ADDRESS BY MR LIM KIA TONG PRESIDENT, FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF 37TH FAS ANNUAL CONGRESS SATURDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2019, 9.00AM RAFFLES TOWN CLUB

1. Professor Ho Peng Kee, FAS Advisor

2. Lavin Vignesh, FIFA Development Manager

3. Sandjar Rizaev, Head of MA & Regional Associations (Central Asia Unit), AFC

4. Varankumar Sagaran, MA & Regional Associations Secretary, AFC

5. Todd Vladich, Director of NSA Capability Development, Singapore Sport

Institute

6. FAS Executive Committee and Council members

7. Chairman and Representatives of SPL Clubs

8. Chairman and Representatives of NFL Clubs

9. FAS Affiliates

10. Sponsors and Partners

11. FAS Staff

12. Friends from the Media

13. Ladies and Gentlemen

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Introduction

1. A very good morning to all and welcome to the 37th Annual Congress of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).

Congress Cup 2019

2. As part of the efforts to strengthen ties, we launched the inaugural edition of the FAS Congress Cup last year to provide a platform for stakeholders and members of our football fraternity to come together through our Beautiful Game. Similarly this year, as a prelude to the Congress, the Congress Cup was held last evening to great success.

3. Amongst the 10 teams which participated last evening, Team FAS Staff claimed the Champions title while Team NFL and Team SPL finished as first and second runners-up respectively. Congratulations to the winning teams once again and I hope everyone had enjoyed themselves last evening..

Annual Report

4. The past year has been an exciting one where we embraced various challenges and introduced new initiatives to achieve our four key objectives of Youth Development, Capability Development, Cost Efficiency and Vibrant Football Culture. Details of the activities may be found in the Annual Report on the FAS website.

Organisational Restructure

5. At the organisational level, the FAS underwent restructuring – specifically to review the structure of the Technical Department for a more effective delivery of our Strategic Plan.

6. After careful assessment and consultation with our stakeholders, we made the decision to abolish the FAS National Football Academy this year. We wanted 2

to decentralise the development of youth players to widen the base of elite players for selection of the age-group national teams. Instead, the FAS will work with (SPL) clubs, schools and academies to develop and administer standards for youth development.

7. Key appointments were subsequently made in the Technical Department. Joseph Palatsides and Tatsuma Yoshida took on the positions of Technical Director and Men’s National Team Coach respectively while Fadzuhasny Juraimi and Philippe Aw were appointed head coaches of the Under-15 and Under-18 National Teams respectively. The National Youth Team coaches – which includes Fandi Ahmad – will work alongside Joseph and Tatsuma to enhance the development of our age-group teams, develop a pipeline of players for the National Team from the youth level and ensure a congruent style of play.

8. Additionally, Zainudeen Hassan has been appointed as the new Head of Coach Education and Development, where he will work closely with coaches from SPL clubs and their Centres of Excellence as well as implementing the FAS Coach Education syllabus to further develop local football coaches in line with AFC standards. He will also play a key role in ensuring the ecosystem’s youth development is aligned with the FAS’ Development philosophy.

Singapore Premier League

Shared Stadiums

9. Another area where we have focused efforts on, is the SPL. In an effort to create a vibrant football culture, we embarked on the shared stadiums initiative as part of Sport Singapore’s Sports Facilities Master plan to increase the level of engagement with fans. Identified football stadiums were upgraded with better facilities and the latest technology to create football-centric stadiums where SPL fans can look forward to more football programmes and improved match- day experience.

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2019 season

10. The last matches of the season will be played tomorrow but Brunei DPMM has already sealed the champions spot two weeks ago. I would like to congratulate Brunei DPMM for clinching their second SPL title. It was a close fight for the title and heartening to see all teams, especially Hougang United and Tampines Rovers, putting up a good fight till the end.

Referees

11. We are proud that our referees have been flying the Singapore flag high in the past year. A trio of our local FIFA referees – Muhammad Taqi Aljaafari, Ronnie Koh and Abdul Hannan – were appointed to officiate at the 2019 FIFA Under- 20 World Cup in Poland. We also had Singaporean match officials officiating in Asia’s most prestigious football tournament – the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup.

12. These appointments by FIFA and AFC are testament of FAS’ structured training program in producing top-class match officials and prove that our top referees can be on par with the world’s best. We are glad to note that Singapore currently has a total 11 AFC elite referees and assistant referees, a big feat for a small country like ours. The FAS will continue in our efforts to raise local refereeing standards by creating more learning opportunities and a clear development pathway for referees.

