Category: Feature
In From the Bridge, we step away from celebrating the anniversary of the founding of the Lion City Sailors to glance in the rear view mirror, to see how far the club has come in the previous year, before turning our eyes to the path ahead.
The last of this series is extra special. We turn the camera onto those at the centre of all our efforts – you, the football fan – and you get your own title in this series: From the Stands. In this piece, Jonathan Lee speaks on his journey from watching on the periphery of Singapore football, to personally driving fandom of the Lion City Sailors.
The Lion City Sailors (LCS) were unable to build on the huge buzz following the launch of the club in February 2020, with the global pandemic sending the majority of that year’s matches behind closed doors.
But as Covid-19 restrictions began to loosen in 2021, fans from all walks of life started to flock to stadiums across the island, especially the Jalan Besar Stadium, the Sailors’ home for 2021.
One of those was Jonathan Lee, who had been watching Singapore Premier League (SPL) games on the periphery, through online streaming, but the Sailors project – and performances – piqued his interest.
The 4-1 win over Tampines Rovers where the Sailors displayed some swashbuckling football to dispatch a team that participated in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) two months prior made a huge impression on Jonathan, and he had to see things for himself – and ended up coming back for more.
“On matchdays, you can always see club CEO Chew Chun-Liang being there near the stadium entrance to greet and interact with the fans. You can even see him carrying boxes up and down at times,” said the 25-year-old.
“There’s a very good vibe at the matches and you can see families coming down – there’s a good mixture of the young and old in the stands. Nur Adam Abdullah’s family is always there, even his grandmother is always up there in the stands to support him,” added Jonathan, who picked up on various non-football aspects of the Sailors’ spirit that resonated with him.
“When you bought the Sailors jersey, it came along with a season pass, a Crew t-shirt, a lanyard and a facemask. No other club provides such an attractive package. On the club side, I’ve spoken to The Lion City Boy (Sailors’ Creative Director, Kevin Lester) and Ravi Maan (Sailors’ Head of Marketing) and I’m looking forward to having more conversations with them.
“It’s quite rare to have a club that has people who are ever so willing to interact and engage the fans – to know them on a personal level. The club has really done a great job to attract fans and bring back the support.”
Jonathan has long been a supporter of Singapore football. He was in fact a Warriors FC supporter since his youth, until the club sat out of the SPL from 2020, and did not adopt any club until the lure of the Sailors convinced him to come onboard
“I know there are people out there saying the Sailors are only about money and buying glory, but I don’t think it’s right to go down those lines. The club clearly wants to bring back the thriving state of Singapore football and push the level of football up another level,” he explained.
“As such, there’s a need to invest resources to bring in the best and become the best. If not, Singapore football will always be stuck in this bubble and not be able to challenge in the region.”
Soon after becoming a Sailors fan, Jonathan created LCS Family with the aim of creating a platform to further promote the players, and building a community where people from all walks of life can come together to support the club.
A full-time content creator and designer, he makes full use of his expertise in graphic design to create statistical posts and graphics to help boost the profile of Sailors’ players.
Purely doing this out of passion, the avid fan often puts in hours of hard work – waking up early and sleeping late – but he feels it is all worth it.
“Sometimes after my work, I will rush home just to do more research and work on the ideas that I’ve for LCS Family,” admitted Jonathan, whose inspiration comes from the social media posts of neighbouring Johor Darul Ta’zim and top European clubs like Manchester United and Manchester City.
Jonathan’s LCS Family’s Instagram account now has almost 600 followers.
“It’s really tiring at times, but I’m really motivated when players start to take notice. Gabriel Quak and (former Sailors’ forward) Stipe Plazibat have reposted my photos on their accounts… Aqhari Abdullah and Tajeli Salamat – these two have no airs about them and are very easy to talk to. It’s great to have them appreciating what I do and that’s exactly the aim – for the club to be one big family, including players, staff and fans.”
One memory carved onto Jonathan’s mind is sitting in the stands and witnessing the Sailors’ first-ever title win last October.
“I went to queue around 1pm on matchday because I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get tickets and I’m lucky to be one of the first few,” he recalled fondly. “There were several ups and downs… I was streaming the Albirex Niigata (S) vs Tanjong Pagar United game on my phone while also watching the Sailors’ game. Balestier (Khalsa) equalised against us while Albirex were leading by a few goals in the first half.
