dutch international recovered from injury - he missed 27 matches - to play a huge part in our UEFA Europa League success last season. Micky started our last seven matches in the competition and together in central defence with Cuti Romero for the final six, we won five, conceded three goals and lifted the trophy.

“I feel fit and ready to go,” he said. “Winning the trophy gives us confidence, of course. It was an unbelievable way to end the season last season. Everyone has the taste now of winning something, so I have the feeling that everyone wants to do it all over again.”

Going back to the NLD, he added: “It’s a massive game and a good test. It’s also really important to get in the minutes in pre-season. It’s good to play against a good opponent like Arsenal to have a good test to go into the Super Cup and Premier League.”

After Arsenal, we face Newcastle United in Korea on Sunday (12noon UK) before our final pre-season match against FC Bayern in Munich on Thursday week (7 August, 5.30pm UK) - all available to watch on SPURSPLAY. Then it’s to Udine, Italy to face PSG in the UEFA Super Cup on 13 August (8pm UK) before our Premier League opener against Burnley at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 16 August (3pm UK).

The Women’s Under-19s will kick-off their pre-season programme on Wednesday night as they take on FA Women’s National League side Fulham (7.15pm UK).

Sabiha Jamal, who was appointed as the new Head Coach of the Under-19s, is set to take charge of her first game when our youngsters travel to Motspur Park to face a side that secured promotion to the fourth tier of Women’s football for the upcoming campaign.

Having announced a new intake of first years in the Under-19s squad earlier this week, seven of last year’s Under-16s that have joined the Under-19s this summer could feature in the clash with The Cottagers.

Supporters are welcome to attend the match in person, gates set to open at 6.45pm with entry to Motspur Park free of charge. Additional parking will be available on Blakes Avenue.

We’ll have a full report of the action on Wednesday here on tottenhamhotspur.com and the Spurs Official App.

Open training | 29.07.2025  Tottenham Hotspur

Thomas Frank says it’s ‘a great feeling’ to take on Arsenal as our storied rivalry makes history in Hong Kong on Thursday (12.30pm UK).

The north London derby was first played in the Football League in 1920/21, following Arsenal’s move from Woolwich to Highbury in 1913. Now, over a century on, another first – the first NLD to be played outside the UK - live on SPURSPLAY.

Hong Kong’s all-new Kai Tak Stadium will proudly host the match, and Thomas is certainly relishing his first taste of the famous old fixture.

Follow every step of the Tour via our Summer Tour 2025 Live blog...

Asked on Tuesday how he felt going into the game, Thomas told SPURSPLAY: “I have a great feeling, I think it’s going to be a great challenge, we all know that. It’s a north London derby, the first outside the UK, and we’re looking forward to it in front of all our fans here. We’ll be ready for it.

“I’m quite relaxed about it. The better opponents we can play will help us get up to the level we want to be in three weeks’ time. For me, it’s a fantastic test.”

Thomas has also had an early taste of our fanbase in Asia, with thousands turning up to our open training session at the Kai Tak Stadium on Tuesday evening, local time.

“I think it’s fantastic to see the fans out here, and see how much it means to them, how important we are for them and how big a fanbase we have here,” he added. “It’s fantastic to get that experience.”

Rodrigo Bentancur is set to return to pre-season action against Arsenal in Hong Kong on Thursday (12,30pm UK).

The midfielder was laid low by illness and ruled out of taking part in our friendlies against Wycombe and Luton Town on Saturday. However, he travelled with the squad on Sunday and is now in line to return in the NLD at Kai Tak Stadium.

Speaking to SPURSPLAY ahead of open training at Kai Tak Stadium on Tuesday evening, local time, Thomas also had positive news on Dominic Solanke and James Maddison. “Dom is looking much better, progressing, we’ll see if it’s too early for Arsenal, but we’re positive about him,” he told us. “Madders is looking better and better, could also be too early for Arsenal, again, we’ll see. Rodri is back from illness, so that’s good.”

Asked about Kota Takai and Destiny Udogie in his pre-match press conference, Thomas added: “Kota got a plantar fascia injury, unfortunately we don’t know the scale of it – weeks. Destiny got a knee injury (in the warm up at Luton on Saturday) that we’re assessing at the moment, that has kept him out of this pre-season tour.”

Speaking generally about physical preparation for the season, Thomas added: “We are very aware of how we want to play, how we want to train, and you need to be completely aligned with the style of play with the physical output in terms of how we want to train, so we make sure the platers are robust enough. There are gym sessions, recover, which is just as important, then the ability to be able to compete in all the tournaments.”

Here are the details you need to know ahead of the draw for the group stage of the Subway Women’s League Cup.

It will take place on Thursday 31 July at approximately 8.30am (UK), with the draw being made live on BBC Radio 5 Live.

The draw will be split into a Northern section and Southern section, with us placed in the latter alongside 12 teams from the Barclays Women’s Super League and Women’s Super League 2.

We will be ball number three.

The Southern section of the draw will be split into three groups, while the Northern section, consisting of eight teams in the top two divisions, will be in two groups.

Ball numbers

Northern section

Liverpool

Durham

Nottingham Forest

Manchester City

Sunderland

Everton

Newcastle United

Sheffield United

The first four numbers out of the bag will be placed in Group A. The remaining and last four numbers out of the bag will be placed in Group B.

Southern section

Leicester City

Portsmouth

SPURS

London City Lionesses

Aston Villa

Charlton Athletic

Brighton & Hove Albion

Ipswich Town

Birmingham City

West Ham United

Southampton

Bristol City

Crystal Palace

The first five numbers out of the bag will be placed in Group C. The next four numbers drawn out of the bag will be placed in Group D. The remaining and final four numbers drawn out of the bag will be placed in Group E.

