Formation to 2000 The club was founded in 1958 by a Scottish expatriate from
Glasgow named Ian Petrie. He named his club after
Rangers. It was the first Asian football club with a modern football club managing system. In the early days, the club could not compete with the bigger clubs financially so Petrie relied on young players and the team was known as a breeding ground for young players.
Kwok Ka Ming was the best known players discovered by Petrie in the 1960s. In 1970, the club brought three Scottish professional players to Hong Kong. They were the first European professional players to play in the Hong Kong league, opening a new chapter in Hong Kong's football history. Great players such as Ian Taylor, Joe Brennan,
Jimmy Liddell, and
Derek Currie were a few to name. More were to follow in the 1980s such as
Steve Paterson,
Jimmy Bone and
Tommy Nolan. Winner of the Ballon d’Or at 22, European champion and dubbed “El Beatle” - George Best came just a year before he finally retired from the game and played once for Hong Kong Rangers in 1982.
2000–2018 Since 12 October 2001, the club had been named after its sponsor, Buler, resulting in the name
Buler Rangers up until summer 2006. On 15 September 2007, the club announced that it has secured a large sponsorship from
Bulova, a watch brand which used to fund a famous Hong Kong football team decades ago, and used
Bulova Rangers as the team name. In 2011, the team changed their name as
Kam Fung. They were the champions of the
2011–12 Hong Kong Second Division and were promoted to the
Hong Kong First Division. The club has since renamed itself as
Biu Chun Rangers due to being sponsorship by Biu Chun Watch Hands (except for the 2016–17 season when the club was renamed as
Lee Man Rangers due to sponsorship reasons). In the early part of the 2000s, Rangers' investment in youth player produced various
Hong Kong internationals including
Chan Wai Ho,
Man Pei Tak,
Lam Ka Wai and
Lo Kwan Yee. However, this investment dried up in the later part of the 2010s resulting in lower budgets and declining performances of the club.
2018–present Following a last place finish in the
2017–18 Hong Kong Premier League, Rangers were relegated back the First Division after a six-year stay in the top flight. Former Hong Kong international
Wong Chin Hung was hired as the club's head coach. Despite a third-place finish in the
2018–19 season, Rangers were promoted back into the
Hong Kong Premier League on 15 July 2019 following
Dreams FC's decision to self-relegate. In 2019–20, Rangers were one of four teams that withdrew from the Premier League season due to the
2020 coronavirus pandemic in Hong Kong. In the 2022–23 season, Rangers finished 3rd within the Hong Kong Premier League in which they secured one of the two qualification play-off spots where they will make their
AFC Champions League debut. In the 2023–24 season, Rangers became the champions of the
Hong Kong Sapling Cup for the first time, which was also their first title in 29 years. == Name history ==