Not many professional football clubs in the world do it quite like Albirex Niigata – revamp more than half their squad and win the league five times in seven seasons with a predominantly under-23 side.

In 2022, they won their latest Singapore Premier League (SPL) crown with a squad comprising 20 Japanese footballers and 11 Singaporean players, with just three older than 23.

Albirex general manager Koh Mui Tee explained that the White Swans are merely benefiting from a virtuous cycle that took years to build.

He said: “With their years of experience here, our chairman (Daisuke Korenaga) and coach (Kazuaki Yoshinaga) know the level required to be successful in the SPL.

“With this knowledge, they can find the suitable players in Japan, where the football population is huge.

“They also have an intimate knowledge of the Japanese youth football scene, which has a vibrant university league.”

Working with a Japan-based agency, before the pandemic they would fly to Tokyo or Osaka to conduct trials and scout for players.

“When Covid-19 restricted travel, they relied on video profiles to identify who they wanted, before initiating contact,” said Koh.

“We tell them we are essentially an under-23 team who play on an artificial pitch, and we can offer a one-year contract.

“We make it clear that we can be a stepping stone for them to further their careers, and they should do their best to make use of this opportunity to find another team.”

Former Albirex players who have gone on to forge decent J-League careers include former Players of the Year Atsushi Kawata (2016) and Tomoyuki Doi (2021), while Issey Nakajima-Farran even went on to play in Major League Soccer in the United States.

Notably, the club also implement a professional code of conduct to instill discipline, good behaviour and team spirit.

This includes a ban on hair dye, a punctuality clause where players are fined ifif they are late for training with no valid reason, and scrubbing footballs together after training.

Koh added: “It helps that we have a reputation of being not just successful, but also trustworthy and doing things properly.

“We also have alumni who have gone on to have good careers with other SPL clubs, elsewhere in the region or even back in Japan.

“This helps create a virtuous cycle where young and promising Japanese players are open to joining us.”

Two other factors have been crucial to Albirex’s 2022 SPL triumph.

The first is their ability to hang on to Yoshinaga despite the Football Association of Singapore’s interest in hiring him as the Lions coach.

The White Swans were open to the idea but insisted he could be released only at the end of the SPL season as he had handpicked their squad and the players had joined because they bought into his vision.

This trust and balance could have been upset by a change in coach, and in the end their victory proved they were right.

Three Yoshinaga signings have also proven to be especially vital. In a season where they have been uncharacteristically leaky at the back – at 1.54 goals conceded per match, they won the league while letting in more than a goal a game – their forwards have been on target.

Kodai Tanaka has been the bargain pick of the season from Takushoku University with 33 goals and 10 assists.

But this is the first time Albirex have gone for a marquee player and given a Singaporean teenager a starring role up front.

Up stepped former Japan international Tadanari Lee, 36, to inject creativity, calmness, as well as 10 goals and nine assists despite missing six games through Covid-19 and a collarbone fracture.

The 19-year-old Ilhan Fandi has been the breakout star with 15 goals and four assists in just 18 games.

Koh said: “It is true that the trio made the difference, because our defence did not do as well as in previous seasons.

“We signed Lee because we decided we wanted a star name this season to help our young players learn the true meaning of professionalism, as well as for club branding and marketing purposes.

“We pursued Ilhan as early as August 2021 because he is clearly Singapore’s best young player. 

“Along with Tanaka, who also burst into life, we are glad that these signings paid off and helped us regain the title.”