FAS 27th Annual General Meeting

FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE
27TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, 31st MARCH 2009,
JALAN BESAR STADIUM, NFA CONFERENCE ROOM
Speech by A/P Ho Peng Kee,
Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs & President FAS

Introduction
1. Good Evening, fellow FAS Council Members, Representatives of Clubs and Affiliates, Sponsors, Members of the Media, Friends of Football, Ladies & Gentlemen. Welcome to the Football Association of Singapore’s 27th Annual General Meeting.

2. As I look around, I see many faces of friends of Singapore football, dedicated men and women, who have volunteered their time, energy and resources to support the development of football in Singapore.

3. We have a good team in place at all levels driving the development of Singapore football forward – from the Council to the EXCO; from committed staff, many of whom are long-serving ones, to our many volunteers; from our Coaches to the Referees to the Club Chairmen. We all work as a team. That is why Singapore football ticks, not because of the work of any one man, not even me.

4. On behalf of the FAS Council, I thank everyone of you and place on record my sincerest appreciation for your efforts and passion and continued commitment to the development of Singapore football.

5. I am happy to report that we are seeing positive results from your efforts. Our achievements are highlighted in the Annual Report which you have received.

2008 was a challenging year for the Football Association of Singapore. It was not without setbacks, but we also enjoyed our fair share of success.

FAS Roadmap: Important Milestones reached
6. Together, working as a team I am pleased to report that we are making steady progress towards our targets set out in on our FAS Roadmap our blueprint for success. I had launched this 5-year Roadmap in 2004, shortly after I took over as FAS President.

7. Its key targets included strengthening the S.League and our youth development programmes; promoting grassroots football; and achieving success at the international level.  Over the past 5 years, we have come a long way towards realising these targets. 

Lions
8. There is now greater support for and identification with the LIONS. We are now a top team in ASEAN and are on the way towards becoming one of the top 10 teams in Asia.

9. In 2008 the Lions achieved a significant milestone when they qualified for the 3rd Round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Asian Qualification round, the furthest the Lions have gone in this major international competition.

10. They were placed in a very tough group together with Asian heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan with Lebanon being the other team in the group. Although the Lions beat Lebanon both home and away, they lost to Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan despite putting in some gutsy performances against both of these Asian giants.

11. National players such as Aleksandar Duric, Indra Sahdan and Shahril Ishak were among top Asian footballers, short-listed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the prestigious AFC 2008 Player of the Year award. This nomination, is due recognition of these individual Lions’ performance not just in International matches for Singapore but also their performances for their respective S.League Clubs in the AFC Cup matches.

12. Senior Lions such as Indra Sahdan and Lionel Lewis also secured trials with overseas Clubs in the United States and Europe in 2008. Indra went for a trial in the US with MLS Club Real Salt Lake while Lionel underwent a training stint with Manchester City before heading to Switzerland for a trial with a top Swiss side Grasshoppers. I am confident that these overseas stints will open the door for our other Lions to venture overseas and to subsequently ply their trade in Europe or in the top leagues in Asia in the near future.

13. Lions Captain Indra Sahdan also earned his 100th “A” cap for the Lions on 17th December 2008 in the AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final first leg match against Vietnam in Hanoi. Indra who has collected to date 102 “A” Caps, joins the following Senior Lions as a member of the exclusive FAS Centurion Club:
(1) Malek Awab 121 Caps
(2) Aide Iskandar 120 Caps
(3) S Subramani 113 Caps
(4) Samad Allapitchay 105 Caps
(5) David Lee 105 Caps
(6) Nazri Nasir 104 Caps
(7) Fandi Ahmad 100 Caps

National Football Academy
14. On the playing field, the NFA U-16 team qualified for the final round of the 2008 AFC Under-16 Championships which was held in Uzbekistan in October 2008.  Sixteen top youth teams competed in this biennial Championships and Singapore was drawn with Asian giants IR Iran, hosts Uzbekistan and Bahrain.

15. The NFA Under-18 team achieved a significant milestone in 2008 by becoming the first NFA team to win the 2008 NTUC Income – YEO’S Prime League, which is an Under-23 league.

16. From this NFA U-18 team, four players, Gabriel Quak, K Sivaseshan, Hafiz Abu Sujad and Izwan Mahbud, were invited by the national coaches to train with and play for the Young Lions in some of the games in the 2008 NTUC Income-YEO’S S.League while five other players were invited to train with the National U-21 team and represented the National U-21 in the Vietnam Youth Newspaper Tournament in Hue City, Vietnam in September 2008. 

