SINGAPORE, 27 FEBRUARY 2025 – For the first time in its storied history, the Lion City Cup (LCC) in 2025 will feature a girls’ tournament, marking an important step forward in the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) commitment to the women’s game. Since its inception in 1977, the LCC has hosted renowned teams from around the world, including Brazil’s Flamengo, Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam, English sides Liverpool and Arsenal, and more recently, Tokyo Verdy, Johor Darul Ta’zim, and Thailand’s BG Pathum United.
The move to put a girls’ tournament at the front and centre of the 2025 edition comes as part of the vision for a bigger and better LCC that is a key competition in Southeast Asian youth football development for both boys and girls.
To support this vision, FAS has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Seventy7 Sports to develop and commercialise the LCC, ensuring it grows to become a premier tournament for both boys and girls in Asia. This partnership aims to enhance the tournament’s sustainability and reach, positioning it as a key fixture in the youth football calendar.
Building a bigger and better LCC
Seventy7 Sports will lend its expertise to chart a roadmap for the tournament’s evolution, focusing on making the cup commercially viable and financially sustainable in the long run.
“The signing of an MOU with Seventy7 Sports marks a commitment from both sides to explore commercial opportunities, strengthen the Lion City Cup brand, and elevate its profile as a premier youth tournament in Asia and beyond,” said FAS President, Mr Bernard Tan.
“As part of this growth, we will introduce a youth girls’ competition for the first time this year, reaffirming our commitment to developing the women’s game regionally.
“This partnership with Seventy7 Sports will help expand the tournament, providing youth footballers with greater opportunities to compete against international teams,” he added.
Tokyo Verdy won the 2024 Lion City Cup, October 2024.
Unlocking the potential of youth football in Singapore and beyond
Tokyo Verdy won the last edition of the tournament in October 2024, beating BG Pathum United 4-1 in the final at Jalan Besar Stadium. With the tournament’s expansion, there is a clear ambition to further strengthen Singapore’s position in the youth football landscape.
“We at Seventy7 Sports are thrilled and privileged to have teamed up with Football Association of Singapore and to be able to work on such a prestigious competition,” said Ketan Makwana, Executive Chairman of Seventy7 Sports.
“Football is a fundamental sport that delivers many different factors to human wellbeing and prosperity: everything from community, leadership, team dynamics to personal development skills for the players. Our vision is to drive innovation into the LCC and support the youth and future generation to thrive through football; there was a time once when LCC was at the pinnacle of Asian tournaments, it’s time the tournament takes its place as a premier event in the Asia sports calendar,” he added.
