Football in Singapore
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| Football In Singapore | |
|---|---|
| 1st game | |
 British Engineers XI A vs British Engineers XI B [1](1889) | |
| Governing body | Football Association of Singapore |
| National leagues | Singapore Premier League FAS National Football League FAS Island Wide League 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 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) Jalan Besar Stadium (Capacity: 6,000–8,000) |
| 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 country is home to the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), the oldest football association in Asia with its roots coming from The Football Association. Despite the country having a relatively small population pool, it has produced squads that has fiercely competed with more populated countries in both club and international football.
The sport reached one of its highest peaks during the 1980s and 1990s with the Singapore Lions' participation in the Malaysia Cup, whereby they dominated the competition. The Singapore Lions left the Malaysia Cup in 1994, before rejoining the competition in 2012 as the LionsXII, winning a league title in 2013 and an FA Cup in 2015 in the process.[3][4]
History
[edit]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, was formed in 1892 by a group of British in colonial Singapore.
In 2022, FAS announced that plans to implement video assistant referee (VAR) technology were started since late 2021 and VAR technology will be in use in the near future.[5] In 2023, FAS announced that VAR technology will be used by the SPL for the 2023 Singapore Premier League season.[6]
Goal 2010
[edit]Goal 2010 was an objective set by then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in 1998, for the national team to reach the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[7] 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."[8]
— Goh Chok Tong, commenting further on GOAL 2010, National Day Rally 1998 Speech
Malaysia Cup
[edit]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. Singapore submitted a representative team, which operated like a football club more than a national football team. It was called the Singapore FA. 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 – FC Groningen and OFI Crete.
National teams
[edit]The Football Association of Singapore organises the men's, women's and youth national teams. The men's senior team is the second most successful team in the AFF Championship with 4 titles (1998, 2004, 2007 and 2012). The youth team claimed bronze in the football event of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, and was runner-up and second runner-up for the 23rd Lion City Cup.
Stadium
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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.[9]
See also
[edit]- Football Association of Singapore
- List of football clubs in Singapore
- Singapore football league system
- Singapore national futsal team
References
[edit]- ^ 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". TODAYonline.
- ^ Singapore is Back!. Voxsports.net (12 July 2011). Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ "Lion City Sailors FC are 2021 AIA Singapore Premier League champions". CNA. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- ^ Lee, David (16 March 2022). "Football: S'pore Premier League to implement video assistant referee in 'near future'". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ Ang, Ervin (27 January 2023). "Football: S'pore Premier League to use VAR for 2023 season". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Singapore launches national project to rebuild football foundation for future success". sg.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ 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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