SINGAPORE – In a boost for large-scale talent development and identification, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), in partnership with Sport Singapore, as part of national project Unleash the Roar!, announced the launch of the Singapore Youth League (SYL) on Feb 6.
There will be six age-group categories – Under-8, Under-10, Under-12, Under-13, Under-15, and Under-17 – under the new league system spanning across three divisions. Matches will start from five v five all the way to 11 v 11, depending on the ages.
The inaugural campaign begins on Feb 24 and runs until Dec 1. The 2024 season will be used as a classification system, to gauge the competitive levels of more than 200 teams from 52 clubs and academies.
Among those involved are the Singapore Premier League’s Lion City Sailors and invited sides like Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim.
Based on their performances, the teams will then be seeded accordingly for the 2025 competition, which will also feature various divisions where promotion and relegation are introduced.
FAS president Bernard Tan hopes the SYL will raise the level of football here.
He said: “If Singapore is to have a footballing future, it is clear that the fundamental thing we need is a structured development system for our children.
“This is an offering for children who have high football ambitions. The SYL is not a social league, but one that aims to develop kids to be elite footballers.”
He noted the SYL is built on five key pillars – regular matches, competition at the right level, emphasis on development over results, inculcation of sporting values and inclusivity – and the competition “aims to do this at scale”.
While there were concerns that the children might suffer from burnout – the SYL aims to have teams play about 30 games a season – Tan believes the additional on-pitch opportunities are vital.
He added: “For football, it’s important to have sufficient games over a year. If you take the best practice of countries in Europe, they’re largely all over 40 games.”
The SYL will run concurrently with the National School Games (NSG) season, but SYL matches will be only on weekends at various stadiums.
Tan believes both competitions will complement each other and together help FAS get closer to their goal of “within 40 to 60 games for the top players”.
He added: “I’m very appreciative that the NSG has made space for this to take place, because they (MOE) are also very keen on making sure the NSG is also of a particular level.”
Mirko Grabovac, who previously played for the Lions and is now a coach for Island City FC, conceded that there might be occasional clashes between school and SYL training.
But he said “this is the minimum that they need to work if they want to play seriously”.
Amos Boon, head coach for Eastern Thunder FC, is also supportive.
He said: “With the SYL’s introduction, that adds to their playing experience, because not all you can learn is through training and drills. Kids need to play so it is a good platform.”
The SYL will also feature four girls’ teams, two from the Junior National Development Centre and two from the National Development Centre. They will compete against boys one age group lower than themselves.
On safety concerns, FAS technical director Michael Browne said: “It’s always a contentious issue. But I think it’s been shown in different countries around the world (that it) leads to more benefits for having girls playing with and against boys.”
Kieron Ong, who plays for Soaring Dreams Football Academy Under-10s, is looking forward to playing with his friends in the SYL.
The nine-year-old said: “I know that the games are going to be difficult, but I want to play against the strongest players and show what I can do. Maybe I can get spotted by scouts and play for Singapore one day.”
Correction note: In an earlier version of this story, it was stated that over 3,800 kids are expected to participate in the Singapore Youth League. It should be nearly 3,800 kids. We are sorry for the error.
