*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 May 2021 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 June 2021
James Stephen Gee Ha (Chinese: 夏志明, born 26 December 1992), nicknamed Bullet, is an English former-born Hong Kong professional footballer who played as a striker.[3]
Ha had started playing for reserves matches of Kitchee since joining Kitchee academy in 2007.[1] He left Kitchee academy to Shatin when he was 16, but he had no debut in the club. Ha entered Fourway Athletics a year later but did not have much success.
He joined HKFC before the 2010–11 season of Hong Kong First Division League. On 4 September 2010, He made his first division debut in the opening match of HKFC which drew Tai Po 1–1.[7] In the League Cup game on 8 January 2011, he scored his first goal in formal match on the 19th-minute and Hong Kong FC defeated NT Realty Wofoo Tai Po by 2–1 lastly.[8]
In January 2011, Kitchee signed Ha with a 1.5-year-long contract after dealing with Hong Kong FC, but Ha would continue to play in Hong Kong FC until the end of the 2010–11 season.[5][9]
Kitchee
While Ha was playing in the youth tournament Mediterranean Cup as a member of Kitchee's youth academy in Spain in April 2011, Paraguayan club Guaraní approached him about playing for them in the Paraguayan Primera Division. But he concerned about playing so far away from home and rejected the offer finally.[5][10][11]
After the rejection of Guaraní's offer and the postpone of Ha's university study, the new first division team for 2013 East Asian Games has founded and James was called up by the long-term training section.[13][14] Kitchee general manager Ken Ng asserted in what a choice depended on Ha and head coach Josep Gombau and Ng would make a decision after summer training in Spain.[15] Finally, although Ha was not loaned to Hong Kong Sapling, he also left Kitchee in the short term to study in the United Kingdom.[16]
Trials in Europe
In November 2011, Ha was in the United Kingdom playing for amateur side Salisbury City, which is owned by Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung. Kitchee said they would not stand in his way if Yeung's Birmingham City decides to recruit him.[17] On 8 November 2011, Birmingham City reserves lost to a couple of late goals in a private friendly at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Ha made a substitute appearance.[2]
Ha returned to Hong Kong in January 2012 for Lunar New Year celebration and ended the two months training but Birmingham City abandoned him after the holidays.[18][19] In accordance with Dani Cancela's suggestion, Kitchee sent Ha to Sevilla Atlético for further training.[19] Lamentably, he returned to Hong Kong in early April 2012.[20]
Back To Kitchee
After a year of academic study and trial in Europe, Kitchee general manager Ken Ng announced that Ha would be back to Kitchee in 2012–13 season.[21]
Southern
After spending several years on loan from Kitchee, Ha transferred to Southern where he played there for seven seasons before he was released in 2022. He then retired from professional football.
Ha was called up to the under-23 squad for the first formal game for their friendly against Chinese Taipei on 24 January 2011.[23] He scored his under-23 international goal in the match two days later against Chinese Taipei too.[24] For the first preliminary round of 2012 Summer Olympics against Maldives, he was sent to the field by head coach Tsang Wai Chung both two matches and he scored a total of four goals.[25][26]
Ha (11) came off the bench on 23 June 2011
He was also named in the under-23 list squad for second preliminary round of 2012 Summer Olympics against Uzbekistan,[27] but did not feature in the first leg at the Uzbek stadium, which lost by a goal. Before the second leg, some media in Hong Kong claimed that Ha was the 'secret weapon' of Hong Kong team.[28][29] In the second leg, Hong Kong astonishingly opted defending formation and caused two losing goals to put Uzbekistan 2–0 up in 20 minutes. Ha replaced Au Yeung Yiu Chung in 34th-minute as winger and played as target man in second half. However, in a match in which Hong Kong was generally regarded as having underachieved and Uzbekistan won 3–0 on aggregate, he was widely considered one of the few successes of the Hong Kong under-23 squad.[30][31]
2011–12
In August 2011, HKFA formed the long-term training section for 2013 East Asian Games and Ha was selected by the association.[13] For the preparing of the games, Ha would be sent to a new first division league team consisting of members of the training section.[14] At last, Ha did not be listed by Hong Kong Sapling and stayed in Kitchee.[32]
Ha has lived on Hong Kong Island for a long time and he loves playing football for leisure in Victoria Park, Causeway Bay. He thinks there are many top players in Victoria Park and he learnt a lot of skills and a sense of soccer in the park. Recently, Victoria Park has always been closed for special events, so he goes to the park at a lower frequency now.[4][5] Besides football, Ha is a rugby union footballer, and won the HKFSS Inter-School Rugby Competition in 2011.[42]
^(in Chinese) "夏志明已與傑志簽訂一紙合約，至2011–12季尾。但他在今季餘下的賽事，將會繼續為港會出賽。" From the comment of Kitchee SC general manager, Ken K. Ng in Facebook on 7 February 2011.
^"Whether he stays or goes to EAG13 is a choice for him and Josep Gombau. He may mature quicker if he has more chances to play regularly. One never knows." From the comment of Kitchee SC general manager, Ken K. Ng in Facebook on 15 August 2011.
