Author: Nicolette Ten
Countdown to 2022 season begins
In an exhilarating 2021, the Lion City Sailors were crowned Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions for the first time in October.
A week from today, the Sailors have an opportunity to win the club’s second trophy at the AIA Community Shield, the traditional curtain raiser for the domestic football season.
The Sailors will face closest rivals for the SPL trophy in 2021, Albirex Niigata (S) at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday, 19 Feb, in a standalone fixture that returns for the 14th time after its pandemic-enforced absence in 2021.
Up to 1,000 fully-vaccinated spectators will be allowed into the stadium, under prevailing Safe Management Measures.
This year’s curtain raiser, as with previous editions, will be considered a neutral match, with tickets available for sale– administered via SISTIC Singapore – from 3pm today, 12 Feb on the Football Association of Singapore website.
The 2022 season promises much excitement, with the Sailors poised to make the club’s debut in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL). The club have made slew of new signings in Singapore internationals Izwan Mahbud and M Anumanthan, further strengthening the squad with the acquisition of Brazilian defender Pedro Henrique, Korean international Kim Shin-wook, and Belgian wide-man, Maxime Lestienne.
The 2022 AIA Community Shield will also be broadcast LIVE via Singtel TV and StarHub TV as well as streamed online via the SPL Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Ticketing Details
Adult: S$15
Concession*: S$5
* Children aged between 3 and 12, and senior citizens aged 60 and above
In Sailors Abroad, we take an in depth look at the Sailors’ foreign stints, through the eyes of those who lived through the experience.
In the final piece in this series, Sailors’ Football Academy Director, Luka Lalic, reflects on a challenging trip that presented fantastic development opportunities for a team deprived of competitive 11-a-side football – opportunities that were grabbed with both hands.
The 42-day training trip was no European winter wonderland for the Lion City Sailors Football Academy Under-14 Elite team. Dividing the training camp into three parts – the honeymoon period, the breaking period, and the final culmination of efforts – Academy Director Luka Lalić believes the trip was vital for the team, and one that has “benefited the boys tremendously”.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on the sporting scene, with organised youth leagues halted since early 2020. Aspiring footballers in the country have not played a single 11-a-side game in Singapore since then, and it was no different for Sailors’ Football Academy trainees.
Set against that backdrop, the 42-day Europe training camp in Germany and the Netherlands between November and December 2021 was critical for the development of the squad, designed for the boys to get back into the groove of playing full games and also to benchmark their progress against some of the top youth sides in the world.
As Luka explains, the first week after landing in Germany was “a honeymoon period” focused on getting the team to acclimatise to chilly weather conditions and regaining confidence on the pitch. Courtesy of the partnership between the Sailors and Borussia Dortmund (BVB), the boys got to train in facilities in the BVB football academy and managed to secure a resounding victory against German sixth-tier side Lüner SV in their first match.
The Sailors then travelled to Rotterdam, Netherlands – a three-hour bus ride – where they spent the next couple of weeks training at the Feyenoord Academy and Rotterdam United.
They would pass their first “real test” with a victory over FC Utrecht where they showed the ability to cope “physically, technically and tactically” with the bigger boys, but subsequent defeats against FC Dordrecht and Feyenoord Academy came in a “breaking period” in which the boys knew they had to step up to do more’.
“Against Utrecht, they exceeded our expectations by understanding what was asked of them in a short period of time and lasted at a good intensity for a very long time. But I knew Feyenoord would be a different test altogether and it was indeed a wake-up call,” said Luka, who was a youth coach at Feyenoord from 2016 to 2020 before joining the Sailors.
“We were playing against some of the best players in Holland – they played six national youth team players – and showed us several things that we could improve on. Two years without playing had big consequences on the physical development of our boys, we couldn’t keep up with the pace and intensity. That was the period of uncertainty where the players were questioning how to cope with the strong competition.
“It gave us a benchmark to aim for, we had to be more aggressive, physical and careful not to make tactical mistakes. It got us experimenting on what we could do better and taught us to adapt to a tactical approach that was needed for the demands of the game there.”
The final three weeks of the Europe trip was spent back at the BVB academy as the Sailors clinched impressive victories over BVB and Arminia Bielefeld in “a period of combination where everything that was planned, reviewed and analysed went into application” for the game against FC Cologne. In a display “that was not expected from a Singaporean team,” the boys clinched a creditable draw against a team that was leading the domestic youth league in Germany.
