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SINGAPORE – Amid public skepticism after years of poor performance in international soccer, the Singapore Football Association (FAS) is launching an ambitious national project to rebuild the sport’s foundations into one that can translate into the ultimate success of the National selection.
Under the slogan “Unleash the Roar”, FAS, supported by Sport Singapore (SportSG), presented a detailed master plan during a press conference at Jalan Besar Stadium on Tuesday (March 9), outlining its intention to return to the Lions. to international prominence.
Some of the initiatives within the master plan include: increasing the participation of children and youth soccer in schools; explore and develop talented players; raise training standards; and strengthening the Singapore Premier League.
The project, which was first raised in August 2019, will have an “aspirational milestone” to measure its success: qualification for the 2034 World Cup Finals with the local ecosystem producing most of the talent in the absolute national team.
“This project will go a long way toward Singapore revitalizing football systems, structures and support. This is not only a worthwhile project, but also a necessary one that will provide a focus for a long-term journey.” SportSG said. CEO Lim Teck Yin.
“Gathering thousands and thousands of people to come together, to work hard and steadily and move in the same direction, is not an easy task. But a project like this draws attention, and I think that if we communicate, we commit ourselves and we believe together as one, great things can happen. “
Lessons from the 2010 Goal
This is not the first time that Singapore has embarked on an ambitious national initiative to boost success in soccer, one of the most widely played sports in the country.
In 1998, then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong established the “Goal 2010” initiative in an attempt to propel the Lions to qualify for the 2010 World Cup Finals. But while Singapore found some regional success amid the momentum Goal 2010, winning the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship four times, failed to step up to reach the Asian Cup and World Cup Finals.
FAS President Lim Kia Tong acknowledged during Tuesday’s press conference that Goal 2010 did not reach its intended goal, but insisted that this current project has different goals and measures of success than its predecessor.
“Looking back at Goal 2010, he was driven primarily to implement high-performance solutions and have the sole objective of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup Finals,” he said.
“‘Unleash the Roar’ will build on the long-term sustainability of our football ecosystem. The focus will be on improving general standards in key aspects of the ecosystem, and through that, we aim to achieve results and much success. beyond (the 2034 World Cup) “.
Eight pillars of success
The national project will be divided into three phases. The first phase, from 2021 to 2022, will seek to establish all the conditions to increase participation at the base of the pyramid. This includes the national curriculum, participation in schools, implementation of the 10-15 soccer academies, and scholarship programs.
The second phase, from 2023 to 2027, will implement the project based on eight pillars:
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Let them play: FAS will establish a standardized National Soccer Curriculum that will be adopted by soccer co-curricular activities in elementary schools and will increase the number of qualified soccer coaches in schools. The curriculum will also be accessible to all public and private soccer clubs and academies.
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Let them fly: In partnership with the Ministry of Education (MOE), School Soccer Academies (SFA) will be established with enhanced support from coaches in selected secondary schools. An elite youth league will be organized to generate more opportunities at different skill levels.
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Scholarships: SportSG will explore the association of foreign soccer academies with links to professional soccer clubs offering a simultaneous academic track. FAS could also attract the academies of the best European clubs to Singapore.
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National Service (NS): FAS and SportSG will work with the Ministry of Defense to take advantage of avenues of support for eligible footballers, including early enlistment, leave and time off for the national military to train in the sport, as well as opportunities to continue training and playing at the highest levels while fulfilling their NS obligations.
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Improved technical capacity and capacity: SportSG and FAS will increase the overall capabilities of the coaches, all of whom will be trained to teach the National Soccer Curriculum. They will also establish talent search and identification networks locally and abroad, and link local talents with clubs abroad for high-quality development opportunities.
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Science and Technology: The project will take a technology-rich, data-driven approach to improve athlete performance and sharpen talent identification and tracking.
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Infrastructure: SportSG will improve the existing infrastructure and maximize the playable spaces, so that more people can play and more often.
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Association of the whole society: MCCY asks for the support of all Singaporeans to come together to achieve the goals of the soccer excellence project. He hopes the Singaporeans will cheer on the Lions and join behind them in their matches. Encourage companies to step up with their resources.
Finally, Phase 3 of the project, from 2028 to 2033, will see a concerted push towards qualification for the 2034 World Cup Finals.
“There is no single magic formula that will bring success in football. We will need a broad reinvention and revitalization of Singapore football to ensure that the key aspects are in place so that our young people can reach a standard.” that can bring consistent sustainable success, ”said FAS Vice President Bernard Tan.
“Each pillar has a critical role to play in our reimagined ecosystem so that football can bring success and pride to Singapore well beyond 2034.”
Public support is needed
However, despite the popularity of soccer in Singapore, support for the national team has waned in recent years.
Since their last AFF Championship win in 2012, the Lions have failed badly. They have failed to qualify for the semi-finals of every AFF Cup tournament since 2012, and have repeatedly come up empty in their quest for a first-ever SEA Games soccer gold medal.
With audiences unsure, even cynical, about the Lions’ chances of regaining their past glories, how will FAS and SportSG convince them to join this national project to build a viable foundation for another shot at the World Cup Finals? World?
“The desire to play soccer among children is high. What we are trying to convince their parents is that we have a good quality holistic soccer program,” said Lim Teck Yin.
“There is a path, a structure and a system that will be in place so that parents can understand and see what opportunities exist for children.
“We must continue to make sure that your trip is worthwhile.”
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