“Some fans including me were quite worried, but when Tanjong Pagar started to come back into the game, we shouted to give an indication to our players, and everyone started to be more motivated. And when Gabriel scored that fourth goal, we just knew we’re going to win the trophy.
“Everyone was just celebrating together.”
Jonathan’s love for the club seems set to grow stronger in 2022 – he has received his season pass and his ultimate dream is to do a ACL-winning poster for the club.
“One thing’s for sure, I’ll be there for every Sailors match – rain or shine. We’ve signed quality players like Kim Shin-wook and Maxime Lestienne this season,” said a bullish Jonathan.
“I have every confidence in our boys, I will continue to support them and I’m sure we’ll make Singapore proud in the ACL.”
In From the Bridge, we step away from celebrating the anniversary of the founding of the Lion City Sailors to glance in the rear view mirror, to see how far the club has come in the previous year, before turning our eyes to the path ahead.
In this piece, Sailors’ Head Physiotherapist Nurhafizah Abu Sujad reflects on the speedy growth of her department, and the exciting times ahead when the Sailors move to their Mattar Road home later this year.
In July 2021, the Lion City Sailors roped in a familiar face from the Singapore football industry – as the Head of Physiotherapy to support the club’s drive for football excellence through building a robust sports medicine structure.
In a short space of time, Nurhafizah Abu Sujad has already seen the club lift its first-ever Singapore Premier League (SPL) title and AIA Community Shield, and she will continue to be an important figure as the club embarks on its historic Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) campaign alongside the region’s best in April 2022 – this just two short months after the club celebrated its second birthday on 14 February.
Despite the trophies, it has not exactly been a walk in the park.
Working with a demanding coach like Kim Do-hoon who emphasises a higher level of intensity at training and 100 percent commitment from the players, there is pressure on the medical department to help ensure that players continue to stay fit and fresh, but it is a pressure that Fizah has embraced.
“Expectations are higher this year, not just on the players but also on our department to deal with issues that may arise, so I have to say it’s been quite stressful in the lead-up to the season,” she said.
“But it’s good that we have stress – it pushes us to be better. The good team that we’ve assembled helps all of us cope – in times of stress, we help each other and become even stronger as a unit.”
Players are critical assets for any team looking to raise levels and mix with the best in the business, and it is also important to have a robust medical department working behind the scenes to ensure that those at the front and centre of achieving results for the club remain in the best condition to continue to do exactly that.
Most of the work takes place below the deck, far from the public eye, but there are precious few who would contest the assertion that the club’s medical team is critical to its overall vision.
There has been much progress
After eight months or so on the job, Fizah, as she is affectionately known as in football circles, is pleased with progress, after having laid out a good framework and firming up processes to make things “more effective and efficient” in the areas of injury prevention and management.
Fizah’s Sailors team includes sports trainer Fazly Hasan, sports therapist Fathul Nur Hakim and performance coach Shazaly Ayob, with each working well in their own areas, although she admits the club can always make do with more hands on deck.
“We’ve certainly beefed up our structure. There is increased manpower for recovery of our players, including providing massages and treatment. We try to ensure it’s a seamless process for any injured player – from identifying the issue to managing them well and returning them to training and playing as safely as possible,” said Fizah.
“We now have a strong medical team, but we’re always looking for more people who can join us – especially because 2022 is going to be a big, tough year for us with the (ACL) coming up. We need to ensure the players are always in top condition and top form. Having extra manpower will surely help us in terms of managing player recovery.”
Going beyond the first team
Fizah’s responsibilities are not just focused on the first team. In the months and years ahead, she aims to have firm and consistent sports medicine processes that extend beyond the senior squad through to the club Academy’s age-group teams.
“The key is that when a player is promoted from the Academy into the first team, the medical processes remain the same as those they are already comfortable with. We are in regular discussions with the Academy – people like Mark Onderwater (Academy’s Head of Performance) and Mike Kerklaan (Academy’s Head of Physiology) to ensure this becomes a seamless process – that is our common goal,” she shared.
“We’re going to be sharing the same facilities at Mattar Road later this year, and processes will probably be smoother by then. In addition to beefing up our medical departments, we’ll also conduct workshops and knowledge sharing between both sides.”
But with the Mattar training facility poised to be operational only in the second half of this year, players and medical staff continue to shuttle between Bishan Stadium and the gym at Jalan Besar Stadium for rehabilitation work.