While there were impressive results, the 34-year-old Luka drew the most satisfaction from witnessing his players show development and progress in the Sailors’ playing philosophy.
“At these age-groups, it’s all about learning. I wouldn’t be happy if we won a game but the performance was unacceptable,” explained Luka. “For me, I look at three things. Number one, it’s the mindset and effort – that’s something we need to show in every game.
“Second, it’s how our team understands the system and the principles that were outlined, and how we identify phases of play. Number three, it’s the player’s own understanding and self-expression in games.
“If these three things are covered, then they deserve a pat on the back. If we won but went down to the opponents’ level, that’s still not development.
“I’ve reviewed the match videos and it’s evident that we’ve improved in our speed, intensity and desire in games.”
The happiness extends off the field. The group grew closer together and matured as individuals. Despite being away from their families for the longest time at this young age, Luka was surprised to hear that none of the boys wanted to return home after the six weeks.
“In Singapore, you are only with them two hours a day (in training). The majority of the time, they’re in school where they are required to be quiet. These things translate to everyday life,” he elaborated. “In Germany, you get their true faces… You can see that it was a group of players before we went there and it’s a different group altogether when we came back – that’s really nice to see.
“To be honest, I expected much worse (more issues) so maybe this is a testament to the boys. Of course there is the occasional “I miss home” or “I miss Singapore food”, but no one was close to being seriously homesick, no one cried – nothing of that sort.
“I think they realised when they were there, that they could only rely on themselves and their teammates. Of course the coaching team was always there if they needed help, but we tried not to interfere and let them solve any problems by themselves as far as they could.
“On the last day, I asked them as a joke if there’s a choice to extend for three more weeks, would they be willing to stay? Most of them said they wanted to and that shows how much they enjoyed the trip.”
Beyond the players, coaches and backroom staff also benefited greatly from this trip, as they were attached to counterparts handling similar age-groups from the BVB and Feyenoord academies to learn best practices.
With Singapore continuing to adopt groups of fives as the part of the existing Covid-19 protocol, it is clear that the academy has to look beyond the shores for continual development.
“We’ve got to base our seasons around these international trips,” stressed Luka. “It could be to Southeast Asia, Asia or Europe. It will depend on what is allowed under existing policies – but it will be critical to the development of the boys.”
In Sailors Abroad, we take an in depth look at the Sailors’ foreign stints, through the eyes of those who lived through the experience.
In this piece, Sailors’ Head of Sports Science, Mario Jovanovic, speaks on the benefits of learning from the best in the business, but stresses the importance of a firm commitment to improvement, a spirit that burns bright in the heart of the Sailors.
Last July, the Lion City Sailors’ two-and-a-half year partnership forged with Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund (BVB) brought about the promise of learning from one of European football’s giants.
Some four months into the partnership, the Sailors are already reaping benefits, with several members of the backroom staff embarking on a study trip to Germany at the end of last year.
Part of that entourage was Sailors’ Head of Sport Science Mario Jovanovic, who enjoyed his experience, which included attending the famed “Der Klassiker” – the highly-anticipated clash between Dortmund and Bayern Munich – in the first week of December.
That match was the cherry on top of a productive trip with several learning points.
“Overall, we received really good feedback from all those involved in the study trip to the Dortmund training camp. We were hosted by the youth academy sector, and we were really happy to see the ins-and-outs of a big European club,” explained Mario.
“We had people with different roles on the trip: myself, some from the medical side, colleagues from the performance department, as well as a goalkeeper specialist. One of the aims of such study trips is to see the different types of specialist work, which BVB clearly have.
“We had training sessions to observe, meetings with the respective specialist departments, and an open question and answer session.
“There were many positives,” added Mario, who counts the likes of Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic and AC Milan star Ante Rebic among the players he has worked with in the past.
Although the Sailors’ study team was primarily exposed to the BVB’s academy setup, the lofty standards that were maintained even outside the first team – particularly the level of professionalism – struck a chord with Mario, because it mirrors what the Sailors are striving for.
“Looking at a club like BVB with a history of competing at the highest level for a long, long time, I can’t say that it is easy to replicate what they’ve got – the context is different for us – but there were many valuable lessons from that trip,” he added.
One of the key challenges that Mario and his team will face in 2022, is managing the physical condition of players as they battle on various fronts – the Singapore Premier League (SPL), Singapore Cup and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL – and there was much to learn from the experience of a team like BVB.
