Cheers all around at Awards Night

By Kenneth Tan
S-League

Photo: Muhammad Yusuf (FAS) 

Fans, officials and players of the S.League fraternity came together for a time of joy and celebration at the Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League Awards Night 2012, which was held at ITE College East on Sunday evening.

And it was an occasion that saw accolades go out all around, as players, media and even sponsors walked away satisfied with what they had enjoyed at the end of the event, which ran smoothly for a little over two hours.

Unlike the case in previous years, the annual marquee event to celebrate the finest achievements of the fraternity was held in a school-setting for the first time – with the ceremony held in the spacious ITE College East auditorium and most ably hosted by ESPN presenter Colette Wong.

And it was a mixture of experienced faces and new men earning honours for the 13 awards that were presented for the night.

Clubs set for bigger carrot

Tampines Rovers pocketed S$150,000 when they won last 

year's S-League. Next year's champions could bring home 

S$250,000 if the S-League chief's plan is approved.

Photo: TODAY

Bigger prize for league winners part of efforts to boost standards, interest

SINGAPORE - Clubs in the Great Eastern-Yeo's S-League are set for a cash boost in the form of subsidies to lure marquee names to Singapore next year.

If S-League Chief Executive Lim Chin and his team have their way, more money could also be thrown into the prize pot for the club that wins the league.

If approved, the monetary reward for the 2013 S-League champions will jump, from the current S$150,000 to S$250,000. The cheque for the winners of the RHB Singapore Cup will also grow from S$80,000 to S$100,000.

It is not clear if the teams that finish behind the winners will also see a corresponding increase in winnings. Currently, the runners-up in the S-League take home S$80,000 while third place fetches a S$40,000 reward.

S-League format set for revamp

By ESPNSTAR.com staff

Photo: Wikipedia

Changes to the format of the Great Eastern-Yeo's S-League are in the works as Singapore's top professional football league reinvents itself in a bid to win more fans.

The current format of the S-League sees the 13 teams in the league play one another in home and away fixtures, with the final standings of the teams decided after all 24 rounds of games have been played but next season could see an additional component added to this set-up.

Following the conclusion of the initial 24 rounds of games, the S-League champions will then be decided in a mini-league competition between the top seven sides in the table, whilst a separate mini-league will also be created for the remaining six sides to compete for their final position.

Speaking to TODAY at a S-League club chairmen's meeting, chief executive Lim Chin revealed: "S-League 2013 is starting to take shape, the league format has been decided ... and the fitness test is also more or less decided.

"We will be making formal announcements in two weeks when we get final approval for subsidies for clubs to sign marquee players next year.

"But there is some good news: The funding (request) is already being processed."

S-League stars offer soccer tips to kids

By AsiaOne

  

Mislav Karoglan. Hassan Sunny. Jordan Webb.

They are just three of the 10 S-League stars who will be dispensing soccer tips to 150 children aged nine to 11 years old this Sunday at the RHB Soccer Clinic with S-League Stars.

This workshop, the first to be conducted by the S-League stars, will be held at the Jalan Besar Stadium located at Tyrwhitt Road.

There, the players will give tips ranging from dribbling to shooting.

The event is organised by the community centres (CCs) of the People’s Association (PA), and is one of five workshops conducted by sports celebrities.

Previous workshops were conducted by Vincent Ng, Sheik Alau’ddin, Fandi Ahmad and Ashley Liew.

Said Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president, Mr Zainudin Nordin: "It remains a key objective for FAS to reach out to the community through football, and to promote football at the 2 2 grassroots level.

"Therefore it is a real pleasure to be able to work with People’s Association to bring children participants to this meaningful event, and we hope they will have an afternoon to remember."

The Sports Celebrities series is part of the Keep Fit & Wellness campaign from July to September 2012, which aims to bond the community through the various courses and workshops. (SOURCE)

AFC Champions League post-inspection press conference has been called-off

By Goal.com

The FAS had earlier announced that the decision over Singapore's participation in the ACL would be made known in a press conference on Saturday.

Full Statement:

“The S.League management, in a joint decision with AFC Special Missions Team (SMT), have decided to cancel the post-inspection press conference scheduled for this Saturday. This is because the AFC SMT has decided that it is more appropriate to conduct a workshop for S.League club officials following the inspection, and also the inspection results and scoring will not be ready for release on Saturday. We apologise for the inconvenience caused for this cancellation.” (SOURCE)

Singapore AFC Champions League fate to be decided on September 15

By Goal.com
Khalis Rifhan

Asian Football Confederation's Special Mission Team to inspect and evaluate management and administration of S.League clubs and facilities of stadiums for ACL participation

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is sending a Special Mission Team (SMT), led by Mr Stuart M. Ramalingam, to inspect and evaluate the management and administration of S.League clubs and facilities of stadiums from September 11 to 15.

This inspection will help AFC to evaluate S.League’s standing with leagues from the rest of Asia as well as S.League’s possible inclusion in next season’s AFC Champions League.