A challenging, but rewarding path ahead
Fizah and company have to put in longer hours, reporting at least four hours before kick off on match day to make sure medical equipment is properly set up, and staying behind as long as three hours after training sessions to make sure the players get the treatment they need.
Up there amongst the biggest and trickiest issues to tackle, is managing expectations of not just players, but also coaches. Fizah recalls the heat being turned up at the end of 2021, when now-departed forward Stipe Plazibat suffered an unfortunate ankle injury and missed the last four games of the season.
“Whenever a key player gets injured, there is always pressure on the medical team. We assess, diagnose, and provide an estimated timeline for him to recover, but sometimes the player wants to rush and return earlier because they want to fight for their place in the first 11,” she said. “Sometimes it’s the coaches who may want him to return faster and are wondering why this player isn’t back in training yet.
“So we have to sit down with everyone to discuss what’s best for the team and we try to find a balance and it’s never easy. The most important thing is that the player returns to action – safely – that’s always the ultimate goal.”
Improved communication and clarity, not just within Fizah’s burgeoning sports medicine department, but across the whole club is an area which gives her the most satisfaction in her short tenure thus far.
“It was quite overwhelming when I first came in,” she admitted. “But we sat down, re-organised, and we now know our individual roles. Of course there will be some overlaps, but we have clarity on what each of us contributes.
“Things are now getting across more smoothly, now that we’re communicating well with the technical staff and members of the management as well. Any issues that arise, we talk, trial and sort things out as one team.
“For example, for the new signings, our department and Head of Sport Science, Mario Jovanovic, actually sat down with Badri (Ghent, Sporting Director), and he shared with us the type of players the club is looking to sign and we give our inputs in terms of the issues that we have to look out for and the things that we need to work on when they join us.”
Players are already helping the collective cause
Fizah counts herself fortunate that she does not need to do much to educate players, and that is largely because a large number of players are experienced, consummate professionals.
“Players have evolved in recent times… Especially in the Sailors, they know they’ve to take good care of themselves to perform their best. They actually have good knowledge and they always ask questions,” she said.
“Of course there are the younger ones, and we need to educate them more, but they want to emulate senior players like Hariss (Harun) and Hassan (Sunny). These seniors will also give the medical team advice, knowing what’s best for themselves and that helps us.”
The pre-season is always the busiest period for the medical department that has to monitor players’ physical conditions and key indicators like body fat percentage after returning from weeks of inactivity, as well as conducting a series of tests on new arrivals to have a clear picture on injuries and make sure they are ready for the gruelling season ahead.
Fizah has been impressed by the Sailors’ new foreign signings, Pedro Henrique and Kim Shin-wook, and is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to work with a player like Maxime Lestienne who comes with experience at the very highest level.
“Physical attributes-wise, they’re great… They know how to take care of themselves and they will approach the medical team themselves, in terms of injury prevention. They’re also sharing their knowledge – having played in top leagues – and that makes our job so much easier,” she said.
“They’re physically and mentally ready, and they just want to win things here. I’m already looking forward to working with Maxime, who has immense experience in top European leagues.”
With the squad witnessing no major injuries in pre-season and the Community Shield fixture, Fizah is feeling optimistic about the year ahead. She hopes to see the team retain the SPL title and put up respectable performances in the ACL, but over and above that, Fizah wants her sport medicine department to continue to evolve and sustain best practices like the best in the business.
“We have to keep upgrading ourselves, continually learning and studying so that we can be better medical professionals.”
In From the Bridge, we step away from celebrating the anniversary of the founding of the Lion City Sailors to glance in the rear view mirror, to see how far the club has come in the previous year, before turning our eyes to the path ahead.
In this piece, Sailors’ Academy General Manager, Tan Li Yu, and Director, Luka Lalić discuss the challenging early years of the Academy, and a 2022 that promises much excitement.
In the last 20 months or so since its June 2020 launch, the Lion City Sailors Football Academy (LCSFA) has faced several challenges. It has had to operate against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, with restricted training and less than ideal facilities. But the Academy has found a way to navigate through these choppy waters, even thrive.
“When we went to Europe last year, the response I got from the European teams was ‘how do these guys play this way if they didn’t play 11-a-side football for two years?’,” said Luka Lalić, Academy Director. “It was an almost impossible task, but I think we’ve done pretty well with the limitations that we’ve had to contend with.”