“In terms of juggling several competitions throughout the season, which is something BVB are used to, we will encounter that this year and that is going to be another experience for us in terms of managing the load for the players,” said Mario.
“This means respecting the players’ physiology and not just looking to keep them fresh but to raise their levels. Even though we’ll have more competitions this year, I believe we’re going to have even more training sessions compared to last season.
“That’s also something you see with the big clubs throughout the world: professionals need to be taken care of – both from our end, but also by the players themselves.”
Mario’s belief that the players also need to take a personal interest in their own condition ties in with head coach Kim Do-hoon’s larger aspiration of maintaining a premier level of professionalism. He believes this target has been bought into by all on board.
“From what I see from our players, the level of professionalism is growing on all fronts,” said Mario. “We are sending a message that coach Kim is also driving: really emphasising the importance of all aspects outside of the pitch.
“Obviously with limited time with us throughout the day, what the players do by themselves at home has a huge impact. I fully believe the players and everyone around them remain very humble, knowing we have a lot more room to grow and improve together.
“In terms of the direction we’re headed in, I believe the Sailors are in a very good position to expand on our competences and develop further. We’re just starting and the management, along with our chairman, are actually pushing the needle every day,” added Mario, who hails from Croatia.
It is this commitment to continual and improvement that Mario believes is absolutely vital to the success of both the team and the Sailors project as a whole. And he believes the organisation is on the right track.
“There’s no sense of complacency even though we won the title last season and this type of study trip is proof that the club is investing, and that people are working to improve their skills and professionalism that will bring us to another level,” said Mario.
“Our target is to keep moving forward. Whatever we did last season, we need to do better this season. That is the message we’re sending throughout the club every day.”
Lion City Sailors have added UEFA Champions League (UCL) experience to their squad with the signing of 29-year-old Belgian winger Maxime Lestienne. The move comes as Kim Do-hoon’s charges ramp up preparations ahead of the 2022 season that will see the club defend its Singapore Premier League (SPL) title and make its debut in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL).
The 1.77m left-footed wide player joins from Belgian top-tier side Standard Liege on a free transfer, signing a two-year contract. The move was completed ahead of the closure of the European transfer window on 31 January – the SPL window closes on 25 March – with Lestienne expected to arrive in Singapore prior to the opening of the domestic football season on 19 February when the Sailors face Albirex Niigata in the AIA Community Shield.
Lestienne was a part of PSV Eindhoven’s 2015/16 UCL squad that fell at the Round of 16 to eventual finalists, Atletico Madrid. The Dutch giants came out of Group B at the expense of Manchester United, with Lestienne recording two goals and two assists for PSV during that European campaign.
He has a record of 29 appearances and six goals in UEFA’s second tier regional competition, the Europa League, with Standard and fellow Belgian side Club Brugge.
Lestienne is a direct winger blessed with a turn of pace, an eye for a pass, and composure in tight situations. He promises to bring much to the Sailors’ squad with the added ace up his sleeve – the ability to deliver quality balls from set-pieces.
“The Sailors’ vision of building a strong football culture in a country like Singapore is a project that really excites me. The club’s commitment to youth development and improving football capabilities only adds to the allure of its drive for success on the pitch,” said Lestienne, who is part of Belgium’s Golden Generation of players and has been called up to the national team on several occasions, but has yet to receive a senior cap.
Lestienne, a product of the now-defunct Mouscron academy, has been capped at all Belgian youth levels and has proven ability in several leagues across Europe, including in Spain’s LaLiga with Malaga and the Italian Serie A with Genoa.
“I can’t wait to get started with the Sailors, especially as the club competes for the first time in Asia’s Champions League.”
Lestienne’s direct style promises to bring an added dimension to a Sailors attack that has an arsenal stocked with the silky Brazilian Diego Lopes, the aerial prowess of Korean international Kim Shin-wook and the tricky Singaporean trio of Faris Ramli, Gabriel Quak and Hafiz Nor.
Head Coach Kim Do-hoon believes that Lestienne will be the final piece of his Sailors puzzle, as he looks to build on a team that was crowned SPL champions in dramatic fashion on the last day of the season in 2021.
“Maxime will give us added quality in the attacking third with his technical ability, and he will help take us to the next level as we move towards being competitive against the best clubs in Asia at the ACL,” said Kim.
