Oh, to be a child with big dreams again, looking out onto the vast football field with a ball under your feet and thinking to yourself that one day, you’re going to become just like Fandi Ahmad when you grow up.
Sadly, most of us didn’t exactly get to fulfil that dream.
Football has long been a sport that left many with good childhood memories of playing around with friends and neighbours, especially for the older generations.
Although many children now spend their days playing different games on their screens, the spirit of football is still alive and kicking, and its now on a national level.
New National Football Project To Unite Singaporeans
Yep, it’s not a fever dream: the government has announced on yesterday (8 Mar) that it will be launching a national football project aimed at raising the standards of Singaporean football and uniting Singaporeans through the sport.
Structured training programs and encouragement of Singaporeans to support the national team are part of what the project entails.
Football brings Singaporeans together and remains the most participated team sport here, said Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY).
“A national team that can perform at the highest levels affirms Singapore’s multiple pathways of success and is a source of national pride. It can also expand opportunities for all — to play, to coach or just to be that crazy football fan cheering our team on,” he added.
Mr Tong also said that Singapore’s current football levels are not where the government would like it to be, and that they would like to “rekindle the Kallang Roar and give our young Lions every opportunity to pursue their dreams.”
Two years ago, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) set a Goal 2034, aimed at training national team the Lions to qualify for the 2034 World Cup—and the new project is linked to this eventual big picture.
Singapore actually once set a Goal 2010 back in 1998, but failed to achieve it.
Mr Eric Chua, Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth, reminisced about the old days where the entire neighbourhood would shake in support of their favourite football teams whenever a match was held at the Kallang Stadium.
“So this is my plea, not just to members of this chamber but to all Singaporeans, whatever your views on the state of football now, I ask for your support as we re-imagine and re-energise Singapore football,” he said.
Standardised National Curriculum Introduced
Football is about to get ten times more serious in school fields than before. The new project will trickle down to our youths first.
As part of the first phase of two-year long this project, the FAS will be introducing a standardised national curriculum for football, aimed at improving football standards amongst primary school pupils and promote interest in the sport.
The goal is for there to be a foundation starting with various age groups in Singapore to be more competitive in regional and international football stages.
About 2,000 boys from each primary school cohort will be involved in this pilot, while MCCY and the Ministry of Education (MOE) will work together to expose them to football tactics and techniques.
However, Mr Chua stressed that they also want to improve participation in women’s football in this inclusive vision (how fitting, considering that International Women’s Day was just yesterday).
Public and private football clubs and academies will also have access to the curriculum to spread the knowledge of football island-wide, while the FAS seeks to increase the amount of qualified football coaches in schools.
All coaches will have to attain an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ‘C’ coaching licence which will allow them to teach basic football skills and techniques.
Football academies will be set up in some secondary schools, where an “augmented coaching bench, enhanced facilities and an intensive training programme” will allow aspiring footballers to hone their skills in a school-based environment.
On top of the current school games, there will also be a new elite youth league for such students under these academies to compete in at different ability levels.
Students who show talent will also be scouted to join the ActiveSG Football Academy Development Centres to receive exposure to competitions and training support, in addition to local and overseas scholarships being granted to those who wish to pursue it professionally.
Citing big overseas institutions such as La Liga, Bundesliga Club Borussia Dortmund as well as Australian colleges such as Maribyrnong College, Mr Chua said that the FAS are discussing opportunities with them as well as local clubs like the Lion City Sailors.
Furthermore, the MCCY will work with the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) to explore ways in which those serving their national service can continue training and playing at top levels. Sounds great, right?
Singapore Footballing Fraternity Welcomes The Move
Those in the football community appreciated the move and called it a “shot in the arm,” meaning that the project offered new life and encouragement to the sector.
The national curriculum would help establish a football identity in Singapore and increase interest in the sport amongst the young and widen the future talent pool in the years ahead, commented Hougang United player Lionel Tan who said he only saw children playing on digital devices even at the park.
Ms Radhika Radhakrishnan, 42, the secretary of grassroots youth football club Woodlands Lions, said that the new “Singapore system” will ensure everyone progresses along the same channel.
The fraternity also commended the fact that the government is exploring ways for National Servicemen (NSmen) to continue training, for a footballer’s prime years typically clash with those years needed to serve in the army.
Still, overseas opportunities are best for players to train their skills, and it was suggested that the government allow players who are contracted overseas to serve their National Service (NS) after finishing their contracts or during their end-season break.
Despite the outpouring of support for the project, former national footballer R Sasikumar, 46, said that people should not focus too much on the end goal of qualifying for the 2034 World Cup.
“We’ve to see this as a project that unites people and creates this community bond for something that’s common… The journey is more important,” he added.
Whether or not these goals will be met heavily depends on the proper implementation of the national curriculum and other plans, the experts said.
“We can have all these plans but unless it’s executed at a ground level… this will just be a pipe dream,” added Mr Sasikumar.
If only these came to fruition during our times so more people would’ve been encouraged to follow their dreams, but it’s better late than never, right?
Feature Image: matimix / Shutterstock.com
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