It has been a busy year for 15-year-old Celine Koh, one filled with lessons, growth and new challenges, both on and off the pitch. From being part of the inaugural girls’ Lion City Cup (LCC) and the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Championship squads, to becoming a scholar under the Unleash the Roar! programme and joining IMG Academy in Florida 2025 has been hectic for Celine.
She now returns to captain the Singapore team, gearing up for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-17 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers, and she brings with her lessons on commitment, adaptation, and improvement.
Celine has only been at IMG for a month, but the training environment is already leaving a mark. Her teammates are vocal and demanding, quick to encourage but also unafraid to point out where things could be better. It is an environment that has helped her develop habits she is eager to bring back to Singapore.
“It’s definitely more physical and faster over there,” she explained, noting that Singapore’s style tends to be more tactical. “But playing at IMG has helped me improve a lot, especially in being more aggressive and training with intensity every session.”
That balance between physicality and tactical understanding has become part of her growth as a player and now as a leader. Being named captain of the national side is a responsibility she takes seriously.
“I want to be someone my teammates can look up to, but not someone above them,” she said. “More like a role model who plays alongside them.”
Celine’s sense of leadership has been shaped by experience at international tournaments like LCC and the AFF Under-16 Championship. And when the call came to return home from the United States to represent Singapore again, she grabbed at the opportunity with both hands.
“I was very happy to get the call,” she said with a smile. “Playing in front of friends and family definitely makes me a bit nervous, but I’m more prepared now after those past experiences.”
Being captain means balancing her own performance with the responsibility of leading others, a challenge she admits takes awareness. When she is frustrated with herself, she tries not to let it affect how she interacts with the team. She said, “It’s about separating the two. Even if I’m not playing well, I still need to encourage and lead normally.”
As the team heads into the tournament, Celine’s message to her teammates is simple but heartfelt: to enjoy every moment. She wants them to play with freedom and no regrets.
“It’s about having fun and giving our all,” she said. “We should leave the pitch with no regrets.”
Looking ahead, Celine’s ambitions go beyond this tournament, but she is keeping her head in the game, ready to embrace every challenge that lies ahead.
“I hope to gain valuable experiences from this tournament,” she said. “Playing stronger opponents will help me go back to school, train harder and come back even stronger.”
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