“The team is improving with each training session so far, but there is still a lot of work ahead of us, and with the quality and professionalism that Maxime adds to our dressing room, I’m confident we’ll get there faster,” said the man who masterminded Ulsan Hyundai’s 2020 ACL triumph.
Sailors Chief Executive Chew Chun-Liang believes that with the club’s final foreign player on board, there will be much to look forward to in the 2022 season.
“It is important that we continue to bring in top-quality players like Maxime, Pedro Henrique and Shin-wook to boost our domestic and regional ambitions, while also continuing to deliver excellence and excitement to the Singapore football fraternity,” he said.
“Their presence will rub off on local players as well, serving both as an inspiration and helping raise professional standards at the club.
“We will continue to match such improvements in our off-the-field efforts as well as the Sailors drive towards our vision in what promises to be an exciting 2022.”
In Sailors Abroad, we take an in depth look at the Sailors’ foreign stints, through the eyes of those who lived through the experience.
In this piece, Sailors’ Football Academy trainees, Idzham Eszuan and Nathan Mao look back on a trip into the unknown and the lessons gleaned – about football and themselves.
At the start, it looked like it was going to be 42 long days away from the comforts of home and the safety net of parents, and into the clammy fingers of European winter – a big ask for a group of boys barely into their teenage years.
But the 13 and 14 year-olds in the Lion City Sailors Football Academy Under-14 Elite squad came back from the Sailors’ six-week Europe training camp in Germany and the Netherlands at the end of 2021 with broad smiles, a heap of invaluable experience under their belts, and a bagful of stories to tell.
“The first thing which I told my parents when I came back was that playing 11 versus 11 was so fun,” said Nathan Mao, a Secondary 2 student at Zhonghua Secondary. “We were focused on our football but that didn’t stop us from having fun with each other every day… it really got the team spirit going.”
The trip was borne out of the two-and-a-half year partnership forged with Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund (BVB) in July last year.
The team, led by Academy Director Luka Lalić, did well on the trip despite having not trained or played in the 11-a-side format for almost two years due to Covid-19 restrictions in Singapore. The boys acquitted themselves – even excelled – against high-calibre opposition collecting six wins and a draw over a total of 11 matches – defeating teams like FC Utrecht and BVB along the way.
But the team gained so much more than just match experience. Spending a prolonged period together on and off the pitch, the players bonded more than ever before in their time as a team, enjoying their time so much that few were keen to return home at the end.
“Initially I thought it’s going to be very hard because this would be the longest time I’ll be away from my family, but my teammates made it so enjoyable,” said team captain Idzham Eszuan. “It was tough, but we went through it together.
“We woke up every morning feeling very excited and energetic – the weather was cold and we enjoyed having unrestricted training. It was just so nice to be away together and we got to know each other very well over the trip.”
More accustomed to Singapore’s warmer climate, the boys had to quickly adjust to playing in chilly conditions, against quality opponents no less.
Idzham, who plays as a centre-back, recalls several memorable moments including one that saw him nutmeg an opposition forward in his own penalty area and also having to step up to lead by example despite being soft-spoken off the pitch.
“Of course we feel down whenever we concede a goal or lose a match, but as a captain, I had to learn to keep my head up and lead so the team will follow suit,” said the 14-year-old, a Secondary 3 student at Westwood Secondary School.
“Some of us did feel a bit intimidated playing against some big teams, so before the game we just hyped each other up to make sure everyone of us was mentally ready to play the game. It was not just me, but it was clear that all of us learnt that we have to try and build up each other’s confidence during the game to make sure the whole team is at the same level.
“The first few games were tough, but we slowly got used to the tempo and everyone grew so much during the trip… My coaches were all surprised that I had the confidence to do such a thing (the nutmeg) and we celebrated like crazy after defeating Dortmund.”
Meanwhile Nathan, who plays as a forward, learnt how to cope against defenders of a bigger physique and how to recover from setbacks.
“For those opponents in the same age-group as us, the size difference wasn’t that big. But when it came to those who are a year older, the difference was suddenly massive,” noted the 13-year-old. “Most of their defences are very well-organised, so we had to learn how to create opportunities and be clinical.
“We actually played well against Feyenoord and were only down by a goal at half time, but we didn’t take a couple of opportunities and were so tired in the second half that we lost by a few goals. Against FC Dordrecht, it was our worst game – our mentality wasn’t there, our heads went down after conceding the first goal and we kept losing the ball because we were trying to force play. All these were valuable lessons for us.”
