- First 100 days of new FAS Council term spent on setting in place initiatives to enable FAS’ four-faceted approach to strengthening the National Team
- National Team preparation and operations: Emphasis on focus and performance
- SPL competitiveness and attractiveness: Elevate standards, nurture quality players
- Youth development initiatives: Develop quality elite players, drive performance on international stage
- Infrastructure development: Deepen stakeholder partnership; build network of facilities
SINGAPORE, 6 AUGUST 2025 – Strengthening the Singapore National Team is the central focus of Football Association of Singapore (FAS) President Mr Forrest Li and his Council during their four-year term, with efforts across four identified key pillars all aimed at this target.
Addressing the Singapore football fraternity and local media at an event marking his Council’s first 100 days since taking office on 29 April 2025, Mr Li and his team outlined four key areas – National Team preparations and operations, competitiveness and attractiveness of the Singapore Premier League (SPL), youth development, and infrastructure – that will help drive the Lions’ improvement on the international stage.
The event, titled FAS Media Day 2025: The First 100 Days, was hosted at Shangri-La, Singapore, with 80 stakeholders, guests, as well as local and international media in attendance for what was the first time the FAS Council provided an update in such a forum.
“We know that football is woven into the fabric of Singapore society, and because of that we must be open about our aims, how we plan to hit these targets in the years ahead, and how we are working with our stakeholders to get there faster,” said Mr Li.
“We spent our first 100 days as the FAS Council tightening the logic of our approach and putting in place structures that will lay the foundations for sustainable success in the future.”
National Team: Empowering focus and performance
The Council have kicked off a broad-reaching recruitment process for the new National Team Head Coach who will be charged with leading the Lions into the AFC Asian Cup Finals in Saudi Arabia in 2027.
Even as the search goes on, the wheels are already in motion on organisational changes.
A comprehensive analysis and realignment of the technical department is underway, aimed at enhancing our technical capabilities. This will see an introduction of SOPs to ensure the adoption of best practices to enable the team’s success, while a more attractive incentive structure has been implemented to motivate the team to perform at a high level.
Additionally, a dedicated Head of Delegation will be appointed each time the team travels, to effectively oversee National Team administration and operations.
Singapore Premier League: Enhancing competitiveness and attractiveness
Revisions to SPL regulations ahead of the 2025/26 season mark the start of structural improvements designed to elevate competition standards and nurture player quality – this is aimed at ensuring the SPL continues to be a reliable platform to develop players who will be ready when called upon by the National Team.
One example of such regulation change is increasing foreign talent quota. Because of the increase in high-calibre foreign players, top local players will be consistently challenged and developed in a more competitive environment within their respective clubs, and thus driving the SPL towards becoming a high-performance environment, enhancing competition and player development.
For example, BG Tampines Rovers secured Trent Buhagiar, a Maltese international from Australia, while Tanjong Pagar United signed players such as Youssef Ezzejjari and Aaron Evans – players with proven pedigree in Asia.
New foreign players, including new Lion City Sailors’ signings Tsiy Ndenge, Anderson Lopes, and Ivan Susak, have arrived from top-tier leagues of Switzerland, Croatia, and Japan, respectively.
A key part of this season’s structural fine-tuning is the introduction of Singapore Premier League 2 (SPL2). Replacing the Centre of Excellence (COE) Under-21 competition, SPL2 will offer a more robust developmental platform closely integrated with each club’s senior team.
The SPL2 is a developmental yet competitive league that works in tandem with the SPL.
Off the pitch, enhancements to the league have also been put in place.
The SPL’s digital presence will be improved through a revamped website that will include statistical data powered by world-renowned football analytics company, Hudl.
The total prize money of the league has more than doubled from $290,000 to $600,000, in an additional effort to incentivise excellence in the league.
Youth development: Developing quality elite players; driving international performance
On the youth development front, strategic hires and coaching staff appointments have been made to strengthen talent pathways.
This, in line with the long-term vision of a structured youth talent development system, supported by robust partnerships, particularly with the Unleash The Roar! national football programme, is aimed at ensuring consistency and quality throughout the developmental phases. We will look to build on what UTR! has put in place over the last few years, namely providing a broad-based platform in the Singapore Youth League, starting with the National Development Centre and the Overseas Football Scholarships, among others.
FAS’s partnership with Sport Singapore – as part of UTR! – is also key on the infrastructure front, to ensure the FAS continues to build on its infrastructure network.
One example of this is the ongoing exploration into the feasibility of new venues such as the Toa Payoh Integrated Development, which is expected to be completed by 2030.
“The achievements of our first 100 days represent just the beginning of the transformational journey of Singapore football,” said FAS President, Mr Li.
“We invite all stakeholders – clubs, players, fans, and partners – to actively join us as we work together to reignite passion, and put in place structures that will set Singapore football up for sustainable success in the future.”