17. Eight of the NFA Under-18 players including the four players I just mentioned by name are in the current 2009 Young Lions squad and are preparing for the 2009 SEA Games.

Grassroots & Community Outreach
18. As part of the FAS schools outreach programme, the first ever specialist  goalkeeping clinics for school children aged between 10 and 14 years old was organised by FAS jointly with the Ministry of Education’s Co-Curricular Activities Branch (CCAB). These clinics were conducted by former senior and current national goalkeepers who voluntarily imparted their knowledge and experience to these young aspiring goalkeepers prepare for their up-coming schools competition.

19. Another first was the organisation of the 1st CCAB / FAS Junior Schools Fiesta held at the old Police Academy grounds for Primary 5 school children in January 2008 to prepare these young players to play 9 a-side football. 

20. In March 2008 the inaugural FAS/FICO Football 5s for children aged between 12 and 15 years in 2008 was held at the FICO Sports Hub in March 2008 to identify talents, especially from the U-13 group for the AYG / YOG selection.

21. As part of FAS’ all inclusive grassroots policy to cater for all segments of society, FAS launched the inaugural National Corporate League in 2008, sponsored by FICO Sports Hub. The objective of the event was to promote the game of football to working adults from the corporate sectors. This league attracted forty teams from the Banking & Finance, Hospitality & Services, Shipping & Logistics and the Civil Service sectors.

22. Yet another significant milestone was the organisation of the inaugural CIMB sponsored Singapore 9s Juniors for players Under 15s, in November 2008. The Singapore 9s Juniors was organised to encourage schools that do not actively promote football as a CCA, to give their students an opportunity to play as a team in this one day carnival, as well as to encourage the school administration to participate in the annual CCAB organised inter-school football competition. Eight schools participated in this inaugural tournament. Anglo Chinese School (Barker Road) beat St Joseph’s Institution 1-0 in the final to win the inaugural CIMB Singapore 9s Juniors.

23. The 2nd edition of the Singapore 9s Masters Invitational tournament which was for our evergreen senior players aged 45 and above was played the next day. A total of 16 teams including 3 overseas teams participated in the 9s. Senior Lions such as Fandi Ahmad, Malek Awab, Leong Kok Fann, Quah Kim Song, V Sundramoorthy and Terry Pathmanathan thrilled the fans with their skills and enthusiasm. In an exciting final, Royal Selangor Club beat Tyrwhitt Old Boys 4-3 on penalties to win the Singapore 9s.

24. FAS will continue to engage our key partners such as the People’s Association, Singapore Sports Council, CCAB and our affiliates to increase the active participation in the game as well as raise awareness and support for local football.

Referees
25. I am pleased to report that there has been an increase in the number of registered FAS female referees over the years. In 2004, there were only three female referees. This has increased to seven female referees in 2008. These female referees are actively involved in officiating in the local leagues, ladies football and grassroots games.

26. A significant milestone was achieved when Ms Abirami Naidu became the first female referee to officiate in a S.League match between Young Lions and Balestier Khalsa in 2008.

Women’s Football
27. Another positive trend is that we continue to see growth in women’s football in Singapore, currently estimated to be 2,500 up from 400 in 2000. A significant milestone was achieved in 2008, when the CCAB included women’s football as part of school’s CCA. With this recognition, more young girls will play the beautiful game in schools and participation rates are expected to increase annually.

S. League
28. Our S. League was officially recognised by AFC as one of the top 10 professional leagues in Asia after satisfying 63 stringent criteria set by the AFC Pro League Evaluation team. This is certainly due recognition and affirmation of the progress made by our S.League over the past 13 seasons from Asian Football’s governing body. This earned Singapore a play-off slot for admission to the prestigious 2009 AFC Champions League.

29. With the increased fitness levels, the 2008 S.League matches were played at a higher tempo and faster pace. No one team dominated as several teams jostled to top the table. No one team maintained a position of dominance for long - an indication that the gap in standards between the teams is narrowing.

30. Eventually, in one of the closest title races in S.League history, SAFFC outlasted the other teams, pulling ahead of second-placed Super Reds to win the coveted title for the third year in a row by two points. It was SAFFC’s seventh S.League title, in the thirteen year history of the S. League.

Singapore Cup
31. The RHB Singapore Cup has grown to become one of the region’s premier cup competitions with teams from Thailand, Brunei and Cambodia participating together with our S. League Clubs in 2008.