Women’s Football

13. Women’s football has also seen a more vibrant football calendar. International tournaments were organised for the senior and Under-15 Women’s National Team such as the FAS International Women’s Quadrangular and the UEFA- FAS Under-15 Girls’ Tournament 2019 respectively, where both teams finished second. The tournaments were aimed at providing opportunities for the development of youth players and for the teams to pit themselves against quality opposition, with the support and expertise of the AFC and UEFA. 4

Stakeholders and Partnerships

14. Our shared vision for Singapore football was adopted by our stakeholders and I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to them.

AFC

15. I would like to specially thank the AFC whom have supported us through the AFC President’s Development Initiatives. We are grateful to have AFC Consultant Anter Issac and Development Officer Visakan Subramanian’s assistance in the continued development of Singapore football and key strategic implementations.

FIFA

16. Another of our key partners is FIFA, with whom we have embarked on the FIFA Forward Programme. This programme supports Member Associations with grants for long-term football development. The FAS has utilised the funding for schemes such as enhancement of IT systems, football performance analysis software and projects to develop FAS’ referees. In total, we have prudently spent up to SGD 370,000 on these schemes.

17. FIFA also provides each Member Association up to USD 100,000 for the period 2016 until 2018, to purchase football equipment and football-related equipment. The FAS leveraged on this and purchased equipment to measure and keep track of players’ fitness levels in the SPL. This technology would be able to provide recommendations for conditioning and fitness training with their clubs.

Infrastructure Upgrade

18. Adding on, in accordance with our Contract of Agreed Objectives (FORWARD 1.0) with FIFA, the FAS has also made a deliberate decision to embark on an infrastructure upgrade of its headquarters situated in Jalan Besar Stadium and install a new and improved artificial pitch to keep up with the volume of activities 5

at Jalan Besar Stadium. With activities such as matches, training, amateur games, grassroots activities and courses taking place at the stadium, the pitch is worn out at a faster pace. It is hence necessary to ensure that the pitch is able to support the high usage.

19. Ever since the FAS shifted into its HQ in 2003 ( 16 years ago ), there has not been any major upgrades to our office premises. With the availability of the FIFA Forward Funds, the FAS Executive Committee decided to leverage on this initiative and enhance the admin offices, and upgrade its training and competition facility.

20. The HQ's design concept and theme would be in line with Article 4 of the FAS Constitution, which is to ‘ promote friendly relations between its Members, Clubs, Officials and Players and in society for humanitarian objectives’. The office would have a welcoming and family feeling in its design, exhibiting a sense of vibrancy, buzz and energy.

21. This extensive infrastructure project is envisaged to be completed in late 2020, from conceptualisation to construction, with the expenditure expected to be in the region of up to USD 2 million. As a requirement by FIFA, this funds from FIFA (FORWARD 1.0) are meant exclusively for this Infrastructure upgrade of the FAS HQ at Jalan Besar Stadium.

FIFA Forward 2.0 – Contract of Agreed Objectives

22. A brand new four year cycle from 2019 – 2022, also known as the FIFA Forward 2.0, had been implemented to dedicate more financial resources for football development.

23. The FAS will be embarking on the following priorities and agreed objectives for this cycle. These priorities areas would be in Infrastructure, Competitions, Capacity Building, Grassroots & Youth Development Programmes, and National Teams.

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24. We thank FIFA for these initiatives.

New Partnerships

25. Earlier this year, we welcomed AIA Singapore on board as the new title sponsor for the SPL. With their existing ties to football and notable presence in the Asia-Pacific region, we believe that this partnership will help us to achieve our goal of improving the vibrancy of local football and raising the standards of football in Singapore. We have already begun to work together to reach out to the community on a grassroots level when we hosted Tottenham Hotspur Global Development Coaches, Anton Blackwood and Shaun Harris in a coach exchange session earlier in June. Close to 50 FAS and AIA Singapore Premier League club coaches participated in the session as they discussed best practices on nurturing young talent.

26. New partnerships were also forged to raise the level of professionalism and develop the capabilities of players, coaches and officials. Not only did we partner private education institution PSB Academy to provide players the opportunity for continuous learning and further education, we also sought to enhance the professional image of local referees through apparel sponsor Warrix.

Fan Support for the National Teams - #ONESTRONG

27. A big part of what we do is to bring the fans back to the stadiums, to support the National Teams. With that in mind, the #ONESTRONG campaign was launched last year to rally Singaporeans, from all walks of life, to come together to support Singapore football and stand behind the National Teams as they compete on the international stage.

28. The campaign resonated with the fans. We saw a growing number of fans turning up at the stadiums to cheer on the Lions, especially during the AFF Suzuki Cup home matches. 7

29. Just three weeks ago, we saw fans come together to support the National Team as they embarked on their journey in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers under Tatsuma. With the strong support from the home crowd, the Lions were given the motivation to push forward and earned a hard-fought win against a Palestinian side that is ranked 60 spots above us.