A battling draw against FC Cologne – leaders in the German domestic youth league – in the final match of the tour was one that showcased the team’s improvement and maturity over the course of the 42-day European sojourn.
Courtesy of the ongoing partnership between the Sailors and BVB, the boys had the opportunity to train in the famed BVB academy and even enjoyed a rare matchday experience in Dortmund’s iconic Signal Iduna Park – witnessing the massive clash between two of Germany’s biggest clubs with Bayern Munich prevailing 3-2 in a see-saw match.
The trip was not merely about football, but also about teenage self-discovery, getting the boys out of their comfort zone and encouraging the embracing of independence.
“We had to fold our clothes every day and make sure nothing got lost. In Singapore, I haven’t really had to do it myself,” admitted Nathan, who is an only child. “On the trip I had to make sure I was responsible and frugal, so that I didn’t spend too much money in the first few days and have enough left towards the end of the trip.
“Everyone was staying with a roommate so we had to learn to look out for each other. If you needed to use the toilet, you made sure you went in and out really fast so that your roommate could use it… we learnt little things like this.”
For Idzham, one of the fondest aspects of the trip was being able to overcome his fear of heights. With the support and encouragement from his teammates, he managed to navigate high obstacles and ziplines during a visit to a climbing park in Rotterdam.
The Sailors’ U14 boys have returned to Singapore, armed with new perspectives and a new-found confidence knowing they have the ability to go toe-to-toe with top European players in their age-group.
This Europe training trip has also fuelled their football ambitions.
“It makes me feel like there’s a proper path to success and my dream can really be achieved,” said Idzham.
“It has really helped me understand the level that I’m at and how far I’ve to catch up to match the players in Europe – it was like a reality check,” acknowledged Nathan. “In the Sailors academy they’ve given us such a fantastic opportunity – putting together all the best players from our age-group, but then we go and play against all these amazing players in Europe and we’ve seen for ourselves what our level really is.
“That really challenged us and now we know what we need to do and how hard we need to work to get to that level.”
In Sailors Abroad, we take an in depth look at the Sailors’ foreign stints, through the eyes of those who lived through the experience.
In this piece, Sailors’ Football Academy Under-14 coach Mustafa Al-Saffar shares a fresh perspective of the Sailors, having just joined the academy setup, and meeting his colleagues and players for the first time, while in Germany.
It is never easy to be a coach of an academy team leading a side on an overseas training tour, juggling on-field performances with ensuring the wellbeing of an entire squad of teenagers.
Now imagine doing that while only meeting your players for the first time while on the trip itself.
That was exactly the situation that Mustafa Al-Saffar found himself in as he led Lion City Sailors’ Under-14 team at their training camp in Europe at the end of last year, a trip that was borne out of the club’s partnership with Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.
It certainly made for a unique experience, as Mustafa recalled with a chuckle: “I arrived the day before the team did, and obviously hadn’t met the staff or even the players.
“I noticed quite quickly that the players were a bit more reserved initially. They were very nice and polite but also very quiet, which is something different from back home in Scotland.
“I also saw that (LCS Academy Director) Luka Lalic had everything planned out and the setup was professionally done with the timetable, from breakfast to analysis… on paper it looked great and I was super excited,” said Mustafa, who holds a UEFA ‘A’ license.
“Then I heard the players hadn’t played a match in over two years and even training sessions were restricted (due to the Covid-19 pandemic). We had games against Dortmund and Feyenoord, clubs I knew were of a good standard, so I thought it would be a difficult experience.
“But then after the training sessions, from the first week into the second week, the players were more relaxed and started to open up, and there was naturally a change.
“There was a massive confidence boost in winning the opening game, and from then on, it was a completely different group of boys.”
The game that Mustafa was referring to saw the LCS U-14s record a resounding victory over their counterparts from German 6th-tier outfit Luner SV, where they opened the scoring after just 40 seconds and were leading 16-0 by halftime of the 60-minute match.
Nonetheless, the results – be it victory or defeat – are not the be all and end all for Mustafa and the coaches at the academy.
“Sometimes, I feel it’s unfair to compare players from Singapore to those from some of these other countries,” he explained. “In my opinion, the best thing to do is try to get close to that level you need to compete with the best.
“When we played Feyenoord, the difference was quite big. Physically, for example, their players were just more comfortable throwing their bodies into challenges, or even running at a really high intensity for longer periods of the game.”