In the last quarter of 2021, the Academy had a six-week training camp in Germany and the Netherlands, where its Elite Under-14 team got the opportunity to play against quality opponents like Borussia Dortmund (BVB) and FC Cologne – proving to be competitive with several of these teams – while the coaches enjoyed access and learned from some of the very best in the business.
That was just one highlight in a hectic 20 months that saw much growth.
Within just three months of setting up, the Academy received a one-star rating from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) – a rating system that grades the efficacy of academies – with three stars being the highest rating possible – the first in Singapore to achieve the feat.
The Academy’s Elite Development Program – a S$1 million scholarship programme – is in full swing, with two batches of youth players (those born in 2007 and 2008, and also in 2009 and 2010 respectively) benefitting from having training and other costs covered. Specialist staff including nutritionists, sports psychologists and data analysts have also been brought in to complement a setup filled with qualified, experienced coaches.
“It’s always about having the best players, best coaches and best facilities – and we’re close to getting there. It’s been so far so good with this first phase, but the critical period is probably the next phase when we reach the third year of the Academy going fully operational,” added Luka.
Academy General Manager, Tan Li Yu, divided the challenges they had into three main categories – infrastructure, with the Academy needing to cope with the reconstruction of the Mattar Road facility while continuing with training and development efforts.
Secondly, training in a pandemic-enforced constrained environment, with the Academy unable to train in the 11-a-side format and youth tournaments halted for the past couple of years.
Li Yu’s third point is the small talent pool in a country like Singapore and the challenges that come with trying to increase that base, something Li Yu believes is vitally important.
But there remains much to be excited about, with Li Yu already looking enthusiastically to the future.
“We’re very excited to be now looking forward to the completion of construction at Mattar and having proper facilities for both players and coaches. Right around you, there’s the changing room, locker room, gym, study room, briefing room, video analysis room… all these things which we’re missing right now. From a professional, comfort and functional perspective, that’ll be a crazy upgrade,” he said, of the Mattar Road training centre poised to be operational in the second half of 2022.
“And since the restrictions are probably not going to be changed much in Singapore, we’re going to look elsewhere (to play and train 11 vs 11) – especially for those boys who we brought them to an incremental level during the Europe trip, we simply cannot let them step a level down,” added Li Yu.
“In March, we’ll hopefully have a trip to Malaysia – we want to go there regularly, if possible. In June, we’re going to Spain, Netherlands and Germany. For September and December, let’s see… We want to keep training and competing at a high level.”
Luka is already eyeing additional software, to groom the cream of the Sailors crop that is poised to expand in 2022.
“We still lack three to five key staff… We’re carefully selecting people we want to bring on board,” he said. “And we’re targeting to have the third batch of scholars (those born in 2011 and 2012) pushed out so that all our youth teams (U13, U15 and U17) in the development phase are under the program and fully committed to training four to six times a week.
“With that and the completed facility, we can probably say that from July onwards, we will be 90 percent through our transition phase.”
Overseas exposure for players and staff – training camps or even experiential stints for individuals at top European clubs – is a key area the Academy will continue to emphasise in 2022, with Luka envisioning expanding partnerships to include four different European countries.
The club already has ongoing collaborations with BVB and Feyenoord – a three-year partnership that was announced yesterday, on the sidelines of the Sailors celebrations of the second anniversary of the club’s founding.
“We need to send our kids aged between 12 and 16 abroad as much as possible, to see how players in top academies play, how they behave, and what they do, so we have first-hand experience of the benchmark we need to aim for and exactly how to close that gap,” said the former Feyenoord Head of Methodology, International Development Coach.
“Also it’s important for our coaches to learn from their counterparts in these academies so that we gain a deeper understanding of how to develop our kids in Singapore.”
Li Yu agreed wholeheartedly.
“No matter how good a coach you are in Singapore, you’d likely have never seen what the best in the world between 10 to 12 years old can do. Until you’re there (in Europe) and can see for yourself, you’ll never have any benchmark to gauge the kids that you’re in charge of.
“Our coaches who went for the Europe trip saw first-hand what an elite 12-year-old player can do, and they now realise that is what our 12-year-olds need to aspire to.”
Both Luka and Li Yu are conscious of the fact that there are challenges that still lie ahead. They accept that shifting mindsets and changing the local culture will not be an overnight or linear process, but they have witnessed very positive improvements.
