Football in Singapore
 | |
 | |
| Football In Singapore | |
|---|---|
| 1st game | |
 British Engineers XI A vs British Engineers XI B [1](1889) | |
| Governing body | Football Association of Singapore |
| Top leagues (National Leagues) | Singapore Premier League FAS National Football League FAS Island Wide League FAS Women's Premier League FAS Women's National Football League |
| National Cup | Singapore Cup |
| FA Cup | Singapore FA Cup |
| Season starter | Singapore Community Shield |
| International | |
| 1st international | |
 Singapore men's 2–3 South Korea  (Singapore; 12 April 1953) | |
| Men's team | Singapore |
| Women's team | Singapore ♀ |
| Boys' team (youth) | Singapore U15s & 16s |
| Stadium | National Stadium (Capacity: 55,000) |
| International honours | |
| Youth Olympics |  Bronze (1) – 2010 (boys' U16) |
| AFF Championship |  Gold (4) – 1998, 2004, 2007, 2012 (men's) |
| AFC Women's Cup | Bronze (2) – 1977, 1983 (women's) |
| Lion City Cup |  Silver (1) – 2011 (boys' U16) Bronze (1) – 2011 (boys' u15) |
Association football, known more popularly as football, is considered the national sport of Singapore.[2] The sport reached its peak in the 1980s and 1990s during the Singapore Lions' participation in the Malaysia Cup, where they dominated the competition. Singapore is home to the Football Association of Singapore, the oldest football association in Asia with its roots coming from The Football Association in England. The national teams include the men's, women's and youth.
The Singapore Lions, the team which played in the Malaysia Cup, is not considered as a national team. Singapore Lions left Malaysia Cup in 1994 and rejoined the competition in 2012.[3] The current champions of Singaporean football is Albirex Niigata[4]
History[]
The first football match in Singapore were between two teams of British engineers in 1889. The Singapore Amateur Football Association (SAFA), under its current name Football Association of Singapore (FAS), was formed in 1892 by a group of British in colonial Singapore.
Competitions[]
Singapore's Football League System[]
League system[]
| Tier | National Leagues | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore Premier League[5][6] | |
| 2 (provisionally) | Singapore Football League Division 1[7] | |
| 3 (provisionally) | Singapore Football League Division 2[8] | |
| 4 (provisionally) | Singapore Island Wide League [9] | |
| Expatriate Leagues | ||
| Cosmopolitan Football League[10] | ||
| Equatorial Football League[11] | ||
| Tier | Women's Football Leagues | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FAS Women’s Premier League 6 clubs | |
| 2 | FAS Women's National Football League 10 clubs | |
| Tier | Youth's Football Leagues | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Centre of Excellence U19 Developmental League | |
| 2 | Centre of Excellence U16 Developmental League Tier 1 | |
| 3 | Centre of Excellence U16 Developmental League Tier 2 | |
Professional league[]
The Singapore Premier League is a professional league for men's football clubs in Singapore, governed by the Football Association of Singapore. The semi-professional FAS Premier League was replaced by the professional S.League in 1996 when Singapore FA left the Malaysia Cup in 1994, due to disputes with the Football Association of Malaysia.[12] The league adopted its current name in 2018.
Although the SPL is the highest level of domestic football competition in Singapore, it fails to attract supporters, with the dwindling attendees to matches and television view ratings.[13] The FAS has invited foreign clubs to participate in the league, in attempt to increase competitiveness and attract more fans. There is no promotion and relegation in the current Singapore football league system. The reserves team of the SPL clubs compete in the Prime League formed in 1997.
Since its inception in 1996, seven clubs have been crowned champions. Geylang United claim the first league title. Warriors FC hold the most with nine. In 2010, Étoile FC became the first foreign side to win the competition.[14]
Singapore National Football League[]
The Singapore National Football League, or more commonly known as the NFL is a semi-professional competition organised for football clubs which are affiliated with the Football Association of Singapore. FAS which was previously known as the Singapore Amateur Football Association, SAFA. It was the premier football league of Singapore until the FAS premier league was formed in 1988. The history of NFL can be traced back to as earl as the early 20th century.