“We got to see some of the youth teams training and even at Under-13 level, the players are pushed to a much higher capacity.
“But when we’re talking about football at this level, it’s all about development. The experience was massive. It’s not just about talking about what it’s like for our players to take on the best from Germany or Netherlands, but for them to experience it themselves, against teams like Feyenoord and Dortmund.
“We played against Cologne in our second-last game in Germany, and that match highlighted the biggest improvements during the trip. Had we played them in our first week there, we would have easily gotten beaten. Instead, what I saw were players that were louder, more aggressive, and competing at a different level.”
Mustafa also believes the emphasis the Sailors are placing on youth ties in with the club’s greater ambition of becoming one of the best teams in Asia, a project he is excited to be a part of.
“Coming to Singapore after the trip and seeing our new facility being built and the investment that has gone into it, the first team winning the league and aiming for continued success, linking up with overseas clubs like Dortmund… you can see this is the right way to go,” added Mustafa.
“The only thing is sometimes you don’t see the results after a year or two. It has to be a long-term project.
“But seeing how quickly things are moving, I’m super excited and I just hope in the next five to ten years, we get to see the success. It’s extremely inspirational.”
“I think, for a coach, what is sometimes overlooked in the role is the impact you have on a young person.
“I have been in situations before where I’ll see a young player who hasn’t exactly made a career in football, but for them to rush over and speak to me is just the best thing – to know I’ve connected with them.
“This is something I hope I will achieve with the boys here, even little things like being on time or looking someone in the eye when you’re speaking to them. Even planning on how to win a tournament – these are all skills transferable beyond the pitch and the game.
“As a coach, if you do it the right way, the kids can learn so much more than just making a pass or scoring a goal. I’ll do what I can from my end and hope the players can all take something away for their future.”
In Sailors Abroad, we take an in depth look at the Sailors’ foreign stints, through the eyes of those who lived through the experience.
First up in this series, Sailors’ Chief Executive, Chew Chun-Liang looks back at the Sailors’ 2021 trip to Europe.
There was privileged access to operational facilities, face time with both coaching and administrative staff, a slew of competitive matches against top European academy sides, and even the added bonus of taking in the famed “Der Klassiker” from the stands of the Signal Iduna Park.
It came as no surprise that Lion City Sailors Chief Executive Chew Chun-Liang returned from Europe last December, hailing the club’s European sojourn as a roaring success.
The trip was built on the platform of the deepening partnership between Sailors and eight-time German champions Borussia Dortmund (BVB), and saw Sailors club officials learn from some of the best in the business, while the Sailors Football Academy’s Elite Under-14 team spent 42 days in Germany and the Netherlands gaining invaluable experience playing 11 matches across both countries.
“A key focus of the trip was to ensure our elite academy boys could get unrestricted training sessions, and also play in a full 11v11 games to benchmark ourselves against top youth teams in Europe,” said the 45-year-old.
“The team did an excellent job on and off the pitch. Our coaches were pleased with the discipline and determination the boys demonstrated and how they grew as a team, while their performances on the pitch showed that our team is indeed competitive at the European level.”
The trip to Europe had another key purpose as well, to drive improvement and professionalisation in the club’s specialist teams and administrators.
“There was much gained by our backroom staff as well: our staff from the sports science department, fitness, match analysis and even goalkeeping departments got insights into how a club like a top European club like Dortmund operates and picks up best practices to implement in our club,” said Chun-Liang.
“On the administrative side of things, we were allowed access to observe even restricted areas in matchday operations – including matchday experience for fans – merchandise sales, and also how our partners in Dortmund run ticketing, hospitality, security, and crowd control.”
Chun-Liang and the Sailors also visited the BVB training facility to see first hand what it takes to put together an excellent football infrastructure, perhaps an important facet of the trip with the Sailors’ training centre at Mattar Road set to be open later this year.
“We’re of course not there yet, but our BVB partners are at a level that we aspire to be at and it was important to learn best practices from them,” he said.
“Despite the difficult situations of Covid-19 and the rise of the Omicron variant, we’re delighted that we came together and persevered to make this trip work – it was invaluable in so many ways.”
The Europe training camp came just some four months after both clubs forged a two and a half-year partnership last July, and also saw the Sailors invited to watch a BVB first team training session and watch the likes of Erling Haaland, Marco Reus and Jude Bellingham up close.
