Eight youth footballers awarded overseas scholarships as part of Unleash The Roar! project

SINGAPORE – Footballer Chloe Koh had initially feared the worst when she sustained an injury on her left leg following a collision at an AFC Under-17 Women’s Asian Cup match in May.

What was supposed to be a major milestone for Chloe, who had just earned her first call-up to the national U-16 team, became clouded with concerns that she had either torn her meniscus or ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament.

While it turned out to be an issue with the plica – an extra band of soft tissue within the knee – it was still a tough period for the 16-year-old, who was out of action for over a month.

But she was determined to return to the pitch and Chloe was rewarded for her persistence as she made her debut with the national U-19, Lion City Sailors and senior national teams in the months that followed.

On Monday, she was named as part of the inaugural batch of eight teenage footballers who were awarded overseas scholarships under the Unleash The Roar! (UTR) national project, which was launched in 2021 to raise the standards of Singapore football.

“It’s pretty insane because I made my U-16 debut then I was injured, so I was out for a month or so and I was disheartened because I thought I wouldn’t be able to continue playing,” said Chloe at the scholarship ceremony at the Asian Civilisations Museum on Monday.

“It was very rocky because I was uncertain about where it would take me... I was extra motivated to go for rehabilitation because I really wanted to get better to play.”

Under the UTR overseas scholarship, recipients will spend one to three years at either the IMG Academy in Florida or the ESC LaLiga & NBA academy in Madrid.

The scholarship will fully cover key expenses, which include their football programme, tuition, accommodation fees and insurance.

The scholars were selected through a four-month process that started with an initial shortlist of close to 40 student-athletes based on preliminary assessments from the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and Singapore Sports School.

They were then observed during training sessions and competitions by a technical committee led by the FAS technical director Michael Browne, before a smaller group of players were invited to an in-person panel interview with representatives of the UTR executive committee.

The final eight were endorsed by a selection panel led by UTR executive committee chairman Eric Chua, who is also the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth.

For Chloe, who will spend the next three years at IMG Academy, the scholarship is one step towards her dream of becoming a professional footballer. She hopes to emulate her friend and fellow national teammate Danelle Tan, who made history by joining Borussia Dortmund in June.

Chloe said: “The main reason for me choosing IMG was the fact that there is a more renowned college route in America.

“This scholarship serves as a platform for me to get overseas exposure playing in the States, where soccer is also so big. So when you play against people of a higher standard on a daily basis, that’s when you step out of your comfort zone and that’s where I hope to become a better player and develop my skills.”

Her mother Jenny Tan, 46, was fully supportive of her decision. She said: “She’s a very independent girl and she knows what she wants. I trust that she can be disciplined and manage on her own...

“She has been wanting to move out of Singapore to pursue football and her education because it’s very hard to manage both here.”

Fellow scholarship recipient Uchenna Eziakor, who will be at the ESC LaLiga & NBA academy for two years, sees this as a stepping stone towards his goal of playing in Europe.

A training camp in Spain with the Lion City Sailors in 2022 made Europe an easy choice for the 15-year-old, whose Nigerian father Robert played for local club Hougang United. His mother is a Singaporean.

While he was worried about being apart from his family, Uchenna’s family was supportive of his decision.

Uchenna said: “I felt like when we went there, the standard was completely different from what it was in Singapore, so I want to go back there. I want to go back there and face the challenge.”

In his speech at the event, Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong stressed that the UTR project’s immediate key focus is to grow the base of footballers and help young talent realise their potential.

This will be achieved by working with schools and football academies, ensuring top-quality coaching and mentorship through working with partners such as La Liga and the use of sports science.

The recent setting up of the Junior Development (for those 8 to 12) and National Development Centres (13 to 16) for promising youths is a key initiative under the UTR project that will see the development of the best talent in the country.

The JDCs and NDCs serve as the pinnacle of the talent pathway, which young hopefuls in other pathways such as the School Football Academies and the Singapore Premier League clubs’ Centre of Excellences can aspire towards. The very best will then be earmarked for the UTR overseas scholarship.