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Peggy Sito

For Raymond Tan, football is more than just a sport – it is a vehicle for social change that can, at times, be an effective way to build government relations when it comes to businesses.
The key to running a sustainable charity, said the CEO of Luen Thai Holdings, was to view it not merely as philanthropy, but as a venture, and this approach had proven effective with the TSL Football Foundation.
“I look at [the foundation] like a start-up,” Tan said in a recent interview with the Post. “I basically did this as a start-up 20 years ago.”
Over the past two decades Tan has transformed his lifelong passion for football into a unique force for good, impacting thousands of lives in five markets: Hong Kong, mainland China, Cambodia, the Philippines and the Northern Mariana Islands, where the family business maintains a strong presence.

Luen Thai was founded by Tan’s father, Tan Siu-lin, as a shipping and trading business in 1965. It went public in 2004, and boasts a diverse manufacturing portfolio ranging from fashion and lifestyle apparel and accessories to personal protective equipment and medical-grade reusable masks.
Tan’s start-up mindset was evident when he met Leslie Santos, a former Hong Kong professional footballer who ran a football school, about 20 years ago. Four months after their introduction, Tan told Santos to resign and made a lifetime commitment to build a football charity with him.
In 2009, Tan founded the Chelsea FC Soccer School Hong Kong under an agreement with the English Premier League club, creating Chelsea’s first football school in Asia. Since April 2025, the school has partnered with AC Milan and is now known as AC Milan Academy Hong Kong.
The school operates under TSL Football Foundation, named after Tan’s father, a prominent philanthropist who had earlier established TSL Foundation to support education, healthcare and charity work. A well-known primary school in Hong Kong, Po Leung Kuk Camoes Tan Siu Lin Primary School, also bears his name.
The TSL Foundation also sponsors Tan’s football initiative.
To run a sustainable charity, Raymond Tan stresses the importance of compensation. “I cannot run a business with people who don’t get paid,” he said, noting that volunteer-only models sometimes fell short in delivering quality services.
In Hong Kong, the foundation’s football school offers free and paid classes and promotes inclusivity while maintaining high standards. It champions gender equality, with 50 per cent of resources dedicated to girls, and has grown to serve 1,000 children, including elite players and those with special needs, as well as another 1,000 elderly participants.
Globally, TSL Football Foundation adapts its programmes to local needs. For example, in the Philippines, it empowers children living on the streets through football, while in Cambodia, it supports victims of human trafficking and fosters women’s football.
This approach could build resilient government relations, Tan believed.
“It is very risky to be too close to any [political] parties or any politicians,” he said. “For me, the best way to manage government relationships is to ignore the party but do community work. If you do a good job [in charity], no matter which party or which person becomes president or prime minister, they will support you.”
But he clarified: “I would not say that I do it because of that, I do it because I believe it’s the right thing for the community.”
Tan views his global community work as an extension of the family’s ethos. “Our family’s DNA is wherever we go, wherever we do business, we want to do community work,” he added.
For philanthropists seeking sustainable projects, his advice is simple. “Just talk to the founder,” he said. “See if they can identify a clear solution, and are truly passionate about the project.”
Look for a lifetime commitment, and a team with the same values, Tan added.


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A Hong Kong industrialist’s winning football strategy to transform lives across 5 markets

Raymond Tan has transformed his lifelong passion for football into a force for good in five markets: Hong Kong, mainland China, Cambodia, the Philippines and the Northern Mariana Islands. Photo: Edmond So

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Playbook to growing a sustainable charity involves viewing it as a start-up, says Luen Thai CEO Raymond Tan


Playbook to growing a sustainable charity involves viewing it as a start-up, says Luen Thai CEO Raymond Tan.


China

Cambodia

The Philippines

Hong Kong

A Hong Kong industrialist’s winning football strategy to transform lives across 5 markets

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Playbook to growing a sustainable charity involves viewing it as a start-up, says Luen Thai CEO Raymond Tan

Playbook to growing a sustainable charity involves viewing it as a start-up, says Luen Thai CEO Raymond Tan