The last instance that a Singapore representative was involved in the AFC Champions League was in 2010 as Richard Bok’s SAF FC took on the likes of Gamba Osaka, Suwon Bluewings and Henan Construction and notching up a historical victory against Chinese outfit Henan at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

FAS chief calls for patience

By TODAY
Mohamed Shamir

Photo: TNP

SINGAPORE - From progress in the area of youth development to having more money in the coffers, Football Association of Singapore (FAS) President Zainudin Nordin went through most of the high points of the last year in football at the FAS Annual General Meeting (AGM) at its Jalan Besar headquarters yesterday.

But a hush fell over the room as K Suppaiah stood up at the end of the meeting to point out the failures of the S-League in an emotional delivery that focused on a lack of a connection between clubs and fans.

The 61-year-old former Jurong FC chairman felt that the absence of a promotion-relegation system, as well as the presence of foreign teams, has led to the current situation.

S-League SuperGals

By KallangRoar.com

Photo: KallangRoar.com

As the 2012 Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League season continues to capture the minds and hearts of many with its pulsating action and goals, a new initiative has been launched to further enhance the fans’ match day experience.

Aptly named, S.League SuperGals, it is a 10-girl cheerleading group that will be performing for the fans at S.League matches to increase the excitement levels during the matches with their dancing and cheers.

The S.League SuperGals are made up of 10 very diverse individuals from Singapore, Australia, Indonesia and Argentina but when put together on stage, they complement each other with stylish and upbeat dance moves.

Speaking on the new initiative, S.League CEO, Lim Chin mentioned “Cheerleaders have always brought that extra spark in football. Hence, we decided to further improve the match-day experience in OUR S.League and entertain our fans who have been exceptional during this very competitive 2012 season so far. I look forward to seeing more fans coming to support OUR Great Eastern Yeo's S.League as the season progresses.”

Avramovic will lead Singapore in Suzuki Cup

By TODAY

SINGAPORE - The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) have resisted calls to relieve national football coach Radojko Avramovic of his post after the Lions' dismal showing in the third round of the Asian Zone World Cup qualifiers.

Last night, the executive council sat for some three hours at FAS' Jalan Besar headquarters in a meeting that included a review of the World Cup qualifying campaign.

The FAS then released a statement backing the Serb, at least until after December's AFF Suzuki Cup.

Said FAS president Zainudin Nordin: "The target set for Avramovic was to qualify for the third round and he achieved that.

"The ex-co has analysed his track record and we are confident that under his leadership the team can achieve the target of qualifying for the final of the Suzuki Cup."

The Lions entered the World Cup qualifiers after some poor outings.

They were booted out of the 2010 Suzuki Cup and failed to qualify for the 2011 Asian Cup finals.

While they managed to qualify for the group stage of the World Cup qualifiers, they lost all six of their Group A fixtures, including a 7-1 mauling at the hands of Iraq.

As a result, the Lions have dropped to 158 in March's FIFA rankings, the lowest for the Republic.

S'pore sink to new low, Raddy unfazed

By AsiaOne

SINGAPORE - A new year, a new low.

In the latest Fifa rankings released yesterday, Singapore were placed 158th, which is the lowest level the Republic has ever hit. The previous lowest was 152nd in November last year.

How bad is that, you ask?

Well, the Lions are now the 29th-ranked team in Asia and they are not even in the top five teams in South-east Asia.

Vietnam (97th), Thailand (141st), the Philippines (148th), Indonesia (151st) and Malaysia (156th) are all ranked above Singapore.

But national football coach Raddy Avramovic was unperturbed by the dismal news when contacted last night.

No place for racist abuse: S-League

By Yahoo!Singapore News

 

The S-League has reiterated its stand against racism after confirming it is investigating an alleged racist incident involving Woodlands Wellington defender Fabien Lewis and Balestier Khalsa striker Zulkiffli Hassim on Sunday.

Zulkiffli was alleged to have racially abused Lewis towards the end of Balestier's 2-0 win over Woodlands at the Toa Payoh Stadium.

The Balestier player was subsequently given the marching orders by referee K Kalimuthu.

According to The New Paper, Lewis claimed Zulkiffli told him to "Get out of here, you black n*****" after the two players recovered from a tackle in the 91st minute.

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS), who received the match commissioner and referee's report, insisted they have a zero-tolerance policy towards racial abuse.

FAS spokesman Kelvin Leong said: "The S.League is a professional football league which prides itself on the professionalism of the competition and clubs involved.

"We expect our players and officials to conduct themselves with the highest integrity and to respect one another despite the competitive nature of the game.

"Football like any other sports is one that is extremely competitive and emotions can run high in the course of a match and at times, players and officials can be caught up in tensed situations where they need to exercise restrain and curb their emotions.

"There is no place for racial abuse in our S.League and such acts will not be condoned. Any players or officials found guilty will be severely dealt with," he said, before adding that the incident is being investigated.

Success could hurt LionsXII

By TODAY

Photo: TODAY

SINGAPORE - When the deal was signed last July, both the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and their Malaysian counterparts - the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) - agreed that development of young footballers was on their minds when they decided both countries would send a team to participate in each other's domestic competitions.