The club were given access to certain parts of the stadiums on matchday of the match between Dortmund and rivals Bayern Munich, and were allowed to step onto the pitch for a jersey presentation ceremony to officially cement the LCS-BVB partnership.
The ultimate goal was to provide opportunity for unrestricted training and match exposure for the academy’s U14 team, in a safe environment with regular testing for all involved. This was especially important with Covid-19 restrictions limiting 11-a-side training and game opportunities for the team in Singapore since it was first set up in 2020.
“We were somewhat forced by circumstances to look abroad to ensure that our players continue to develop and match the progress of players in other countries around the world who have been training with fewer restrictions,” said Chun-Liang.
This Europe training camp was, in fact, only penciled in for 2022 but, when the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) between Singapore and Germany was first announced in early September 2021, the Sailors raced to sort things out from planning to logistics to execution.
BVB graciously accommodated the club’s special request, and just six weeks later, the Sailors were on a plane to Germany.
“The VTL gave us the opportunity to do this because a trip would not have made sense if you’re going to do a 14-day quarantine in both countries. You can imagine how fast we decided to do this after the VTL was first mooted,” he shared. “Credit goes to Luka and Academy General Manager (Tan) Li Yu for pushing and we quickly got the green-light approval from club Chairman Forrest (Li).
“We’re very grateful to Dortmund for helping us make this happen. A typical training camp overseas would’ve been around two and a half weeks, but since this was a rare opportunity, we wanted to maximise it. The cost was high, but the club moved ahead, for the good of our boys.”
It was not just about the two clubs, but also getting approval from schools in Singapore, as the boys had to skip their final academic week to make the trip and reassuring the parents as the Covid-19 situation was still fluid in Europe – a process which was made easier due to the support from both parties.
Beyond the tangible benefits to players and officials, the trip also served to solidify the relationship between LCS and BVB even as the partnership agreement was ‘practically done over Zoom’.
“Club Chairman Forrest was also there with us, and it was important to us that we could connect with BVB’s senior management to develop a deep relationship with them going forward,” stressed Chun-Liang.
Even before the trip, the two parties worked on several initiatives together – from virtual challenges between both sets of players to Zoom workshops on fan engagement to youth development philosophy, and even a combined CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) effort supporting the Macpherson Community, that witnessed staff from both LCS and BVB, along with Member of Parliament Tin Pei Ling distribute gifts to some 130 children in a “Grant A Wish” event.
The club has hosted members of the BVB management in the last couple of months as well, with Benedikt Scholz, Head of International & New Business and Managing Director of BVB Football Academy in town to explore collaborative efforts in 2022.
With both clubs sharing lofty ambitions and even adopting similar beliefs, Chun-Liang firmly believes this partnership is one that can last the distance and also hinted at more exciting developments ahead.
“I think it is quite extraordinary, what we’ve done in just six months, and we’re all looking forward to doing much more in the months ahead,” he said.
“It’s certain that we’ll send a youth team to Dortmund every year, and depending on the pandemic situation, we want to explore the possibility of having some of our players spend time with BVB, be it with the first team, reserves or U21s,” added an optimistic Chun-Liang.
“We would love to have some form of exchange involving both our first teams too, perhaps even inviting Dortmund to play in Singapore.”
In this piece, Lion City Sailors’ Chief Executive, Chew Chun-Liang looks ahead to the new season, and the host of initiatives that are in the pipeline for Sailors’ fans.
It has been somewhat quiet on the local football front since the AFF Suzuki Cup ended on an emotional note for our Lions last December, as we now all await the start of the 2022 season.
We are wildly appreciative of the heartwarming support we saw in stands across stadiums in the country last year, and behind the scenes, we have been hard at work. At the Sailors, we are determined to do more, and do better for football fans in our country.
Memberships: The Crew
We are planning a gesture to show our appreciation for fans who have stood alongside the Sailors even before we were crowned Champions of Singapore, and we’ll leave it at that for now.
From here on in, our revamped membership, The Crew, will be renewed annually and we are continually looking to bring more value to our Crew.
The Crew will receive an exclusive membership pack – we’ll leave its contents as a bit of a surprise for those of you who will come on board – and also discounts on match tickets and a host of Sailors’ merchandise that will be rolled out soon. Membership will open doors to exclusive perks with our partners as well as members’ events that – pandemic safety measures notwithstanding – are aimed to be peppered across the season.
