Singapore’s mission to win SEA Games netball gold gets Singlife boost

SINGAPORE – Since 2019, Toh Kai Wei has been living with a nagging feeling of regret. Come December, the Singapore netball co-captain will get a chance to banish the ghost and get her hands on an elusive SEA Games gold medal.

Twice she came close to winning the regional title – in Kuala Lumpur in 2017 and in the Philippines in 2019 – but both times, Singapore fell short in the final against Malaysia.

The loss in 2019 was particularly annoying for the 28-year-old. Said the 97-cap Toh: “My first Games was in 2017 and I didn’t really have much of an opportunity to play then.

“I had my opportunity in 2019. The team was building up well, but we just were not able to achieve what we set out to do, so that was a bit wasted. I really felt that maybe we could have done something more.”

At the 2025 Games in Thailand, she and her fellow Vandas will be hoping to finally get their hands on the gold and end a 10-year drought for Singapore, who last won the netball title on home soil in 2015.

Netball will return to the Games’ slate after it was excluded from Hanoi in 2022 and the 2023 edition in Phnom Penh.

Toh who can play as a goal-attack, wing-attack or goal-shooter, said: “Winning a SEA Games gold medal is different. The significance of it is really high. It will be a milestone for myself... I have been in the team for eight years.”

Fellow co-captain Khor Ting Fang, too, is eager to make the breakthrough, having witnessed Singapore’s run to the 2015 title as a fan.

“That would be huge (winning a gold medal at the Games),” said Khor, 28. “That is also something that will mean a lot to me because I do have a lot of friends in all the other sports, and knowing that we are part of a competition together, representing our nation, I think it’d be something special.”

The Vandas are also in high spirits, having reclaimed the Asian title last October after a decade-long wait by defeating defending champions Sri Lanka 67-64 in Bengaluru, India.

Their bid for gold in Thailand was given a further boost on Jan 15 when home-grown financial services company Singlife signed a sponsorship deal with Netball Singapore at the Sports Hub.

Although the quantum was not disclosed, it is understood that the one-year pact is worth a six-figure sum.

As part of the agreement, Singlife will be the title sponsor of the Nations Cup, an annual international competition in Singapore, as well as the National League, a domestic competition involving over 80 teams across 12 divisions.

The Singlife National League will be held from May 26 to Aug 1, while the Singlife Nations Cup will take place from Nov 2 to 8 at the OCBC Arena.

Netball Singapore chief executive Daniel Ho said that the funds will go towards elite player development, school outreach and the two flagship competitions.

He said: “We look forward to working alongside Singlife to inspire and support a new generation of Singaporeans in fulfilling their aspirations, both on and off the court.”

Debra Soon, group head of brand, communications, marketing and experience at Singlife, said that the Vandas have been “incredibly successful and shown their resilience as individuals and as a team”.

She added: “Through our partnership with Netball Singapore, we want to inspire all Singapore women and their families, to encourage them to dream big, work hard and achieve success on the international stage.”

Singlife also announced that it will be extending its sponsorship of national badminton player Terry Hee.

In 2024, Singlife sponsored Hee and his wife Jessica Tan, the first Singapore-born mixed doubles duo to qualify for the Olympics.

Hee is currently partnering Jin Yujia, with the focus on qualifying for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, as Tan recovers from injuries.