‘Home-and-away’ plans to lift Singapore football unveiled at 2024 FAS Congress
SINGAPORE – While there might not be a quick fix to halt the decline of Singapore football, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is banking on a “home-and-away” strategy to foster a turnaround.
Following the FAS Congress at Sheraton Towers on September 16, FAS President Bernard Tan announced plans to propel the country’s top football talent by providing opportunities to compete in more advanced leagues in Europe and Asia starting in 2025.
Tan told “A robust youth development system would see young players making their debut in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) earlier. If they excel, they could earn a transfer to senior leagues overseas before turning 25.”
The FAS intends to facilitate trials and encourage overseas clubs to scout quality players from Singapore. Discussions are underway to explore mechanisms that will support players securing opportunities abroad.
Domestically, the potential naturalisation of foreign-born players, such as Liverpool-born Perry Ng and Japan-born Kyoga Nakamura, could help fill gaps in the national team while waiting for youth development projects like the Unleash The Roar! (UTR) initiative to produce results. Tan noted that other countries, like Indonesia, utilized nine foreign-born players in their recent World Cup qualifier against Australia.
“Naturalisation will continue even with a comprehensive development program in place. We need to remain open to talents willing to represent Singapore,” Tan emphasized, adding, “We take citizenship seriously and have a stringent process. We don’t grant citizenship for football alone; we welcome footballers who genuinely want to become Singaporeans.”
Despite these efforts, Tan cautioned that immediate results are unlikely, warning that Singapore football’s situation might worsen before improvements become visible.
Once a dominant force in regional football, with four Asean Football Federation Championship wins by 2012, Singapore’s national team now ranks sixth in the region and has struggled in recent youth tournaments. In his address within the FAS 2023-24 annual report, Tan acknowledged, “Football in Singapore is not where we want it to be… Our resurgence will not happen overnight.”
He also pointed out that competition in Southeast Asia is growing stronger, making Singapore’s path to the top even more challenging. “We must not only run but run faster than our neighbors. It will be no easy feat,” Tan said.
When asked about Singapore’s chances in the semi-finals of the upcoming AFF Championship, he encouraged the team to “cause an upset” against stronger opponents like Thailand and Malaysia in Group A.
Despite the challenges, changes have already begun with the 2021 launch of UTR. The FAS and UTR have since revamped the youth development system, implementing an Academy Accreditation System, launching training compensation and incentive schemes, establishing the Singapore Youth League, setting up the National Development Centre, and offering scholarships for top players aged 14 to 19.
Currently, 17 scholarship recipients are training in Europe and the United States, and more than 3,000 schoolchildren participate in competitive football. These initiatives are evident in the FAS financial report, which shows an increase in expenditure from $28 million to $30.5 million, largely allocated to SPL operations, football development, and national team training.
As part of the UTR funding, a high-performance training facility opened at the Kallang Football Hub. Additionally, the appointment of former Japan assistant coach Tsutomu Ogura aims to embed a high-intensity playing style across the national teams.
During the Congress, Tan estimated that it would take about five years to see significant results in international competitions. “We need to adopt a long-term perspective… Building established structures and systems will institutionalize these improvements,” he stated.
Future changes include a fresh call for proposals in October from local and foreign teams interested in joining the SPL, regulations mandating more youth players in the Singapore Football League, an expansion of teams in the Island Wide League, additional age groups in the Singapore Youth League, and the introduction of a new competition for girls.
Concluding his address, Tan called for unity within the local football community and expressed the FAS and UTR’s commitment to better engagement. He requested constructive feedback to allow for “course correction” when needed.
“Feedback given constructively is crucial for progress… However, certain forms of criticism can be harmful. Football requires calmness, courage, and unity, not anger, fear, or division. Constructive engagement is vital for us to move quickly and make progress,” Tan remarked. He acknowledged the impatience that often accompanies football but reaffirmed the commitment to ongoing efforts. “We have made significant steps and intend to do more,” he concluded.