30. Earlier this year, the Under-22 National Team led by Fandi overcame the odds to win the Merlion Cup after defeating Thailand in the final. I am sure that the win will serve as a confidence booster for the boys ahead of the upcoming 2019 in Philippines at the end of the year.

31. #ONESTRONG will continue as an ongoing campaign for the National Teams. We hope that this spirit will continue to grow as a strong source of support for our national teams as they fly the Singapore colours on the international stage.

National players

32. At this point, I would like to thank a couple of National Team players for their contribution and dedication to Singapore football. One of Singapore’s best midfielders, Fahrudin Mustafic has led by example on the pitch for the Lions, earning 85 caps and scoring eight times at the international level in the past 12 years. We are thankful to have him continue to contribute to the local football scene from the sidelines after his retirement as part of Tampines Rovers’ coaching staff.

33. Just two days ago, Khairul Amri announced his retirement from international football. Amri has had an illustrious 15-year career with the Lions, having made 132 appearances and scored 32 international goals to become Singapore’s third top scorer of all time. Amri has been a vital member for the Lions, particularly by scoring in three ASEAN Football Federation Championship finals, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours as he continues to play at club level.

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Goal 2034

34. As you may have already heard, Goal 2034 is a project that we are embarking on. It is still currently in the preliminary stages, but we believe that this is a realistic goal if we have the strong and unwavering support of our various stakeholders in terms of grassroots football, youth development, infrastructure and schools. We are currently engaging with our stakeholders to refine the proposal which will be key in shaping everything what we do to achieve the goal.

New Football Hub

35. The Kallang Football Hub is one of the key projects that will play a vital role in allowing us to achieve our goal of developing a stronger National Team. As announced last year, the FAS has been working closely with SportSG on the Kallang Football Hub to ensure that it is able to cater for our national teams’ training needs and requirements. We are expecting this new centre to be ready by first quarter next year.

CSR

36. In the midst of pursuing football excellence, we have not forgotten our roots as a community sport that bring people together. More than 100 seniors from various Senior Activity Centres and Welfare Homes across Singapore participated in the Seniors’ Walking Football where they tried out simple football drills and five-a-side games facilitated by FAS-certified grassroots coaches. This not only facilitated playing for those who are physically disadvantaged but also promoted community bonding through the game in a safe environment.

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Governance

37. A final area of focus for my Council and I is governance. The governance processes which we have put in place have shown to be effective as for the first time, the external audit conducted by Deloitte & Touche has found no risk items.

38. We have also continued to make further improvements to the systems and processes such as ramping up the Club Licensing system. This is to ensure stronger governance and organisational structures, stable financial management, as well as improve clubs’ administration processes.

NFL & IWL

39. The National Football League (NFL) and Island Wide League (IWL) are an important part of Singapore’s football ecosystem, providing amateur footballers with a platform to express their passion for football and to showcase their potential. We have seen an increase in interest amongst the amateur football scene, which was why we brought back the IWL last year. Not only does it provide a platform for teams to participate in the sport, it also serves as a qualifying competition to the NFL.

40. The 2018 NFL season has been rewarding for the FAS and NFL clubs. We noted a decrease in NFL disciplinary cases, which shows an improved standard of play within the league. To further improve the quality and enhance the professionalism of the amateur leagues, the fourth official was introduced to the NFL to bring it on par with the standard for the SPL. Matches were also played at proper stadiums.

41. We will be looking to introduce Club Licensing to the clubs in the NFL next to help clubs develop strong administration, organisational and financial structures. The FAS will also look into providing more incentives to NFL clubs so that they are able to do more.

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Conclusion

42. In the past year, we have been taking steps to achieve what we have planned, and we acknowledge that there is more work to be done until we reach our goal. I would like to thank all present for your continued support of Singapore football.

43. I would also like to express my appreciation to the staff and management of the FAS for their hard work and commitment. Let us continue working towards achieving our common goal of football excellence for Singapore.

44. The local football season is yet to be over and there is more football excitement to look forward to. The Komoco Motors Singapore Cup kicked off just three days ago and I would like to once again thank Komoco Motors for their support by coming on board as the title sponsor. We have seen how the SPL title race came down to the last few games of the season, I am expecting more exciting twists to come in the 22nd edition of the Cup tournament.

45. Last but certainly not least, the National Team will be facing their next challenge in the World Cup Qualifiers soon as they go up against Saudi Arabia before returning home for the match against Uzbekistan. Let us rally behind the Lions and show them our support at the stadium!

46. Thank you.

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