The small talent pool of the Hong Kong football system means fans often keep an eye on the potentially eligible talent playing overseas, and Jay Haddow has often been mentioned. Currently holding a British passport, he is also eligible for Japan (debuting for the under 19s in 2022), and were he to renounce his other citizenships and obtain a Hong Kong passport he would be internationally eligible. Offside.hk talked with him about his future career plans.
Jay Haddow was born in Hong Kong in 2004 to a British father and a Japanese mother. Playing in the Kitchee academy from the age of eight, he moved to Blackburn Rovers in England in 2016 aged twelve. He signed a professional contract in July 2022, which expired this summer, regularly featuring for Blackburn U18 and U21 sides.
Jay takes on Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United (Credits: Blackburn)
Jay’s teammates while at Kitchee included six current HKPL players (including Timmy Ma Hei-wai of Eastern, who was recently called up to the Hong Kong squad). He took on current Hong Kong internationals Michael Udebuluzor and Shinichi Chan, and also played against (and briefly alongside) Aaron Keller, a young forward playing in Germany, who scored on his debut for Switzerland U21 and remains a potential Hong Kong player.
Jay and current Kitchee and HKRT full back Shinichi Chan in their younger years (Credits: Kitchee)
Making the move to Blackburn at the age of twelve was a big adjustment for Jay. In Hong Kong he had typically played in central midfield, but the difference in speed and physicality meant that Blackburn’s youth coaches pushed him into more of a defensive role, playing across the backline, with his preferred position now being right back. During his time at Blackburn his most notable teammate was Crystal Palace rising star Adam Wharton, who was recently called up to the England squad. Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United) is the player he views as his most famous opponent, but amongst others he has also played against Rico Lewis of Manchester City and Jeremy Sarmiento of Brighton.
Jay battles for the ball with Swiss U21 international Aaron Keller (Credits: Kitchee)
When asked about his footballing idols, Jay named Takehiro Tomiyasu, the versatile Japanese defender at Arsenal. He sees similarities in his playing style, as a versatile defensive option, capable of playing across the backline if needed. He notes that not many Asian defenders have made it to the highest level in Europe.
During his recent visit to Hong Kong, Jay has taken in a number of games, witnessing those he played with and against forging careers as professionals in Hong Kong. He sees the international game getting better, with the Asian Games and Asian Cup hopefully being a springboard for better future performances. But Jay also feels the league needs to be more competitive, with less one sided games and foregone conclusions before a ball is kicked. Pushing his Kitchee allegiance to the side, he says it is a positive step to see more of a title challenge at the top, and outside the top four anyone can beat anyone. Like many fans of Hong Kong football, he feels more players need to look for playing opportunities abroad to push their game to the next level, to help benefit club sides and the Hong Kong representative team, whether that be college level in the USA (NCAA) for younger players or moves to mainland China and other better leagues for more established players, as Oliver Gerbig and Sun Ming-him did earlier this year. He has been impressed by some of the youngsters he has seen in recent weeks, Sergio Chiu of Rangers (awarded Sapling Cup best U22 player) and young goalkeeper Tuscany Shek of Kitchee to name two.
Jay on international duty with Japan (Credits: Japan FA)
Naturally the conversation shifted to his future move, given he has just left Blackburn Rovers and is a free agent. Not wanting to give too much away, Jay said he will likely settle with a club in Asia. He is looking for the best option for his development, at the right level, and a club that will give him regular playing time in his preferred right back position. On his international future, Jay wants to sort his next club move out first, and then see what his options are- being only twenty years old now, he has time to decide what’s best for him.
Jay wins the U11 Soccer Sevens alongside his Kitchee teammates (credits Kitchee)
We at offside.hk also look forward to seeing his next career step, in Hong Kong or further afield, and maybe we’ll see him wear a Hong Kong shirt in the years to come.