Singapore Island Wide League[]
| Country |  Singapore |
|---|---|
| Confederation | AFC |
| Level on pyramid | 4 |
| Promotion to | Singapore National Football League |
| Website | Website |
Goal 2010[]
Goal 2010 was an objective, set by then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in 1998,[15][unreliable source?] for the Singapore national team to reach the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa. However, the goal was not met.
"Look at the French World Cup football team. In the final against Brazil, I picked Zidane as the most outstanding French player. He is of Algerian descent. Of the 22-players, more than half did not look "French". They looked Argentinian, Armenian, Basque, Caribbean, Ghanaian, New Caledonian. Some were born in France, but of immigrant parents. Others are first generation French citizens. When they went up to receive their medals, President Chirac embraced all of them as Frenchmen. He sent a strong political signal for multi-racialism and against xenophobia: that in France, so long as you contribute to the French cause, it does not matter what colour your skin is or where you were born. Last year I told you Singapore would never have a chance in the World Cup, because the rules require all players to be citizens. But after watching the French victory, I have changed my mind. Maybe if we change our immigration criteria to bring in top football talent and make them citizens, then one day we too can get into the finals. In fact we intend to do just this, to bring in sports talent."[16]
— Goh Chok Tong, National Day Rally 1998 Speech, commenting further on GOAL 2010
Malaysia Cup[]
Joining the Malaysia Cup in 1921, known as the Malaya Cup at that time, Singapore were the champions of the inaugural competition. They would further succeed in getting 24 titles for themselves during their time in the competition from 1921 to 1994, a span of 74 years.
In this competition, and the Malaysia league, Singapore submitted a representative team, which operated like a football club more than a national football team. It was called the Singapore FA in the country's 74 years in Malaysian football. The competition helped bring the likes of Fandi Ahmad and Dollah Kassim, with the former being the only Singaporean to have played for European clubs – he played for FC Groningen and OFI Crete.
National teams[]
The Football Association of Singapore organises the men's, women's and youth national football teams. The men's senior team is the second most successful team in the AFF Championship with 4 titles, winning in 1998, 2004, 2007 and 2012. The youth team claim bronze in the football event of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, and runners-up and second runners-up for the 23rd Lion City Cup.
Stadium[]
The former National Stadium was the home of the Singapore national team. The team moved to Jalan Besar Stadium after the former ground was demolished in 2011 for the multi-purpose sports complex Singapore Sports Hub. After its completion in 2014, the team concurrently uses both the new National Stadium and Jalan Besar Stadium as their home grounds.[17]
See also[]
- Malaysia Cup
- Association football
- Fandi Ahmad
- Football Association of Singapore
- Singapore national football team
- Singapore National Football League
- List of football clubs in Singapore
- List of Singapore's football leagues winners
- JSSL Singapore
- Singapore football league system
References[]
- ^ History of Singapore Football Archived 26 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Fas.org.sg. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ "National Day Special 2016: In search of Singapore's national sport".
- ^ Singapore is Back!. Voxsports.net (12 July 2011). Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ "Football: Albirex crowned Singapore Premier League champions, win fourth league title in five seasons". CNA. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- ^ "Football: Goodbye S-League, welcome Singapore Premier League". The Straits Times. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ "Singapore League (S. League) - Infopedia". Eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ "National Football League Division 1 - Football Association of Singapore". Fas.org.sg. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ "National Football League Division 2 - Football Association of Singapore". Fas.org.sg. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ "Island Wide League - Football Association of Singapore". Fas.org.sg. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ http://www.cosmoleague.com/
- ^ [1]
- ^ About. S.League (17 December 1994). Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ S.League Must Improve. Asiaone.com (25 May 2011). Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ "S.League overview". S.League. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ^ GOAL 2010 Archived 8 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Singapore-lighthouse.blogspot.com (9 June 2010). Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ Prime Minister's National Day Rally Speech, 1998. National Archives of Singapore. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
- ^ Singapore Sports Hub to open by April 2014. Asiaone.com (27 August 2010). Retrieved 15 August 2011.
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