Singapore Premier League (SPL) side Warriors FC scored a first in their history by signing a deal with Borussia Dortmund in Germany last Friday to become the German club's official youth development partner in Singapore.

The five-year deal will see the eight-time Bundesliga football champions lend their expertise to the Warriors through their coaches, who will travel to Singapore regularly. Dortmund staff will aid in the analysis of the current youth development system in the nine-time SPL champions' efforts to set up new training facilities.

During these visits, coaching sessions and workshops will also be conducted for the Warriors' technical staff and youth players.

Their youth teams will also get the chance to travel to Dortmund for training camps.

"We will use this opportunity to learn from a top German club well-known for their football academy... This will enable us to create better if not the best facilities, coaching and training programmes to create a perfect environment for youth players to develop and reach their full potential in Singapore," said Warriors' chairman Philip Lam.

The Warriors have a vision of setting up a professionally operated youth football academy here, with a high-performance coaching syllabus that will develop talented footballers aged between six and 19.

"We are happy to share the BVB philosophy with our new partner and look forward to emerging talents in the country," said Dortmund's COO Carsten Cramer.

"The cultural exchange as well as knowledge transfer will be extremely valuable for both parties."

Shamir Osman