Group stage fixture dates

Following the completion of the group stages, the top two teams from each group will progress to the quarter finals which will be held across December 20 and 21, before the semi-finals that will take place over January 21 and 22, 2026.

The final itself will be contested on the weekend of March 15 and 16, 2026, with details including the date, kick-off time and venue to be confirmed in due course.

Arsenal and Chelsea will enter the competition at the quarter final stage due to their involvement in the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL).

Additionally, should Manchester United exit the UWCL and fail to qualify for the UEFA Women’s Europa League, they will enter the Subway Women’s League Cup at the group stage with an additional draw required to determine if they will join Group A or Group B.

As the squad get down to work in Hong Kong, our Global Football Development (GFD) are already making their mark as part of our takeover of the iconic AIA Vitality Park, in collaboration with our Global Principal Partner AIA.

Our renowned GFD team's football clinics and sessions are one of the highlights of our six-day takeover of the community-focused events and activation space located at the Hong Kong Observation Wheel on the Central Harbourfront in Hong Kong.

Since launching in 2013, our partnership with AIA has been focused towards helping people live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives, with coaches from our GFD team permanently based in Hong Kong and delivering a range of coaching programmes for AIA communities across Asia.

One of those coaches is Shannon Moloney, one of the players who was part of Spurs Women's journey from the regional leagues to the WSL, now our Head of International Development (APAC) based in Asia, a Brand Ambassador for AIA, and an integral member of the GFD team the region.

Shannon has already been passing her wealth of playing and coaching knowledge to visitors to AIA Vitality Park.

She told us: "I've been with AIA for five years and what we look to do throughout Asia is promote healthy lives through football. In the past five years, we've engaged with 150,000 people face to face, from youngsters to coaches.

"We embed our Tottenham Hotspur Global Football Development philosophy into every market we go to. It's so important for us to be able to help other coaches and other football associations to help develop their football structures and pathways.

"For us, it's about engaging with as many people as possible and giving them not only memorable experiences, but the information and knowledge to support their passion and development of the game whatever level they are working at.

"Working with AIA and Tottenham Hotspur, for me, it's the best partnership. It's amazing. I see AIA everywhere, Tottenham Hotspur everywhere, and for the communities here it's so exciting to have our first team here to be able to show them this fantastic city and play the first north London derby outside the UK in the brand-new Kai Tak Stadium."

Take a trip with Shannon on the Observation Wheel!

Head of GFD, Danny Mitchell, added: "It’s brilliant to be back in Hong Kong showcasing our Global Football Development programmes as part of the work we are doing at AIA Vitality Park.

"Hong Kong is where our coaches are based as part of our AIA partnership, so to be here with them is a great experience for us.

"We support AIA‘s football projects across South-East Asia to help promote football as a tool for players to live healthier, longer and better lives as well as bring our Global Football Development philosophy to the region to support the growth of the game locally."

Back at AIA Vitality Park, fans will have the chance to take on football-based challenges, putting their skills to the test against benchmarks set by our Men’s First Team – from Micky van de Ven’s blistering speed, Lucas Bergvall’s pinpoint passing, Cristian Romero’s aerial dominance, and Guglielmo Vicario’s lightning-fast reflexes. A live leaderboard over the six days will heighten the competitive atmosphere, showcasing the best performers, with the prize of a signed shirt included for the winners.

Ledley King teamed up with one of the world’s leading animal welfare charities in Hong Kong today to spread the message of the importance of animal welfare.

Our former captain joined Jill Robinson MBE, the founder of Animals Asia – a charity that promotes understanding, compassion and respect for all animals, to lead a ‘Professor Paws’ session for 10 children. It is common in Hong Kong for children to grow up never encountering dogs as companion animals – the Professor Paws programme was set-up by Animals Asia to help children overcome a fear of dogs and learn about responsible pet care.

The Professor Paws team consists of volunteers and 200 registered therapy dogs, with the children graduating as “Pet Cadets”.

Ledley, a dog-lover himself, helped teach the children the charity’s four rules of greeting dogs – Ask, Pat, Pet, Pause – before demonstrating how to feed the dogs to help break down negative stereotypes.

The charity, which has a number of high-profile supporters including comedian Ricky Gervais and actress and singer Karen Mok, one of East Asia’s biggest stars, has been promoting animal welfare since 1998. Ledley sat down with Jill to discuss the charity’s wider mission, as well as the work the Club has done in this space.

Ledley King said: “It has been great to learn all about the amazing work that Animals Asia do. Teaching respect for dogs, and all animals, is vital, especially for children at an early stage of life. We forget sometimes the importance of greeting animals in the right way and setting the tone for a healthy relationship. We are a family as a Club and are proud to be supporting Animals Asia, continuing our work with All Dogs Matter back home.”

Jill Robinson MBE, founder of Animals Asia, said: “Animals Asia were thrilled to host Tottenham Hotspur Ambassador Ledley King today, and show him our work with the children of Hong Kong. Our Professor Paws programme helps young people to overcome their fear of dogs, learn how to interact with dogs safely and teaches the importance of kindness and compassion. Ledley is clearly a dog lover and proudly told us that last year Spurs created the first Official Supporters’ Club for dog owners, Tottenham Hotspaw!”

Tottenham Hotspur is the Club for animal lovers, and we use our platform to raise awareness of animal welfare and promote the importance of preserving nature.

In 2024, we created the first Official Supporters’ Club for dog-owners, Tottenham Hotspaw. The initiative is inspired by the Club’s many dog-loving staff, fans and players across both its men’s and women’s teams.

Through the initiative, the Club and its fans have helped find a loving home for unwanted and abandoned dogs put up for adoption by rehoming charity All Dogs Matter.

Gallery | First training session in Hong Kong  Tottenham Hotspur