SINGAPORE - The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on Friday (Sept 2) announced that it will set up a new league for the best football schools in the country.

This new league aims to feature at least 15 secondary schools and is expected to run from July to November next year, after the Schools National B and C Division football tournament. It is part of the FAS' five-year strategic plan and is an expansion of its School Football Academies (SFA) programme.

The SFA was launched in May by FAS technical director Michel Sablon and initially featured four top football schools, one from each zone. They currently play in the Centre of Excellence (COE) league with nine other club sides.

All schools in the SFA programme will follow a football syllabus aligned with Sablon's development plan. An FAS goalkeeping coach will also be dispatched to work with these schools.

Club players in these schools train with their school and not their clubs, thereby easing their training load.

FAS vice-president Bernard Tan said this will provide a good base of players for the national team. Tan added: "This is a big step in getting our youth to develop their physical, technical and mental abilities, and to play a modern, high tempo style of football. We believe that it will benefit our national teams in the future."