Meizhou Hakka F.C.

Meizhou Hakka F.C. was established in January 2013 by former Guangdong Sunray Cave manager Cao Yang along with the support of the Meizhou municipal government, Municipal Sports Bureau.^[1] He would soon go on to gain financial support from the Chairman of Wei Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., Wei Jinping who was persuaded in investing into the team after Cao Yang described his envision of creating a footballing hub in Wuhua County, the home town of former Chinese footballer and coach Lee Wai Tong.^[2] The squad was assembled with local Hakka players and players from other teams in Guangdong, including Guangdong Sunray Cave, Guangzhou Evergrande, Shenzhen Ruby and Shenzhen Fengpeng before entering the third tier in the 2013 league season where despite topping the group stages they finished fifth in the knock-out stages.^[3]

Former Chinese national team head coach Qi Wusheng was brought in during the 2015 China League Two season.^[4] He would go on to help guide the club to win the division title in a penalty shoot-out against Dalian Transcendence and promotion to the second tier for the first time in the club's history.^[5] Qi Wusheng would not extend his contract with the club and Dutch football manager Luc Nijholt was brought in on 1 January 2016 as well as 80 million yuan to invest within the team.^[6] Luc Nijholt would leave the team on 19 July 2016 as the club sat twelfth within the league and marginally above the relegation zone, a position they would remain in for the rest of the season.^[7] After several managerial changes with limited success, Serbian manager Milan Ristić was brought in on 6 February 2021 and he was able to guide the team to promotion to the top tier at the end of the 2021 China League One season.^[8]

According to the club's statement:

• 2013 Meizhou Kejia 梅州客家
• 2014– Meizhou Wuhua 梅州五华^[9]

According to official documents of CFA:

• 2013–2015 Meizhou Kejia 梅州客家
• 2016— Meizhou Hakka 梅州客家^{[10][11][12][13][14][15]}

As of 3 July 2024

^[16][17]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
20	DF	CHN	Wang Jianan
23	MF	CHN	Cui Wei
25	MF	BRA	Rodrigo Henrique
27	MF	MNE	Nebojša Kosović
28	FW	CMR	John Mary
29	DF	HKG	Yue Tze Nam
30	MF	CHN	Chen Jie
31	DF	CHN	Rao Weihui
35	GK	CHN	Deng Xiongtao
36	DF	CHN	Zhang Sijie
38	MF	CHN	Li Yongjia
41	GK	CHN	Guo Quanbo
42	MF	CHN	Wei Zhiwei
—	FW	CHN	Guo Yi

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

• China League Two (tier-III)^[5]
  • Champions (1): 2015

All-time league rankings

As of the end of 2023 season.^[18][19]

• ^1 In group stage.

Key