Replies to Forum ● May 16, 2014
FAS’ Reply To Forum Letter Dated 14 May, titled “Show more support for local football”
“We thank Ms Jong Ching Yee for her letter, as published on 14 May, 2014 in The Straits Times Forum pages, titled “Show more support for local football”.
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) appreciates the support of Ms Jong and all our fans of Singapore football, which includes the National Team, the LionsXII, the Courts Young Lions, the S.League teams and our National Football Academy (NFA) teams.
The participation of the LionsXII in the Malaysian Super League (MSL) was one of the initiatives spelt out in the footballing agreement between FAS and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), under which youth development is a key objective. It has since played a role in the development of several young players, including Safuwan Baharudin and Shakir Hamzah, who are regular faces in the National Team.
With the proliferation of “live” broadcasts and streaming of football matches on cable TV and online platforms, fans now have even wider and easier access to international football leagues.
This naturally creates fierce competition for fan support and viewership of local football. As such, the pressure on Singapore football to fight for viewership is more intense than ever before.
However, we are very heartened and pleased to share that our LionsXII has been playing to near full-house attendances and the average match attendance for our S.League have been gradually growing year on year. Our various sponsors and StarHub, our broadcasting partner of the LionsXII, have also helped us to reach hundreds of thousands of Singaporeans by working relentlessly to bring the “live” matches to their homes.
We are deeply grateful to them, and to our fans for their constant and unwavering presence and support. Most importantly, we hope all our fans , including Ms Jong, will encourage their families and friends to come down and support the LionsXII in the MSL and the Courts Young Lions in the S.League.
While we are encouraged by the progress of Singapore football, there remains much hard work to be done. We will continue to strive towards our goals as spelt out in our Strategic Plan.
We thank Ms Jong once again for her feedback and support of local football.”
Thank you.
Gerard Wong
Director, Marketing & Communications
Football Association of Singapore