32. SAFFC reaffirmed their status as the S.League’s No.1 team by marching their way to a domestic “double” by beating Woodlands Wellington 2-1, after extra-time, in an exciting and pulsating RHB Singapore Cup Final in November 2008. Congratulations to SAFFC.

League Cup
33. All twelve S. League Clubs participated in the Avaya-J&J League Cup which was held in June 2008 over a two week period. As the Lions were involved in the FIFA 2010 World Cup Qualifying campaign during this period, the League Cup provided a platform for the Clubs to test the depth of their squads and showcase their promising young talents, giving these players valuable competitive exposure and experience. Gombak United lifted their first trophy in the club’s history when they beat the Super Reds 2-1 in a dramatic final at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

Regional Club Competitions
34. On the regional front both SAFFC and Home United advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2008 edition of the AFC Cup. SAFFC went one step further by becoming the first Singapore Club to qualify for the 2009 AFC Champions League when they successfully beat the Provincial Electrical Authority of Thailand and Indonesia’s PSMS Medan in the play-offs to qualify for the tournament proper.

S. League Clubs Operations
35. On the sponsorship, operations and management front, our S. League clubs have become more stable financially. All eleven S.League Clubs secured main sponsors for the 2008 season.  The Clubs also continue to operate clubhouses that provide a steady stream of income. Most Clubs continue to connect better at the grassroots level, with the residents and schools in their community, through football clinics and outreach programmes, which has helped the public identify with the S.League. 

S. League Foreign Player Scouting
36. An ad-hoc committee was set up in 2008 to look into ways of improving the S. League’s overall player scouting network by identifying and opening up avenues and sources from which S.League Clubs could tap on for new and better quality foreign players, to spice up and invigorate the S.League.

37. In terms of quality and standard of the foreign players, this new initiative has been popular with S.League Clubs having the opportunity to personally assess the foreign players who attended the trials in Singapore in November 2008, in addition to their own scouting networks.

38. The trials concluded successfully with four foreign players signing on with our Clubs for the 2009 S.League season. They are (1) French defender Benoit Croissant, for Tampines Rovers, (2) Canadian forwards Murphy Wiredu and (3) Anthony Bahadur for Sengkang Punggol and (4) Canadian striker Ricky Harris for Geylang United. Our Clubs through their own scouting networks, also signed 8 other foreign players who made their debut in the 2009 S.League season.

S. League Disciplinary Matters
39. On the disciplinary front, a significant milestone was achieved when no serious cases either from the S.League or the Prime League were referred to the FAS Disciplinary Committee for its attention. This is an indication of the positive spirit of fair-play and professionalism and I congratulate all officials and players and urge all of you to maintain this discipline and spirit of fair-play.

Our Setbacks
40. But, there were some disappointments too. The Lions started their defence of the 2008 Asean Football Championship now known as the AFF Suzuki Cup, in Jakarta, Indonesia, when they won all three group matches in December 2008. This was the first time since the Championship started in 1996, that the Lions were able to collect full points in the group stage of this Championship, despite not having the services of key players who were injured before the Championships.

41. Unfortunately, the Lions fell in the 2nd leg of the semi-finals to a late goal by Vietnam despite dominating the game and were eliminated dashing the hopes of retaining this prestigious Championship for the third time in succession. The fans however gave the team a standing ovation at the end of the match in recognition of the Lions’ fighting spirit and performance. This is the sort of support that our Lions need as they progress towards competing in Asia.

Looking Ahead
42. Overall, I am happy to note that we are on track in achieving the FAS Roadmap’s targets.

43. A key objective is the continued grooming and development of young local talents, an emphasis that will never change. In short, what is significant is that, we have in place a system that incorporates the National Football Academy and Centres of Excellence, where young elite footballers are groomed and exposed to draw out the best in them.

44. On this score, I am heartened to see the graduates of the National Football Academy (NFA) establishing themselves as seasoned Lions and contributing to the senior National team, young players like Hariss Harun, Baihakki Khaizan,  Shahril Ishak, Khairul Amri, Fazrul Nawaz, and Ridhuan Muhamad now play regularly for Lions.

45. The Lions currently lying second behind Iran are still in the running to qualify for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. Our double header in November 2009 against Thailand first in Singapore then in Bangkok will be critical in our quest for qualification. I am confident that our Lions will once again work hard as team to achieve yet another milestone for Singapore football by qualifying for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup that will be held in Doha. 