“When we just started, of course parents needed a lot of convincing and they wondered if we’re really willing to commit to developing their kids or if we were just paying lip service. But with this Europe trip, even for those who didn’t get to go for the trip, they now know the Academy is extremely serious,” said Li Yu, pointing to the six-figure sum the Sailors forked out to push through with the trip to Europe.
“They know we are serious when we say we’re investing in their child. They know they can look forward to something if they get the scholarship,” he added.
“Now the conversation has changed… We no longer need to convince people of what we’re setting out to do because we’re demonstrating that with our actions, by investing in a group of 13 and 14-year-olds.
“We can say: if you trust us with your kids, we can guarantee we’ll do our best for them because we know what we are doing and we are fully committed to the cause.”
In From the Bridge, we step away from celebrating the founding of the Lion City Sailors to glance in the rear view mirror to see where we have come in the previous year, before turning our eyes to the horizon on the path ahead.
In the opening piece of the series, Sailors Chief Executive Chew Chun-Liang pens his thoughts as he reflects on victory in the Singapore Premier League in 2021, and the good work that continues behind the scenes as the club drives towards its lofty vision.
Today the Lion City Sailors celebrate the second anniversary of the founding of our club, and it brings me great pride to say that we celebrate as champions of the Singapore Premier League (SPL), and Singapore’s representatives in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) when the tournament kicks off in April this year.
Over the last two years, we have set essential blocks in place, have started to build upon that, even growing local capabilities, and are in the process of stitching all these elements together more effectively as we look towards achieving our vision of becoming one of Asia’s best.
And there has been much to celebrate.
On-field success is an important facet of the platform for our growth, and credit must be given to Head Coach Kim Do-hoon and the team, for not only getting us across the finish line, but for playing attractive football and perhaps more importantly, for the desire and gumption that the team displayed time and again as we battled on the pitch – they truly demonstrated what the Sailors stand for.
This was perhaps best illustrated in the last four games of 2021.
The team conceded a late goal to draw 1-1 with our closest title rivals Albirex Niigata (S), in September but I remember it like it was yesterday, largely because it felt like we lost more than two points in the dying minutes of that game – it felt like we had lost our chance to win the SPL.
That day, I told the team that while things were no longer in our hands, it was not over, and we should still be proud of ourselves if we go on to win the final three games of the season. And I must admit I was blown away by how Coach Kim and the boys rallied around each other and battled to three sensational wins for us to be crowned champions of Singapore for the first time. They demonstrated character and a never-say-die spirit and fought to the end – those three weeks or so gave me my best memories of 2021.
And that is saying something – as a club, the Sailors grew a lot in the year.
We started putting essential blocks in place in 2020, and we continued on a similar upward trajectory, and have started growing local capabilities in 2021.
This is witnessed in our specialist teams – the technical team, sports science, sports medicine and performance analysis – on the administrative side of the club from operations to fan and community engagement, and even in terms of forming key partnerships that can help us drive exponential growth in club capabilities and our youth development pathways.
Most of this work took place away from the public eye, but they all contributed to the success of the club, both on and off the pitch and have set a strong foundation for the club to achieve sustained success into the future.
For example, our performance analysts not only study patterns that arise in our opposition to help our technical team formulate tactics, they also leverage data to help the technical team search for new signings who can help the club get to the next level. Our sports science and medical teams also similarly contribute quietly, but importantly, to our on-field success.
Off the pitch, the Sailors signed a partnership with German giants Borussia Dortmund in July last year, and within some four months sent a 40-member delegation to Europe. It was a two-pronged trip: knowledge-sharing for our specialist and administrative teams, and training for our Elite Under-14 academy squad. The academy team spent some six weeks in Europe, managing to play 11-a-side matches – something we were unable to due to pandemic measures in Singapore – and even demonstrated that our boys can be competitive against some of Europe’s best.
There have been improvements on the fan-engagement and community-engagement fronts, and while these are still works in progress, we are moving towards bringing more value to Sailors’ fan club members – The Crew – deepening engagement on social media and our website, while also expanding our lifestyle offerings.
Our fans and the communities we live and work in remain at the heart of everything we do, and while Coach Kim and the team continue to excite and entertain you on the pitch, the Sailors will continue to do our part in communities, like we did – alongside our BVB friends – with MacPherson’s Grant a Wish initiative last year.
