ANNUAL REPORT 32nd FAS ANNUA L GENERA L MEETING 12/9/2014 Cover - Pg 48 & Pg 70 - Pg 103 Grassroots to Medical Comm.indd 1 11/1/14 11:12 AM SINGAPORE “A” TEAM MISSION Our Mission is to enhance lives by leading innovative development of competitive and recreational football in Singapore together with all our partners. VISION Our Vision is Excelling in Asia and Competing in World Football: • Our National Team succeeds at every level • Our Game is commercially viable • Our Game ethics and tradition are maintained • Our Game is growing at every level VALUES • Inclusiveness • Innovative • Openness • Teamwork • Dare FAS Annual Report (Apr 2013 - Mar 2014) Cover - Pg 48 & Pg 70 - Pg 103 Grassroots to Medical Comm.indd 2 11/1/14 11:12 AM ANNUAL REPORT April 2013 - March 2014 FAS Annual Report (Apr 2013 - Mar 2014) 1 Cover - Pg 48 & Pg 70 - Pg 103 Grassroots to Medical Comm.indd 1 11/1/14 11:12 AM FAS Annual Report (Apr 2013 - Mar 2014) 2 Cover - Pg 48 & Pg 70 - Pg 103 Grassroots to Medical Comm.indd 2 11/1/14 11:12 AM FAS Annual Report (Apr 2013 - Mar 2014) 3 Cover - Pg 48 & Pg 70 - Pg 103 Grassroots to Medical Comm.indd 3 11/1/14 11:12 AM PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE It is with great pleasure that I present to you the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) Annual Report for Financial Year (FY) 2013/2014. I am pleased to report that we have achieved good progress over the past year, and have fulfilled several key footballing objectives as spelt under the FAS Strategic Plan 2010-2015. The past year has been rewarding for Singapore football, and FAS continues to be recognised for its strengths in various areas including management and leadership. Following our ranking as one of the top three National Sports Associations (NSA) in 2012, FAS attained a higher score in the latest NSA Organisational Development Review, which was conducted by Sport Singapore (formerly known as Singapore Sports Council) and its appointed consultant. FAS scored high marks in key categories including processes and governance. Among others, the report also noted that FAS “has well-rounded strategic initiatives built into the Multi-Year Sports Plan (MYSP)… (and that) the leadership appears to be very capable of continuing to take Football to the next level, as the (General Secretary) has vast marketing experience which is an asset that not many NSA’s have the pleasure of having.” In addition, French Football Federation (FFF) Vice-President Bernard Desumer described FAS as “one of Asia’s best football administrators” and also noted that our youth development structure has “achieved much despite operating on a much smaller budget compared to other countries in the region”. Youth development is a key component of our Strategic Plan and the National Football Academy (NFA) and Junior Centre of Excellence (JCOE) are key programmes which have achieved good progress in recent years. The launch of the revamped Centre of Excellence programme in February 2014 has been well-received by parents and the football fraternity, both in Singapore and overseas, including FC Metz’s Youth Academy Director Denis Schaeffer, FIFA’s Senior Development Manager for Asia David Borja, and Austrian Football Association’s Technical Director Willi Ruttensteiner. The results in terms of players’ development, coupled with positive assessments by leading international officials, is a clear indication that we have in place a strong youth development structure and strategy although we need to secure more resources and maximise the potential of our players. In 2013, FAS and Sport Singapore established a Football Task Force aimed at building on the success of the FAS Strategic Plan and addressing key constraints and challenges facing Singapore football. Captains of various industries with the necessary expertise and skillsets have been invited to serve as members of the Task Force, and we will work hard to turn our challenges into opportunities. FAS Annual Report (Apr 2013 - Mar 2014) 4 Cover - Pg 48 & Pg 70 - Pg 103 Grassroots to Medical Comm.indd 4 11/1/14 11:12 AM On the National ‘A’ Team, the major competition was the qualifiers for the 2015 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup. Our national team scored a notable 2-1 win over 2012 West Asian Football Federation winner Syria at the Jalan Besar Stadium in October 2013, but they did not manage to qualify for the competition proper. Nonetheless, we are encouraged to note that National Teams Head Coach Bernd Stange, who was appointed in May 2013, has handed international debuts to more than 10 players – which is in line with our ongoing efforts to prepare a team capable of competing in the qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Our National Under-23 Team put up a good performance at the 2013 SEA Games in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. The