[ad_1]
SINGAPORE: Qualification for the 2034 World Cup remains an “aspirational goal” for Singapore and will not determine whether the new national project to grow local football is a success, the vice president of the Singapore Football Association said on Tuesday. (FAS), Bernard Tan (Mar 9).
Speaking at a press conference to present the various initiatives of the project, Tan said its success goes beyond the goal of qualifying for the 2034 World Cup.
“If we can grow an ecosystem, if we can get fans to come see the game, parents are very interested, if we can raise the level of our game, these are very, very good indicators to say that we have actually made improvements. substantial on our way to this project in soccer, ”he said.
Still, he noted that the goal is still important.
“We are not looking for a single goal. We are looking for sustainable travel, sustainable paths, with the 2034 World Cup as an aspiring goal. This aspiring goal is important because if we are going to ask our young Singaporeans to commit to this target, they need to aim high, “explained Mr. Tan.
“This is something we want to raise with you, but obviously the success of this project is not only in qualifying.”
LEE: New national soccer project to encourage young people to train and professionalize
The new project, with the slogan “Unleash the Roar”, was announced by the Minister of Culture, Community and Youth, Edwin Tong, in Parliament on Monday during the debate of the Supply Committee of his ministry.
As part of the project plan, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), Sport Singapore (SportSG) and FAS will present the football program in phases.
The first phase will ensure that footballers have the “right conditions” to excel, laying the groundwork for Singapore’s soccer team across all age groups to be more competitive on regional and international stages, MCCY said previously.
The implementation of the project will focus on eight “pillars”, involving a series of initiatives such as the FAS that establishes a standardized national soccer curriculum for soccer co-curricular activities (CCA) in elementary schools.
Mr. Tan noted that some of the “desired outcomes” would include having a unified soccer curriculum, as well as having 10 percent of each group of children between the ages of 6 and 12 play soccer. This would create a talent stream for children to enter the school’s soccer academies, he added.
Improving infrastructure and using science and technology to raise performance standards are also part of the other “pillars” of the project.
“In each (of) pillar (s) that we have, we want to measure some results. These are the results that we wanted to make sure we set as part of the project,” Tan said.
“There are certain results that we are still discussing, but … for example, participation, we are quite fixed. We want 10 percent of children to play soccer on a regular basis,” he said.
“For the elite path … we wanted to have around 250 per cohort, so 1,000 kids trained at the elite level, that’s pretty significant.”
Along with the Ministry of Defense, MCCY is also looking to support eligible footballers through early enlistment, leave, and time off for full-time national military personnel to train and play at the highest levels while fulfilling their National Service obligations. .
This vision of the project is based on the participation of government agencies such as MCCY and the Ministry of Education (MOE), along with SportSG, FAS, the football fraternity, corporate partners and Singaporeans, FAS said in an attached press release.
There will also be a public naming exercise for the project in due course, Tan revealed.
Tong had said in 2019, when he was vice president of the FAS, that qualification for the FIFA World Cup in 2034 would be a “realistic” goal for Singapore.
This is not the first time that Singapore has set a goal of participating in the football exhibition tournament. In 1998, Singapore said it aimed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said the initiative, dubbed Target 2010, was “bold and ambitious”.
FOCUS ON THE FUNDAMENTALS
At the press conference, FAS President Lim Kia Tong noted that there has been a comparison between the new national project and Goal 2010.
“While we acknowledge that Goal 2010 did not meet its original goal, it has brought several positive results, including the Lions’ extended period of dominance in the region, winning four ASEAN championship titles starting in 1998, and then in 2004, 2007 and finally 2012. “
Mr. Lim noted that Goal 2010 had been “primarily driven” by implementing “high performance solutions” and having the sole objective of reaching the 2010 World Cup.
READ: World Cup 2034 is ‘realistic’ goal for Singapore football, says FAS Vice President Edwin Tong: Report
“I’m sure we should be looking to do more than that. And the goal should be to rebuild the sport from scratch. The focus will be on the fundamentals of football, from the grassroots stadium to the elite level.” “said Mr. Lim.
The new project would be the “next step” in moving Singapore’s football forward, and has incorporated lessons from Goal 2010, he added.
“Unlike previous projects that have been measured solely by results on the international stage … (it) will be based on the long-term sustainability of our football ecosystem. The focus will be on improving overall standards in key aspects of the ecosystem and through that, aim for results and success well beyond 2034, “explained Mr. Lim.
Mr. Tan also noted that a “big part” of Goal 2010 was the recruitment and naturalization of foreign soccer players.
“This is something we’ve learned from the past. It’s probably not that sustainable. If we want to invest in soccer, we better involve … Singaporeans as a base. And this means that we want our children to grow up and be the stars. tomorrow, “he noted.
“He does not rule out the inculcation of foreigners in the national team, but certainly the base has to be Singaporean. And this basically means, fundamentally, that we are going to invest in a development path that is broad.”
REFLECTING THE ASPIRATIONS OF SINGAPORE
Also speaking at the press conference, SportSG CEO Lim Teck Yin noted that soccer is an “ideal” project due to its high participation rates locally.
“On average, for players 13 and older, that means not even counting elementary school kids, about 130,000 people play soccer every week. Of course, these statistics are in pre-COVID times,” he said .
“That is not a small number. Soccer is the most watched sport in Singapore and soccer is one of the few sports that Singaporeans play in their lifetime.”
Lim noted that the project “reflects” Singapore’s aspirations as a nation.
“Soccer as a project will be a solid platform, it will be a solid platform for us to realize that together,” he added.
