Spanning Sport, Coaching and Social Sciences, the new centre is first of its kind in an institute of higher learning

 

SINGAPORE, 9 MARCH 2018: The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Republic Polytechnic (RP) to recognise them as the preferred academic partner of FAS. In support of our new vision and attitude to improve the vibrancy of football in Singapore, this three-year partnership agreement is aimed at facilitating the sharing of best practices between both parties and providing the FAS an opportunity to educate and engage the youth on sport science.

 

The RP-FAS Centre of Excellence (COE) for Football Science was also declared open today by Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health, and Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC Mr Amrin Amin.

 

Under the MOU, the joint COE will be based in the Sports Engineering Lab at the Republic Polytechnic Industry Centre and pools resources from both RP and FAS to reap the benefits of expertise across different domains. It also aims to act as a connecting node for students to the sports industry through activities and authentic learning spaces further to further enhance industry linkages. This is the first such collaboration between FAS and a polytechnic to improve the sport leveraging science, technology and education.

 

The COE will adopt a more scientific and data-driven approach, focusing on five key areas – high performance, fitness and nutrition, building mental resilience, injury management and improving coaching and sports administration systems. Laboratory-based activities, Continuing Education and Training courses, final year projects and specific academic modules related to the sports industry will also be jointly developed by FAS and RP to enhance students’ curriculum and academic learning experience. Beyond education, FAS and RP will also jointly organise sports events to engage the community.

 

FAS Deputy President Mr Bernard Tan said: “At the elite level of sports, athletes’ performance is determined by the edge provided by sports science in developing and raising their capabilities to ensure that they peak at the right time. We need to have a better understanding of players’ physical and mental capabilities and develop them at a higher intensity to raise the level of play.

 

“With this as the focus, the FAS has forged a meaningful partnership with Republic Polytechnic, a reputed institution, which has developed considerable competencies in this area over the years to help develop our young footballers. At the same time, this partnership will increase the body of knowledge for RP and give young sports scientists a greater exposure to football science.”

 

Dr Michael Koh, Deputy Principal (Academic Services), Republic Polytechnic said: “Republic Polytechnic is delighted to partner FAS in establishing the RP-FAS Centre of Excellence for Football Science. The first of its kind in an institute of higher learning spanning domains from sport science and coaching pedagogy to the social sciences, our combined expertise would allow us to facilitate a more scientific and evidence-based approach in the delivery of RP’s sports diplomas in authentic learning environments. Moving forward, this collaboration will benefit our full-time students as well as provide opportunities for lifelong learning when more football-related workshops and courses are made available in the near future.”

 

Following the launch of the RP-FAS COE for Football Science, the FAS Football Science and Medicine department conducted a hands-on workshop on injury prevention. As part of the SHL-EWBIS Youth Sports Science Symposium led and ran by students from RP School of Sports Health and Leisure (SHL) and the EW Barker Institute of Sports (EWBIS) from Raffles Institution, the workshop was conducted for student athletes to learn more about sports science and education.