The deal stipulated that each FA will be represented by an under-23 team, but FAM gave leeway for Singapore's LionsXII to include players up to the age of 28, with the view that an under-23 team would be restricted by players in full-time National Service.

But only one day before Singapore's storied cross-Causeway rivalry is renewed, with the LionsXII hosting Selangor tonight in a highly-anticipated Malaysian Super League (MSL) clash at the Jalan Besar Stadium, FAM vice-president Hamidin Amin dropped a bombshell, revealing that the under-23 ruling could be re-introduced next season.

LIONSXII will not poach from S.League

By ESPNSTAR.com

Photo: LionsXII facebook

Despite the LIONSXII current injury problems, players will not be signed from S.League clubs during the Malaysia Super League transfer window in April.

The Football Association of Singapore, who admitted that players from Courts Yong Lions may however still be poached, made the announcement on Saturday as the LIONSXII reached the quarter-finals of the Malaysia FA Cup thanks to a 2-0 defeat of NS Betaria at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

The side is also currently flying high in the Super League, despite having to deal with a lengthy injury list and the recurring problem of National Service duties having to be prioritised.

Fandi's unhappy, but holds out hope for a national job

by Dan Guen Chin

Photo: TODAY

Now part of the Johor FA team, former Lions star points finger at FAS, and candidly talks about wife Wendy's illness

JOHOR BARU - He will turn 50 on May 29, but the boyish good looks are still clearly evident.

He had spent over an hour yesterday afternoon barking out instructions, cajoling, encouraging and exchanging words with coach K Sukumaran, easily settling into his new role as technical advisor of second-tier Malaysian Premier League side Johor FA.

2012 S.League season creates history at the Live Wire, Marina Bay Sands

Reported by Vox Sports

Photo: Vox Sports

For the first time in 16 years, the S.League conducted a fixture draw for the season at a public event held at the beautiful Marina Bay Sands, Live Wire.

Along with the presentation of the IOC trophy to Tote Board by Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs; and President, Singapore National Olympic Council, the event was witnessed by sponsors, S.League Chairmen, team officials and members of the media.

S-League clubs worry over rental hikes

By Shamir OsMan
TODAY

Photo: Wikipedia

SINGAPORE — Last week in Parliament, it was revealed that clubs in the Great EasternYeo’s S-League were set for a 40 per cent subsidy increase from the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), with the amount rising to S$8.7 million from S$6.2 million last year.

But with the Singapore Sports Council ( $$C ) poised to raise rental rates of sports facilities for the new financial year, starting on April 1, S-League clubs may see a significant portion of that increase slip from their grasp.

Speaking to MediaCorp yesterday, Balestier Khalsa vice-chairman S Thavaneson said: “We’ve heard of the possible revision of rental rates, and although it’s been said on the grapevine that there may be a substantial rise, we’ve not been advised on the actual revision yet.

“We’re collating information from all clubs, the current cost, amount of space utilised and the impact; and we’re trying to arrange for a meeting to present the real facts as far as clubs are concerned.”

The S-League kicked off in 1996 and today features 12 teams. While the Courts Young Lions are run by the FAS, the other nine local clubs received a total subsidy of around S$500,000 each last year, with the cash component at about S$310,000.

Foreign clubs — currently, Japan’s Albirex Niigata and France’s Etoile FC play in the S-League — received a subsidy of around S$120,000 in the first year, and the amount, which does not involve cash, is believed to have gone a little over S$200,000 today.

With a number of teams struggling financially, the club chairmen made a plea to the FAS for more seed money late last year.

They’ve got their wish, but the rise in rental rates will hit their pockets.

In response to queries from MediaCorp, SSC said in a statement yesterday: “The SSC is in the process of revising the rental rates for all its facilities to reflect the current market valuation. As they include the premises utilised by the S-League clubs, we will continue to engage the Football Association of Singapore closely over the matter.”

In 2009, cost of rental for all S-League stadia was S$4.7 million, with the SSC subsidising it to the tune of S$3.5 million.

MediaCorp understands the SSC have engaged a valuer to ascertain the market value of facilities used by clubs — including offices at stadiums, Singapore Pools outlets run by the clubs, and even toilets and changing room facilities — and some of the clubs fear rental prices will rise from the current S$0.50 per square foot (psf) to as high as S$1.70 psf. 

MediaCorp understands the SSC informed all National Sports Associations that market rates will be charged for their facilities starting in the new financial year 2011-12 at the launch of their annual NSA grant exercise last September.

Said FAS president Zainudin Nordin: “We’ve heard about the revision and we want to study the impact that it will have on clubs. I can imagine the concerns that the clubs have, and we’re always concerned about managing costs, because we want clubs managed in a sustainable way.

“So far we have alerted SSC on the impact of their revisions, and we’ll see if we can come to an understanding.”

Most clubs MediaCorp spoke to expressed concern about the new rates.

Said Gombak United chairman John Yap: “We are worried that the increase may be substantial compared to what clubs are paying now, and it will be a greater financial burdern for us to bear." (SOURCE)