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RAIN OR SHINE: Youngsters from Tampines' COE programme going through their paces despite the rain. Two other S-League clubs, Geylang United and Home United, are also involved in grooming U-16 and U-18 players. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM
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IT WAS supposed to be Singapore football's conveyor belt for young talent, churning out the country's future Fandi Ahmads and V. Sundramoorthys.
But the S-League youth development programme, labelled the Centre of Excellence (COE), is in crisis a decade after it started.
From a high of 825 teenagers in its inaugural year in 1998, that number has gradually decreased to 552 in 2000, 400 last year and to a low of 150 this season.
Only three of the eight local clubs have a COE programme, which focuses on grooming the Under-16 and U-18 squads. They are Geylang United, Home United and Tampines Rovers.
The other five - Balestier Khalsa, Gombak United, Singapore Armed Forces FC, Sengkang Punggol and Woodlands Wellington - have all scrapped their youth programmes this season.
Foreign clubs Albirex Niigata, Dalian Shide and the Super Reds are exempted from raising COE squads.
So too the Football Association of Singapore-run Young Lions, who are essentially the national U-23 team.
The reasons given for the pull-out are varied, with clubs citing finances, coaching issues and the lack of a permanent training pitch the main bugbears.
The spate of withdrawals has marked a low point in a programme that had unearthed national players such as Shahril Ishak, Khairul Amri, Baihakki Khaizan and Noh Alam Shah.
At Balestier, the programme was deemed to costly.
Said Balestier vice-chairman S.Thavaneson: 'Out of the $80,000 funding we receive from the FAS, $60,000 goes straight to the salaries of our two COE coaches and that is excluding their CPF contributions, which we also bear.
'Another $8,000 goes into the booking of fields, $8,000 for bus stamps for all the players, about $3,000 for courses to upgrade our coaches.
'That hardly leaves us with money for training equipment, transport to matches and allowances for the youngsters. The club have to cough up $30,000 of their own money to keep the COEs going.''
For SAFFC general manager Kok Wai Leong, it was sourcing for a permanent training venue that proved to be a headache.
Previously, the young Warriors trained at Yuan Ching and Boon Lay Secondary Schools.
Last year, training was conducted at Khatib Camp, which according to Kok, was 'not conducive' as national servicemen would be jogging on the track surrounding the pitch.
He said: 'I hope there can be some master planning at the FAS regarding the training venues as clubs are crying out for some permanency. It has not been easy to secure school fields as principals are concerned about misuse.''
Gombak United chairman John Yap painted a similar picture, saying: 'Previously, the boys trained at Methodist Girls' School. But, in the last two years, we had to compete with other weekend warriors to book public fields.''
Thavaneson also highlighted disagreement in coaching the youngsters.
'The FAS wanted to appoint its own coaches to train our COE boys this year,'' said Thavaneson, adding that Balestier will set up their own U-18 programme.
'We disagree as we want to be able to monitor our own players.'
This was also the reason why Woodlands withdrew from the scheme, which had already hired a team of coaches.
But not all the sit-out clubs have shut the door permanently on youth development.
'We have not completely said no to the COE scheme,'' said Kok.
'Once we have secured a pitch, we will apply to the FAS to operate a COE again.''
meng@sph.com.sg
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