SINGAPORE - The proposed changes to the Football Association of Singapore's (FAS) constitution to allow for its first open elections in more than 30 years have been approved by the sport's governing body Fifa.

Among the key amendments are that the presidency along with eight positions on the member council will be elected through a slate rather than through individual candidacy. The other six slots on the council will be open to individual contest. There will be a total of 15 elected members.

There will be a further three positions open for individuals to be co-opted into the council However, these three members will not be able to vote.

The eligibility criteria to contest the FAS presidency was also formalised. Interested candidates must have served at least two of the last five years as an active member of association football. This includes officials of the current affiliated clubs, coaches, referees and administrators.

Former Member of Parliament Zainudin Nordin, who has served three two-year terms as FAS president since 2009, will not seek a fourth term of office at the elections scheduled for later this year.

The FAS annual general meeting will be held on Sept 24. The constitution changes were announced to all FAS members and affiliates, which includes clubs from the S-League, National Football League (NFL) and the Island-Wide League (IWL).

This comes after a week-long engagement sessions between the FAS and the clubs, said FAS vice-president Lim Kia Tong, who led the task force to implement the changes.

In a statement released on Thursday (Sept 15), he said: "These series of meetings with our stakeholders were essential as we wanted to ensure that everyone has clarity on the reasons why some changes needed to be made, such as the eligibility requirements and need for integrity checks which have been mandated by Fifa.

"We hope that our affiliates will now have a better understanding of the situation and we look forward to seeing them at the AGM."