SINGAPORE, 22 NOVEMBER 2019 – The fourth edition of Football Association of Singapore (FAS) Under-15 International Challenge Cup (ICC) is set to commence this Saturday on 23 November.

 

This year, there will be an increase in the number of participating teams from six to eight, including two local teams – Singapore National Under-15 and Singapore Sports School Under-15. The Singapore National Under-15 team recently participated in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-16 Championship 2020 qualifier in September, and came home with a win and two losses despite a brave showing. The ICC will prove to be the perfect ground for the U-15 team to bounce back from their defeats and also be exposed to strong teams internationally.

 

The other six teams consist of foreign teams from Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam. Three of the teams will be participating in the tournament for the first time – Australia’s Melbourne City College of Football and Perth United, as well as Indonesia’s Garuda Unity FC.

 

For the past three editions of the tournament, Vietnamese team Promotion Fund of Vietnamese Football Talents (PVF) Under-15 was the reigning champions and will be looking to defend their crown this year. The other competing teams are Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) Under-15 and Japan’s Matsumoto Yamaga FC Under-15.

 

All group stage matches as well as the third and fourth placing will be played at the Singapore Sports School, while the semi-finals and final will be held at Jalan Besar Stadium. The final will take place next Friday on 29 November. Admission to all matches is free and open to public.

 

For the full list of fixtures, click here.

 

Read on to find out more about the eight participating teams!

 

Singapore Sports School Under-15

The Singapore Sports School was established in 2004 to offer Singaporean youths an integrated academic and sports programme. The team competes in school tournaments and boasts illustrious alumni including Singapore National Team players Safuwan Baharudin, Irfan Fandi and Adam Swandi. The Singapore Sports School U15 team is coached by former Singapore international Isa Halim.

 

Singapore National Under-15

The Singapore National U15 side is headed by Head Coach Philippe Aw, recently appointed early this year. The team includes selected players from clubs as well as schools. Two years ago, the Under-15 National Team emerged second runners-up in the tournament.

 

Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) Under-15 (Malaysia)

JDT, nicknamed the “Southern Tigers”, is a professional football club based in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia, that competes in the Malaysia Super League. The JDT U15 is the club’s youth football academy, which was established in 2015. The team currently trains under a group of Valencia CF coaches, with Jose Vicente leading the team as Head Coach. The team finished second in the previous three editions of the FAS U15 ICC.

 

Matsumoto Yamaga FC Under-15 (Japan)

Established in May 2003, Matsumoto Yamaga FC Youth Academy aims to train and develop youth players to become professional footballers who will continue to play the sport in future. The senior team, Matsumoto Yamaga FC, currently plays in the first tier of Japanese football, J1 league. This is the fourth time that the Matsumoto Yamaga FC U15 team is competing in the FAS U15 ICC.

 

Promotion Fund of Vietnamese Football Talents (PVF) Under-15 (Vietnam)

Champions of the FAS ICC for three years straight from 2016 to 2018, the PVF U15s will be looking to defend their title for the second time at this year’s tournament. The PVF Academy was established in 2008, with the goal to train and develop the best players in Vietnam. Last year, PVF relocated their training centre to a modern facility with the intention of becoming the best youth development centre in the region. The team’s core is made up of players who won the title last year and is supported by players chosen from other academies of excellence around Vietnam. Some of these players were part of the Vietnam squad that travelled to Malaysia for the 2018 Asian Football Confederation U16 Championship in September.

 

Garuda Unity FC Under-15 (Indonesia)

Garuda Unity FC is made up of players from the West Java youth football and is headed by Indonesia football legend, Aji Nurpijal, a former Persib Bandung player. The club prioritises values such as attitude and respect, and expects their players to develop not just in the football aspect, but also in terms of character. This is the first time that they are participating in the ICC tournament.

 

Melbourne City College of Football (Australia)

The Melbourne City College of Football Team comprises of select players from leading partner schools, Overnewton Anglican Community College and John Fawkner College. The team’s head coaches are Lachlan Armstrong and Davey van’t Schip, who both oversee football programming and elite stream management. This is the first year that the Melbourne City College of Football team will be participating in the ICC.

 

Perth United (Australia)

Perth United is a newly established club formed in July 2019. Their club motto is to give equal opportunities to develop young talent from Western Australia, whilst respecting and learning from other cultures when playing in overseas tournaments. Perth United will be taking part in the ICC 2019 for the first time.