Too few female players? Schools in Singapore team up to start girls’ football CCAs

SINGAPORE – For three years, Gisella Soe sprinted to the void deck of her Housing Board block after school, eager to play football with her neighbours.

With no formal training and no proper gear, she played purely for the love of the game.

Now a Secondary 1 student at Naval Base Secondary School, Gisella, 12, finally wears a team jersey.

She is one of 33 girls from four secondary schools in Yishun who have come together to form a new football team – a rare tie-up that gives girls like her a shot at the National School Games (NSG).

“Without this team, my school would not have enough girls to form a football team. Now, I am able to receive proper training, improve my football skills, and get the opportunity to represent my school in the national games,” said Gisella, who will be playing her first match with the team at the NSG on May 14.

Every Wednesday and Friday afternoon, Gisella and seven other schoolmates head to Yishun Secondary School for training sessions, where they are joined by girls from Northland Secondary and Yishun Town Secondary.

Launched in 2024, this is part of an initiative that allows schools in Yishun to pool resources such as coaches, facilities and staff so students can access co-curricular activities (CCAs) that their own schools may not offer.

Girls’ football is currently offered as a CCA at 30 primary schools and 16 secondary schools. Of these, three primary schools – Ahmad Ibrahim Primary School, Chongfu School and Northland Primary School – and seven secondary schools have set up cluster-based teams in the last two years.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said these school-initiated partnerships allow more students to come together to pursue a common interest and forge friendships with peers from different schools.

Beyond girls’ football, MOE added that some schools have started cluster-based teams for other CCAs such as infocomm clubs and robotics, and boys’ table tennis.

Mr Aidil Idris, Yishun Secondary School’s CCA head, said: “Sports break boundaries. By coming together from different schools to form this team, the girls become friends with teammates they’d never otherwise meet.”

But bonding was not easy at first.

“They came from different schools, had different skill levels, and stuck to their own cliques at first,” said Mr Mohammad Haris Sumri, the team’s head coach.

A football coach for 16 years, he too had to adapt to leading a girls’ team – his first time doing so.

To break the ice, the schools organised several outings for the team, which included go-karting and a visit to an escape room.

Northland Secondary student Champaigne Oh, 13, said these outings helped the girls to gel as a team.

“During training, it is a serious session. But during the outings, we get to be ourselves and have fun. And that really helped us become closer and get to know each other better,” she said.

For almost three years, Yishun Secondary School student Nayli Eiranysa, 12, had been the only girl playing among boys when she was in the Flair Football Academy – a local football academy for children and youth – in primary school.

She finally got to train with girls after being talent-spotted and was offered a spot in the National Development Centre’s under-15 female squad. She also joined the cluster-based girls’ football CCA offered by her school.

Said Nayli: “As the only girl in an all-boys’ team, I felt like the odd one out. Now playing in a girls’ team, I feel more included, and I can be myself more.”

She added that the all-girls’ team allows more of them to learn football skills for free in school, compared with joining football academies which are costly and cater mostly to boys.

Another girls’ football CCA team – nicknamed “BMW” – was formed by Boon Lay Secondary, Methodist Girls’ School and Westwood Secondary in 2023. They train twice a week at Westwood Secondary.

Though only two years old, this mixed-schools B Division team has performed well in the NSG against other more well-established girls’ football teams.

The team placed second in the top division of the NSG for girls’ football, after being defeated by reigning champions Meridian Secondary on May 9 at Jalan Besar Stadium.

Tessa Chang, 15, team BMW’s midfielder from Methodist Girls’ School, said even though she had little experience with football prior to joining this team, her love for the sport has grown because of the friends she has made.

“Now it has turned into something where we want to show people that we can play good football, beautiful football,” she added.

Ms Pamela Kong, 34, one of team BMW’s two female coaches and a former national player, said she picked up football only in junior college (JC). The team is also trained by three other male coaches.

She hopes more girls will have access to the sport at a younger age.

“A lot of us started at JC, and that’s when you’re 17 already. It’s a bit late... So if you want to have a bigger pool of talent, we really need to expand these kinds of cluster initiatives,” said Ms Kong.

She added that there is growing interest in women’s football in Singapore.

Over 2,100 fans turned up at Bishan Stadium on April 4 to watch the Women’s Premier League All-Stars – run by the Football Association of Singapore – take on Brisbane Roar, an Australian professional football club.

Ms Kong said the crowd size was on a par with those at national matches.

“This is the first time I see so much media coverage of a women’s football event,” she said.

When team BMW was created two years ago, less than a handful of its members had prior football training or experience. But the girls grasped concepts and instructions quickly, said Ms Kong.

“We were able to achieve something from nothing... and football is where you can make friends for life.”

Correction note: This story has been edited for clarity.