46. I am also pleased to note that 8 of our NFA graduates from the 2008 NFA U-18 team are now with the Young Lions preparing for the SEA Games that will be held in Laos in December 2009. The Under-23 team that will do battle will be a young team with an average age of 19.5 years, with a majority of them being able to play in the next two editions in 2011 and 2013 SEA Games. Our primary objective is to qualify for the semi-finals of the 2009 SEA Games. Raddy and this team will have sufficient opportunities to gel as a team by playing a number of friendly matches throughout 2009.

47. The inaugural Asian Youth Games will be held in Singapore in June 2009. The football competition will be for players’ Under-14. When we held our selection trials last March around 800 boys signed up and after a rigorous selection process the squad has been trimmed to 30 from which the final list of 18 players will be selected.

48. Both the NFA Under-15 and Under-18 teams will be participating in the AFC Under-16 and Under-19 Qualification tournaments respectively, later this year and we hope at least one of the NFA teams if not both will qualify for the Final round respectively.

49. The AYG Under-14 squad is currently participating in the COE Under-16 league competition to gain some valuable match exposure and despite playing against boys two years older, they have been holding their own by defeating their older opponents. Some International matches are also in the pipe-line as part of the team’s final preparation for the AYG.

50. I am pleased to inform you that FAS has recently held trials to select players for the Junior Centre of Excellence (Jr COE) for players aged U-8, U-10 & U-12. More than 800 young aspiring players attend these trials.

51. The objective of the Jr COE is to systematically train and develop players from a young age focusing on their individual technical development as part of the overall 10 year elite youth development programme that is required for all players to prepare for elite and international football at the youth and senior levels.

52. The 2009 Great Eastern-YEO’S S. League season has already seen many exciting matches and some spectacular goals which have on average attracted higher attendances so far. The exciting Friday night “live” matches played on the latest FIFA 2 star artificial turf, the first in Asia and under the bright lights of the Jalan Besar Stadium have also resulted in an increase in viewer-ship especially as the matches are also telecast the next day at 9am on Channel 5.

53. Fans who regularly catch the S.League action on television will have even more to look forward in June. I am pleased to announce that we will be entering into a partnership with StarHub to broadcast ‘Live’ the League Cup competition in June on the Football Channel. It is the first time that one of our domestic competitions is being beamed on cable TV and this reflects the growing strength and demand for local football. I would like to thank Singapore Pools and in particular, one of our Vice-Presidents, Mr Tan Soo Nan for initiating and bringing to fruition this great move. This new platform will deliver even more exposure to our partners and bring local football action to even more living rooms.

54. DPMM FC are the latest foreign team to be admitted to play in the S. League and they have added to the interest of fans and their performances, so far have been encouraging. In what is a significant milestone for the S. League is that DPMM FC play their home matches in Bandar Seri Begawan and this has paved the way for another set of fans to experience and support the S.League.

55. SAFFC are doing battle in the inaugural AFC Champions League with three of the top Club teams in Asia. Although the standard of play of these 3 Asian Club giants are at least one to two notches above the S.League I am confident that over time we will be able to bridge the gap. In the meantime our Clubs can only get better by playing against such opponents.

56. Indeed it is turning out to be an open and exciting league and I urge our Clubs to press on with the key task of delivering quality, exciting football on the field to build up a core of fans who can identify with the Clubs even if results may not go their way all the time.

57. Those who aspire to play football professionally will be given the necessary encouragement to pursue their dreams. In particular, we will make the S.League stronger, financially more stable product, so that giving professional football a shot will become a viable career option for aspiring young talents.

58. This way, we hope to widen our talent pool by getting more Singaporean boys of all races to aspire to play for our National teams at all levels. A target which we have made some progress towards but have not quite succeeded yet is getting more non-Malay boys to take up football seriously. For example, this year, there are more Chinese boys playing professionally in the S.League (19 have been registered to play) with five Chinese boys in the Young Lions which is essentially our Under-23 squad.

Support from our stakeholders
59. The S. League’s profile among fans and sponsors has never been higher, thanks to the increased media coverage. For this I thank our media wholeheartedly. With greater interest and support from football fans and corporate partners, I am cautiously optimistic that this will be a good season for the S.League.

60. The FAS continues to make good progress on the marketing front as we relentlessly tap the S.League’s emerging commercial potential and the strong pull of the National Team’s brands.