Only members of The Crew will be allowed to ballot for a Sailors season pass that will guarantee a seat for all of our home games in the domestic football calendar.
While we continue to work to bring on board partners who can bring added value to our Crew, we are equally determined to provide value ourselves and make this membership affordable.
Season Pass: A front row seat to the Sailors’ adventure
Singapore Premier League clubs will be allowed to welcome 1,000 fans to the stadium this year – under prevailing safe management policies – and for the season pass holders of The Crew, a seat will be guaranteed for all home games for domestic football competitions we will host at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
In addition to that, season pass holders will have early access to tickets for Sailors’ away games.
In 2022, we will make our maiden appearance in the season-ending Singapore Cup which will throw up a few more matches for fans – hopefully with a cup final included – and we believe the season pass provides good value to our loyal Crew who have already shown how inspiring they can be from the stands.
Aiming for a smoother, more entertaining, overall experience
Below the deck, we are exploring various options to improve the matchday experience for local football fans, starting with online ticketing. The vision is to have fans glide seamlessly through the turnstiles and to their seat, where they are enthralled by music and activities on the pitch and around the stadium.
We will announce details as soon as we are ready to, but one thing’s for sure, us Sailors are working our socks off to bring fans more value, and a more enjoyable experience of Singapore football.
While Covid-19 safety measures continue to be important to ensure that we can all keep our loved ones safe, we will continue to find ways to improve the matchday experience while working within regulations, because you – the Singapore football fan – are at the heart of everything we do, and we would love to have more of you in the stands as we drive towards a more vibrant Singapore football scene.
The Sailors and I would love to welcome you for the next leg of the Sailors’ adventure – come join us for the 2022 SPL season!
After making their respective debuts at Asean’s premier football tournament when they turned out for the senior Lions at last year’s Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup, Nur Adam Abdullah and Saifullah Akbar return to international action with the Republic’s Under-23s.
Nazri Nasir has called up a 29-man provisional squad for the 14-26 February AFF Under-23 Championship in Cambodia. The final squad of 23 will be named before the team’s departure on 12 February.
The 11 participating teams were split into three groups, with Singapore facing Thailand and Vietnam in the three-team Group C.
Nur Adam enjoyed a breakthrough 2021 at left-back, and was named the Singapore Premier League’s (SPL) Young Player of the Year, while attacking midfielder Saifullah – the SPL’s Young Player of the Year in 2020 – ended the year with four goals and three assists.
Singapore’s U23s finished as runners-up in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2005, behind winners Thailand.
The Lion City Sailors will kick off the 2022 domestic football season on 19 February, taking on Albirex Niigata (S) in the AIA Community Shield, in a year that promises Singapore the most football action witnessed in the Covid-19 era.
The Community Shield is a standalone fixture that serves as the curtain-raiser of the 27th season of the Singapore Premier League (SPL) season that will be played over four rounds instead of the three-round format witnessed in 2021.
The league explained that the increase in number of matches is designed to inject a higher level of competition, while also allowing players to earn more minutes on the pitch.
The Sailors will start the defence of their SPL crown on 27 Feb, against Hougang United at the Jalan Besar Stadium, with Geylang International, Tampines Rovers and Albirex to come in a thrilling March fixture calendar.
More players
Fans will be able to witness more players taking to the pitch as well, with the league allowing clubs to register 20 players for each matchday. There will be nine substitutes allowed on a team’s bench – up from seven last season – with clubs permitted to make up to five substitutions per match.
More tournaments
The Singapore Cup will return in 2022, with the tournament slated to commence on 25 October. The 23rd edition of the tournament will see teams competing in a single-round group stage. The top two teams in each of the two groups will then progress to the semi-finals, which will be played over two legs, in a home and away knockout format.
This will be the Sailors’ maiden Singapore Cup campaign, with the tournament returning after a pandemic-enforced absence in 2021 and 2020, the year the club was established.
More leeway for coaches
The 2022 SPL season will see the youth quota that was introduced in 2018 lowered. Clubs were originally required to field a minimum of three Singaporean Under-23 players for the entire duration of the first half in every SPL match in 2018, a number that will be reduced to one in the 2022 season.
While spectator figures will remain capped at 1,000 as it was in 2021, with spectators required to produce proof of vaccinations according to existing guidelines, SPL fans will continue to be able to watch every match LIVE on broadcast via Singtel TV and StarHub TV as well as live streaming online via the SPL Facebook page and YouTube channel.
