[1] Kitchee was founded as a grassroots organization, as such, they lacked the funding to pay the administrative and facilities costs necessary to become a multi sports club.

It was not until 1934 when the club were able to raise the money to rent an office at 130 Johnston Road in Wan Chai, that they were admitted as members of the Hong Kong Football Association.

During this period, Kitchee discovered Hong Kong football legends Yiu Cheuk Yin and Lam Sheung Yee.

Law moved quickly to modernize the operations of Kitchee, buying insurance for all of his players in order to provide them with peace of mind in the event of an injury.

However, these were soon poached by bigger clubs and due to inadequate replacements, the performance of the team suffered and Kitchee were once again relegated at the conclusion of the 2000–01 season.

Since 2009, the club has been a partner of the Chinese University of Hong Kong in its Injury Prevention and Performance Enhancement (IPPE) program.

In the 2010–11 season, under coach Josep Gombau, Kitchee won its first league title in 47 years by one point over arch rival South China,[9] allowing the club to compete in both the 2011 Barclays Asia Trophy, where they lost 0–4 to Chelsea and 0–3 to Blackburn Rovers, and in the 2012 AFC Cup.

In 2012, Kitchee Foundation submitted a successful proposal to The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for a youth football training centre.

The club received over HK$44 million from the trust for the establishment of a training ground at Shek Mun, Shatin, New Territories.

The trust provided 90% of the funding, with the rest coming in part from the proceeds of a Kitchee vs Arsenal exhibition match where they drew 2–2.

[15] During the 2017 AFC Champions League qualifiers, Kitchee won against Vietnam's Hanoi FC 3–2 but lost in the playoff rounds to Ulsan Hyundai in penalties.

To prepare for the competition, the club signed former World Cup Golden Ball winner, Uruguayan footballer Diego Forlán.

[20] The Bluewaves won the 2020–21 Hong Kong Premier League title on the final day of the season, beating rivals Eastern 2–0.

[21] Kitchee followed up their domestic success by accumulating 11 points in their 2021 AFC Champions League, a record for a Hong Kong club in the competition.

Since its formation, the Blue Wave has become an identity shared by all Kitchee fans as they come to the stadium every match day, cheering and supporting the players on the field.