61. Established brand names such as RHB Bank Berhad among others, renewed their existing sponsorship deals in 2008.  It is also significant to note that more of our S.League footballers are on the way to becoming football icons, spearheading brands like H-TWO-O and Nike in their respective advertising and promotion programmes. 

62. This year despite of the on-going recession, the S.League received a major boost when it welcomed insurance giant Great Eastern as the S.League’s new co-title sponsor.

63. I would like to pay a special tribute to all of our corporate partners for their much appreciated contribution in cash and kind towards the promotion of Singapore football. Without the support of these industry leaders, it would not be possible for Singapore football to maintain its supremacy in Asean and compete creditably at the Asian level. FAS, record its deepest appreciation to all of them.

FAS Business Partners:
Singapore Pools (Private) Limited
Asia Pacific Breweries (Singapore) Pte Ltd (Tiger Beer)
Nike Singapore Pte Ltd
NTUC Income Insurance Cooperative Limited
YHS (Singapore) Pte Ltd (H-TWO-O)
RHB Bank Berhad
Field Catering & Supplies Pte Ltd (POLAR Natural Mineral Water)
Sunrise & Co. (Pte) Ltd (MIKASA)
Avaya Singapore Pte Ltd
Jebsen & Jessen Communications (S) Pte Ltd
Certis CISCO Security Pte Ltd
Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports
Singapore Sports Council

S.League Clubs Main & Equipment Sponsors:
Sanyo Asia Pte Ltd
Teraoka Weigh-System Pte Ltd
FTMS Gloal
Civic Ambulance Services Pte Ltd
Trump Dragon Distiller’s Holdings Limited
Five Stars Tours Pte Ltd
Debao Construction Pte Ltd
F&N Coca-Cola (Singapore) Pte Ltd
STAR Automotive Centre
United Engineers Limited
CNMC Goldmine Limited
QT Technology Pte Ltd
Komoco Motors Pte Ltd (HYUNDAI)
SembCorp Power & Gas
adidas Singapore Pte Ltd
Sports Equipment Holdings Pte Ltd (UMBRO)
Teamlink Marketing Pte Ltd (DIADORA)
Teamlink Marketing Pte Ltd (UHLSPORT)
Sports Partnership Pte Ltd (LOTTO)
Sunrise & Co. (Pte) Ltd (DAL)
Kappa Singapore
Sports Waga Marketing Pte Ltd
Nike Singapore Pte Ltd

Conclusion
64. Let me conclude by saying that in all 2008 has been a good year for Singapore football, but we must press on to climb even higher.

65. It has been my privilege to have led the Football Association of Singapore for the past 5 years. During this time, Singapore football has made good progress, both in terms of our National Team's standing as well as the Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League and RHB Singapore Cup.

66. Together with a supportive and active Council, I have achieved most of what I set out to do in 2004 when I assumed the position. I had set these goals out in a Roadmap shortly after I took over. But what really brings me much satisfaction are the opportunities I had to engage  and draw together so many passionate Friends of Football (a title I coined) in diverse  settings - on the field, in the stands and corporate boxes, in the boardroom and coffee-shops, in lifts and on flights etc.

67. These Friends hail from many different backgrounds and include volunteers on the FAS Council, EXCO and the S.League clubs; sponsors of our National Team, S.League and Singapore Cup as well as our S.League Clubs; ex national players; media; die-hard fans and ordinary Singaporeans passionate about local football etc, supported by a bunch of very committed and hardworking FAS/        S.League SBU staff.

68. The time has now come for me to hand over the baton to a younger and more energetic person, my Deputy President, Zainudin, Mayor of Central CDC. I am sure Zai will bring fresh vigour and insights to Singapore football.

69. But of course, unlike "old soldiers", I will not fade away. Instead, I will join Mr Mah as FAS Advisor. Whilst Zai becomes striker, Mr Mah and I will form a strong defence as sweeper and stopper. As a team-player, I will continue to do my part for the cause of Singapore football. I hope to focus on helping Winston develop the S.League and Singapore Cup.

70. As I hand over the baton, I thank all of you, Friends of Singapore football and in particular our sponsors for their strong support. I urge more companies out there to join this worthy cause. After all, football is not just another sport or marketing platform, but a means to bond the community and to lift the spirits of Singaporeans, especially in these trying economic times.

71. For now, I urge all football-loving Singaporeans to continue to support your Lions and local football.

Thank you.