We thank Mr Woon Wee Min for his views and feedback (Singapore Premier League must do more to engage fans, July 23).
Since the Singapore Premier League's (SPL) revamp in 2018, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has consistently looked for ways to increase the level of engagement with our fans as well as to make it easier for them to watch their favourite teams.
This season is the first time fans are able to watch every match live on television, on either Singtel or StarHub.
In addition, all the matches are being live-streamed on our social media pages.
Prior to the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the SPL saw impressive attendances in its opening matches, with the match between Tanjong Pagar United FC and Lion City Sailors FC attracting over 2,700 fans to the stadium.
When fixtures were required to be played behind closed doors, close to 79,000 fans tuned in on the various online streaming platforms before the SPL was eventually suspended.
During phase one of the circuit breaker period, the FAS rolled out a series of initiatives to ensure that our local football fraternity remained engaged.
This consisted of 11 Capability Development webinars and close to 60 training courses which saw almost 1,400 participants taking part to obtain technical knowledge of industry best practices. We also added a range of content on our social media platforms.
This season is the 25th anniversary of the league, and in response to fans' requests to revisit highlights from previous seasons, we have curated 25 of the best matches and are streaming them on a weekly basis.
Overall, more than 132 hours of content were produced within a three-month period, which saw a 64 per cent increase in fan engagement compared with last year.
Our SPL clubs, such as Tampines Rovers and Geylang International, have also been active in their community outreach, organising activities such as virtual training clinics on their respective social platforms.
We appreciate the constructive feedback from our fans, and will take on board suggestions that will help build a vibrant football culture and strengthen Singaporeans' connection to local football.
Mustaffa Ehsan Sa'aid
Director (Corporate Communications)
Football Association of Singapore
