Nine more youth footballers receive Unleash The Roar! overseas scholarships
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Charis Han En (left) and Putera Nur Muhammad Irfan Ismail are second-batch recipients of the Unleash The Roar! project overseas scholarship.
ST PHOTO: RYAN CHIONG
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SINGAPORE – After suffering a serious knee injury in May 2022, Charis Han contemplated quitting football.
While the JSSL elite academy player returned to action in the Deloitte Women’s Premier League for Tampines Rovers seven months after tearing her left anterior cruciate ligament, she struggled for form and began falling out of love with the game.
Charis, 17, said: “Mentally I was afraid and I felt myself holding back a lot because of the fear of getting injured. I wasn’t as good as I was before. I thought about the possibility of quitting and just playing football as a recreational sport.”
But in 2024, the Victoria Junior College student refocused her efforts on the National School Games (NSG) which paid off as the centre-back played a key role in their A Division triumph. Encouraged by the positive experience with her teammates, she rediscovered her passion for football.
The national Under-19 player’s sterling performances at the tournament also earned her an overseas scholarship under the Unleash The Roar! (UTR) project.
On July 29, she was among nine teenagers – six boys and three girls – who received the scholarships at the Kallang Football Hub as the second batch of recipients.
The scholarship will cover key expenses, which include their football programme, tuition, accommodation fees and insurance. From the inaugural cohort of eight, five of the six female players have gone on to earn call-ups to the senior national team.
Charis, who will be heading to the IMG Academy in Florida, United States, said: “Being able to play in NSG really boosted my confidence. I enjoyed the camaraderie and my teammates always encouraged me. When I come for FAS training, that’s when I get higher-level football. Being able to enjoy both really helped me to overcome the mental block.”
The latest recipients were selected from an initial shortlist of about 30 candidates, following preliminary assessments by the Football Association of Singapore and Singapore Sports School.
Candidates were observed during training and competitions, and assessed for footballing abilities and potential. From the shortlist, a smaller group of players were interviewed by representatives of the UTR executive committee before scholarship offers were made.
Another scholarship recipient, Putera Nur Muhammad Irfan, 14, will be heading to Madrid, where he will be furthering his football and education at Rayo Alcobendas football club and King’s College Soto de Vinuelas, a British international school – two new partners which came on board in 2024.
The Geylang International U-15 player said: “It’s quite a big opportunity for me to play overseas in Spain, to learn football from them and meet new friends there.
“I hope to play for a professional club overseas one day and also represent the national team. I think doing both is the best way for me to help Singapore football.”
Putera Nur Muhammad Irfan is one of Singapore football’s brightest attacking talents.
ST PHOTO: RYAN CHIONG
The other recipients are Charlotte Chong and Nadila Nur Danisha (girls), and Miguel Garcia, Lukyan Tan, Gavriel Lai, Chia Wayne Hon and Aidan Irfan (boys).
While opportunities for further development are available for the cream of the crop, efforts have also been made to augment the ecosystem. Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, who attended the ceremony, said having a structured football development system will ensure a sustainable pipeline of young talent.
In 2024, there are 15 school football academies (SFAs) – with five for girls – up from 12 in 2023. Over 750 boys and girls were part of the SFAs in 2023, more than double the 300 young people in 2022.
The Singapore Youth League, which was launched in February and resumes this weekend, also sees close to 4,000 boys and girls from ages eight to 17 playing weekly. By end-2024, each team would have played an average of 30 games, doubling the number before the league’s formation.
Mr Tong said: “Unleash The Roar! is a long-term journey. For it to work, we need the collective belief and contributions of our football community to truly make an impact.”
