Football: Tampines Rovers retain sponsor after delivering on 'informal promise' to win Cup

SINGAPORE - Tampines Rovers' original target last season was to finish in the top two of the Singapore Premier League and reach the Singapore Cup semi-finals.

But while they were bantering, Tampines Rovers chairman Desmond Ong made an "informal promise" to win the Singapore Cup for former Stags chairman Teo Hock Seng, who is also group managing director of Komoco Motors, the title sponsors of the Cup.

Tampines duly delivered for their first major trophy since winning the S-League in 2013, and Korean marque Hyundai, which is distributed by Komoco Motors, will continue to sponsor the club for the new season.

Komoco Motors marketing director Tracy Teo said: "Once Desmond and Lung (vice-chairman Lee Lung Nien) came on board, things have stabilised and they are working hard. They have been doing a good job, kept up their promise to win, and we are very happy with that.

"We believe in Tampines' management. The club gave a chance to Gavin Lee, a very young coach (at 29), and he has fresh ideas and the willingness to work with young players, and all these have paid off.

"We have been sponsoring Tampines Rovers for a long time... it's good to sustain that relationship, (and continue to have the) brand association."

While the value of the one-year deal was not disclosed, Ong expressed his gratitude for the "generous amount".

The 49-year-old shared that besides contributing to their success on the pitch, the sponsorship also allowed Tampines to be a "positive force in the community" through outreach programmes with Northlight School and Rainbow Centre.

He said: "When we took over Tampines in 2017 and 2018, we did not come back to Komoco and Hyundai. They had been very staunch supporters, but it wasn't something we wanted to take for granted, turn up on day one, extend a long arm and say, 'Because you are historically associated with us, please give us money'.

"We wanted to come back to them with a value proposition, which I think we did last season and delivered about 75 to 80 per cent. It was very important for us to win the Komoco Motors Singapore Cup, to bring the Cup back to our sponsors.

"Through advertising in and around Our Tampines Hub, and social media, we provided visibility exposure for the brand. We also explained to the players what Komoco and Hyundai have done for us and what they stand for.

"It's the little things, the attention to detail - when you come in, you shake people's hands, greet people, pack up after yourself, pick up plastic bottles off the pitch. The small things make you good, and there are many similarities between what they have achieved as a company and what we are trying to do as a committee moving forward."