Plans for expansion of Singapore Youth League after ‘good exposure’ for last eight months

SINGAPORE – The inclusion of Under-19 players and addition of more teams in the Singapore Youth League (SYL) are among the proposals being studied by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) as part of efforts to expand the fledgling league.

The SYL was launched in February, with nearly 3,800 youth players competing in over 1,100 matches till December. There are six age groups, ranging from Under-8 to Under-17.

FAS’ head of planning (technical division office) Baihakki Khaizan said the association is mulling over proposals catered to those “late bloomers” in the under-19 age group so that they do not drop out of the system.

“We are still studying how many teams would exist in an under-19 league... a lot of things can happen within those years, some could divert and go into national service, some could prolong their studies,” he said at the Unleash The Roar!’s Football Conversation dialogue on Oct 8.

The second edition of the dialogue was attended by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong with about 200 members of the local football fraternity, including officials, former national footballers and parents. The inaugural session was held on May 25, 2023, soon after the Singapore Under-22s’ disastrous campaign at the SEA Games. 

Touching on national football project Unleash the Roar!, Tong said in his speech: “What UTR hopes to do is to reignite this love affair Singapore has with football. People like to ask, is this about the World Cup? Are we getting to 2034? This is not about the World Cup. It is much more.

“What we want instead is a strong, sustainable pipeline of good talent that will support the ambitions of Singapore football for the foreseeable future. We want to make sure this is sustainable and runs for generations to come.

“What we have done with UTR! is to restructure the whole foundation of football in Singapore, starting with youth development to create structured football pathways for our boys and girls.

“It means re-thinking of how we have been doing things and implementing new systems, some of them we’ve never done before, to ensure the best outcomes.”

Ex-international Baihakki also stressed that it is hard to measure the success of the SYL, an initiative under the UTR, at this point, adding: “Whether it is 4,000 or 10,000 players, I think it’s more important we recognise that the youth league is a platform now for as many kids as possible to play in the league competitively.

“There’s room for growth, definitely, where relegation and promotion will happen, but that is just one component of growth. Then they will be introduced to the National Development Centre (NDC), from there we will see where they can go next, so it’s all about setting up (a pathway) for them.

Jimmy Beh, founder of First Kick Academy, a club that has teams playing from U-8 to U-13 of the SYL, was happy with the introduction of the league, though noting that better planning and coordination was needed. .

“We have played so many more games, and the exposure for the kids is definitely much greater, in a better playing environment as well.”

Maslinda Sabtu, 41, who has two kids aged six and 10 playing in the SYL, believes that while the league can be expanded, the FAS should not give up quality for quantity.

She said: “You can have the quantity, that means more more players playing. But the quality, it must match up to a certain standard.

“You cast a bigger net, but then after that, you must also look at the opportunities given, like the opportunities given to the kids for Junior NDC are quite fixed, if you are a 14-year-old, you will play with other 14-year-olds.

“Whereas ActiveSG is different, they always play up and they compete with bigger, older boys.”

Ex-international Rafi Ali, who is the head coach of the Active SG Academy, stressed the importance of youth development.

“Everybody can tell we are not where we are supposed to be right now. At least we are doing something about it.

“I think youth development is the most important thing, and finally, this is happening. I think it’s also very good for the youth. You get to play week in, week out and it is going to get better.”

Much can still be improved on the SYL from Rafi’s perspective, as he feels that the younger generation “lacks desire”.

“When we talk about passion, desire and everything, it has to be moulded when they are young. So when they have that mentality, the winning mentality, this is what we have to instil in them.”

Correction note: In an earlier version of the story, we said that it was the association’s Football Conversation dialogue. This is incorrect. It should be UTR!’s Football Conversation dialogue. We also said that Minister Edwin Tong was the host. This is incorrect. He was the Guest of Honour. We are sorry for the error.