team lost to eventual champions Thailand in the semi-final but clinched the bronze medal after overcoming the then-defending champions Malaysia in the 3rd/4th placing match. I am confident that our Under-23 Team will build on the success for the next edition of the SEA Games, which will be held in Singapore in June 2015. Our LionsXII surpassed all odds to clinch the Malaysian Super League (MSL) title in only its second season – an achievement which was also highlighted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Message and National Day Rally. Most notably, the team won the hearts and minds of all Singaporeans with their spirited and courageous performances throughout the 2013 season. Following the resignation of LionsXII Head Coach V Sundramoorthy after the 2013 Malaysia Cup campaign, we appointed former national captain Fandi Ahmad as the new Head Coach. The appointment has been welcomed by the football fraternity, and we are confident in his abilities and leadership to bring LionsXII to the next level. I am also encouraged by the continued appointments of our referees in high-profile matches and competitions, including the appointment of Ms Abirami Naidu as the fourth official for four games at the FIFA Women’s Under-17 World Cup in Costa Rica in March 2014. Going forward, we will continue to work with our stakeholders to explore ways to further develop our personnel, including players, coaches and referees. Off the field, FAS signed three key Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) with leading football organisations including French Football Federation (FFF), Japan’s professional football league, J-League, and La Liga giants Atletico Madrid. These collaborations create opportunities to facilitate the development of our players and officials, and also enable us to learn and exchange expertise and information on various key areas such as youth development and coaches’ education. During the past one year, FAS secured and welcomed new sponsors namely AirAsia, Epson, Stamford Tyres, Halal Food International and PGK Media among others. We have also renewed sponsorship deals with Great Eastern, YEO’s and RHB Bank. We are grateful for their sponsorships and recognition of our hard work in developing and promoting football. FAS Annual Report (Apr 2013 - Mar 2014) 5 Cover - Pg 48 & Pg 70 - Pg 103 Grassroots to Medical Comm.indd 5 11/1/14 11:12 AM For instance, AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes commented: “I got involved was (because of) the passion shown by the FAS. I looked at the fact that we could help a group of guys who were very passionate about local football.” On the S.League, several new initiatives were introduced for the 2013 season, including a new league format, fitness test, and marquee player scheme with its aim to raise the quality of play and competitiveness. Through the hard work of our staff and the S.League clubs, the average match attendances in 2013 increased significantly by almost 45 per cent. The 2013 S.League champions, Tampines Rovers, had also been granted a play-off spot to compete in the 2014 AFC Champions League, after our relentless efforts in engaging AFC and other Member Associations on the criteria weightage for participation. It is vital that we continue to develop our domestic league as we strive towards excelling on the international stage. We also remain committed to creating a positive impact on the community at large. Amongst the many community-driven initiatives, I am proud to note that the second annual executive football charity fundraiser, “Football with a Heart”, raised about $540,000 to benefit a variety of causes. The FAS Charity Golf raised a total of $230,000, and the funds were channeled to the underprivileged young footballers at Care United. We have also started an extensive collaboration with the Bone Marrow Donor Programme, through our Courts Young Lions players, to raise awareness on bone marrow donation. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the FAS management, staff and stakeholders for their commitment and contributions to Singapore football. We will continue to persevere and work around the constraints as we strive towards fulfilling our key objectives, and also to strengthen community and social bonding through football. We are looking forward to the opening of the new stadium at Kallang, and we will work closely with our partners to bring back the “Kallang Roar” and “Kallang Wave” which have always been associated with the Lions. FAS recognises the ability of football to fulfill social objectives and we will continue to organise high-profile events aimed at bringing together Singaporeans from all walks of life. One of the key events in 2014 is the AFF Suzuki Cup and as the co-hosts, our Lions will certainly strive to put up a strong performance and do our best to defend the title.