# 2023–24 Hong Kong Sapling Cup

The 2023–24 Hong Kong Sapling Cup (named as JC Sapling Cup for sponsorship reasons) is the 9th edition of the Hong Kong Sapling Cup. The competition is contested by the 11 teams in the 2023–24 Hong Kong Premier League. Each team is required to field a minimum of three players born on or after 1 January 2002 (U-22) and a maximum of six foreign players during every whole match.
Southern are the defending champions, but were eliminated in the semi-finals. Rangers became the champions for the first time after beating Kitchee in the final.
The champions of the JC Sapling Cup will receive HKD$120,000 in prize money, and HKD$100,000 donation to the champions' specified organization. Meanwhile, the runner-up will receive HKD$60,000, and HKD$50,000 donation to the runner-up's specified organization. In addition, the two losing teams in the semi-finals will receive HK$30,000 while the remaining teams will receive HK$15,000.
In addition, the best U-22 player in each team will receive a prize of HKD$3,000. The most outstanding U-22 player among the selected best U-22 players from each team will receive an additional HKD$5,000 for being the best of all the U-22 players.

## Format

The participating teams were divided into two groups for a double round-robin tournament. Top two teams in each group advance to the semi-finals.

## Calendar

| Phase | Draw Date | Date | Matches | Clubs |
| Group stage | 20 September 2023 | 30 September 2023 – 24 March 2024 | 50 | 11 → 4 |
| Semi-finals | 20 September 2023 | 3, 10 April 2024 | 2 | 4 → 2 |
| Final | 20 September 2023 | 15 May 2024 | 1 | 2 → 1 |

## Fixtures and results
### Group stage
#### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Southern | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 25 | 10 | +15 | 22 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | Tai Po | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 13 | +6 | 19 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 3 | Eastern | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 14 | +11 | 17 | |
| 4 | HKFC | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 23 | −4 | 12 | |
| 5 | Sham Shui Po | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 33 | −18 | 7 | |
| 6 | HK U23 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 21 | −10 | 5 | |

#### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Kitchee | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 14 | +12 | 16 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | Rangers | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 18 | +4 | 15 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 3 | North District | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 12 | +3 | 14 | |
| 4 | Resources Capital | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 24 | −14 | 5 | |
| 5 | Lee Man | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 17 | −5 | 5 | |
* 1 2 Head-to-head points: Resources Capital 4, Lee Man 1.

### Final
## Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Noah Baffoe | Eastern | 7 |
| 1 | Ismael Dunga | Sham Shui Po | 7 |
| 1 | Nassam Ibrahim | Rangers | 7 |
| 1 | Mikael | Kitchee | 7 |
| 5 | Lucas Silva | Tai Po | 6 |
| 6 | Mahama Awal | Southern | 5 |
| 6 | Léo | HKFC | 5 |
| 8 | 9 players | 9 players | 4 |

## Awards
### Best U-22 Player

| Prize | Team | Winner |
| Best U-22 Player in Each Team | Eastern | Ma Hei Wai |
| Best U-22 Player in Each Team | HKFC | Lee Chun Yin |
| Best U-22 Player in Each Team | HK U23 | Lee Lok Him |
| Best U-22 Player in Each Team | Kitchee | Chan Shinichi |
| Best U-22 Player in Each Team | Lee Man | Poon Sheung Hei |
| Best U-22 Player in Each Team | Rangers | Chiu Ching Yu |
| Best U-22 Player in Each Team | Resources Capital | Pong Cheuk Hei |
| Best U-22 Player in Each Team | Southern | Ng Wai Him |
| Best U-22 Player in Each Team | Tai Po | Wong Hin Sum |
| Best U-22 Player in Each Team | Sham Shui Po | Chang Kwong Yin |
| Best of all U-22 Players | Rangers | Chiu Ching Yu |