SINGAPORE, 4 OCTOBER – After just over four months of intense battle, the 2022 Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL) season drew to an exciting end on Sunday, 2 October.

 

Albirex Niigata (S), playing in their maiden campaign, dramatically clinched second place on the final day with a 3-0 victory over Tiong Bahru FC. Tina Afrida’s brace and a late strike from Nurhidayah Shah meant that the Swans got the victory they needed to leapfrog Tanjong Pagar United, who had fell 2-1 a night earlier to the Lion City Sailors.

 

For the Sailors, the come-from-behind win meant that they completed the season with an unbeaten record of 10 wins and two draws. Yeong Sheau Shyan’s side, also making their top-flight debut, had already sealed the title three weeks earlier with two matches left. They had to dig deep to preserve their record, having trailed to Yuki Monden’s opener before turning things around through Lila Tan’s equaliser and a 96^th-minute winner from Fatin Aqillah.

 

 

That ending meant that the Sailors were able to celebrate at the trophy presentation with a little more gusto, as captain Ernie Sulastri hoisted the WPL gong high to crown them as champions of the 21^st season. Attacker Izzati Rosni finished as top scorer with 10 goals, followed by Manami Fukuzawa of Tanjong Pagar with eight and Sailors team-mate Dorcas Chu with seven.

 

FAS Acting President Bernard Tan, FAS Women’s Committee Chairperson Julie Teo and Sailors CEO Chew Chun Liang were all in attendance at the Yishun Stadium, which has served at the match venue for the entire campaign. The champions were awarded S$25,000, while Albirex and Tanjong Pagar received S$10,000 and S$7,500 respectively.

 

Below the top three, Tiong Bahru came in at fourth in their second WPL season. Debutant pair Balestier Khalsa and Hougang United finished fifth and seventh respectively, sandwiching a sixth-placed finish for Still Aerion Women’s in their 13^th campaign.

 

The weekend marked the conclusion of a WPL season that saw its first ever title sponsor in the form of Deloitte Singapore and which returned after a two-year pandemic-enforced absence. The Sailors’ triumph made them the 14^th different winner of the WPL, which first kicked off in 2000.

 

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