Longest sponsor of S-League – YEO’S

By Kallangroar.com

Into their ninth year of their sponsorship with YEO’s, the S-League and its players have greatly benefitted from the exposure YEO’s have brought.

The number “9” signifies creativity and timelessness. These words aptly describe YEO’s nine year sponsorship. Since 2004, YEO’s have partnered NTUC Income and now, Great Eastern to sponsor the S-League. They have introduced many different creative programs and activities to strengthen the importance of proper hydration, especially for athletes.

Through many of the H-TWO-O events, such as the Ultimate Move and Ultimate Challenge, players have been given more exposure and have allowed fans to get to know more about them as well.

The second campaign in 2006 concluded successfully with an unforgettable finale party at Club DXO where then Balestier defender, Ratna Suffian Ishak was crowned ‘The Ultimate Move’ winner amidst hoards of screaming fans and satisfied partners.

Strong support was evident as Mr Teo Ser Luck, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) attended the 2006 ‘The Ultimate Move’ Finale Party as the Guest of Honour. Mr Teo had commented that “if it becomes a regular event, it will be good as it would possibly bring in more spectators to the S.League.”

And so it did, when in the most recently concluded 2011 edition of H-TWO-O Ultimate move contest, 10 S.League stars belted out tunes to the latest pop hits as they attempt to be crowned the Ultimate Move 2011 champion in front of a huge crowd. Then SAFFC goalkeeper Hyrulnizam Juma’at won the H-TWO-O Ultimate Move contest at Scape Youth Park on 15 January 2011, piping the other nine players by winning a total of 71 votes.

Also, YEO’s have pushed through many advertisements, most notably the H-TWO-O posters featuring the S.League players. Seen in all parts of the island, these posters have heightened the profiles of the players, allowing people to get to know them more.

They have been the first in recent years to get players to endorse products that are not sportswear, and not only that, they have achieved a milestone first – bringing a footballer to overseas for a commercial shoot.

Lionel Lewis was the beneficiary of that move, and it helped the goalkeeper to become popular not only in local football, but also widely regarded as one the best keepers in the region.
Another project initiated by YEO’s, is the H-TWO-O Ultimate Champions League. 56 teams from the ITE College Central, comprising of campuses from Macpherson, Yishun, Tampines, Balestier and Bishan slugged out in this competition, allowing players from ITE to have a chance to showcase their skills.

That culminated in a collaboration between the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), Yeo’s and Institutes of Technical Education (ITE). The Dream Team initiative is designed to discover youth talent and provide them with an opportunity to become professional footballers. Fandi Ahmad, Singapore’s most famous footballing son, was appointed as the head coach, and he selected his squad of 30 players from the H-TWO-O Ultimate Champions League tournament.

The Dream Team’s final match was against S-League’s Courts Young Lions in charity event named as H-TWO-O ITE Ultimate Dream Team Finale Match to hand financial aid to Jamiyah Children’s Home. The Dream Team certainly showed that they were good enough, holding Young Lions to a 2-2 draw before losing on penalties. However, that has not stopped their players from making it into professional football, with two of them, Ignatius Ang and Manoj Kumar, making it to the Hougang United Prime League squad. Ignatius even scored his first S-League goal this season, and has featured a number of times too.

Also, YEO’s were the first to break the Singapore Book of Records to promote local youth football by organizing the H-TWO-O Ultimate Futsal competition with the most number of teams – 106, played in a single day. Held at Nanyang Polytechnic in 2009, players remained hydrated throughout the event, thanks to the complimentary H-TWO-O that worked its magic.

Last but not least, through the school outreach programmes with the SLeague clubs, YEO’s have educated the players as well as the students on the importance of hydration and how it has helped them to improve their endurance to play a better game.

S-League CEO Lim Chin is grateful for YEO’s involvement in local football, and hopes that YEO’s will continue to work together and help further promote the local football scene. He said, “YEO’s has been a valuable partner and has brought a lot of exposure to players and the S-League.”

“Without YEO’s, the S-League would have never grown so much and I’m thankful for their involvement. I’m confident that both YEO’s and the S-League will continue to grow in future.”

Ms. May Ngiam, Vice President Marketing, YEO’S said, “Within a span of 9 years with S League, we have spearheaded several initiatives that have contributed to the salience of local football. It is heartening to know through such community events, we were able to successfully unearth and nurture a growing pool of local football talents that will open up the window of opportunity to shape the future of Singapore football.”

“By engaging our very own local players like Isa Halim, Khairul Amri & Lionel Lewis to front our H-TWO-O outdoor advertisements, we hope that the players’ profile can be further heightened, giving them an opportunity to connect to their fans.”

“As a home-grown beverage company, we are proud to be able to support our very own home-grown league,” she added. (SOURCE)