We will be able to dive even deeper into our communities soon, because of another bright spark of 2021 – the start of construction work on our Mattar Road training centre.
We are poised to operationalise the centre in the middle of 2022, and I am personally excited about kicking off programmes with our partners in Singapore’s sporting fraternity as well as our friends in the Mattar community, not to mention the massive boost the facility will provide us on the football front – both for the first team and the youth development pathways that we will be able to refine and grow.
With all hands on deck, the year ahead promises much for the club, and what we can do with our partners, our friends in the community, and you, our fans. Our commitment remains the same – we will continue to drive excellence and professionalism within the club, while contributing to the Singapore football fraternity.
I look forward to welcoming you to the Jalan Besar Stadium in the year ahead, and also to the various initiatives we will roll out in 2022.
Happy Birthday, Sailors!
Chun-Liang
In Sailors Abroad, we take an in depth look at the Sailors’ foreign stints, through the eyes of those who lived through the experience.
In the final piece in this series, Sailors’ Football Academy Director, Luka Lalic, reflects on a challenging trip that presented fantastic development opportunities for a team deprived of competitive 11-a-side football – opportunities that were grabbed with both hands.
The 42-day training trip was no European winter wonderland for the Lion City Sailors Football Academy Under-14 Elite team. Dividing the training camp into three parts – the honeymoon period, the breaking period, and the final culmination of efforts – Academy Director Luka Lalić believes the trip was vital for the team, and one that has “benefited the boys tremendously”.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on the sporting scene, with organised youth leagues halted since early 2020. Aspiring footballers in the country have not played a single 11-a-side game in Singapore since then, and it was no different for Sailors’ Football Academy trainees.
Set against that backdrop, the 42-day Europe training camp in Germany and the Netherlands between November and December 2021 was critical for the development of the squad, designed for the boys to get back into the groove of playing full games and also to benchmark their progress against some of the top youth sides in the world.
As Luka explains, the first week after landing in Germany was “a honeymoon period” focused on getting the team to acclimatise to chilly weather conditions and regaining confidence on the pitch. Courtesy of the partnership between the Sailors and Borussia Dortmund (BVB), the boys got to train in facilities in the BVB football academy and managed to secure a resounding victory against German sixth-tier side Lüner SV in their first match.
The Sailors then travelled to Rotterdam, Netherlands – a three-hour bus ride – where they spent the next couple of weeks training at the Feyenoord Academy and Rotterdam United.
They would pass their first “real test” with a victory over FC Utrecht where they showed the ability to cope “physically, technically and tactically” with the bigger boys, but subsequent defeats against FC Dordrecht and Feyenoord Academy came in a “breaking period” in which the boys knew they had to step up to do more’.
“Against Utrecht, they exceeded our expectations by understanding what was asked of them in a short period of time and lasted at a good intensity for a very long time. But I knew Feyenoord would be a different test altogether and it was indeed a wake-up call,” said Luka, who was a youth coach at Feyenoord from 2016 to 2020 before joining the Sailors.
“We were playing against some of the best players in Holland – they played six national youth team players – and showed us several things that we could improve on. Two years without playing had big consequences on the physical development of our boys, we couldn’t keep up with the pace and intensity. That was the period of uncertainty where the players were questioning how to cope with the strong competition.
“It gave us a benchmark to aim for, we had to be more aggressive, physical and careful not to make tactical mistakes. It got us experimenting on what we could do better and taught us to adapt to a tactical approach that was needed for the demands of the game there.”
The final three weeks of the Europe trip was spent back at the BVB academy as the Sailors clinched impressive victories over BVB and Arminia Bielefeld in “a period of combination where everything that was planned, reviewed and analysed went into application” for the game against FC Cologne. In a display “that was not expected from a Singaporean team,” the boys clinched a creditable draw against a team that was leading the domestic youth league in Germany.
While there were impressive results, the 34-year-old Luka drew the most satisfaction from witnessing his players show development and progress in the Sailors’ playing philosophy.
“At these age-groups, it’s all about learning. I wouldn’t be happy if we won a game but the performance was unacceptable,” explained Luka. “For me, I look at three things. Number one, it’s the mindset and effort – that’s something we need to show in every game.
“Second, it’s how our team understands the system and the principles that were outlined, and how we identify phases of play. Number three, it’s the player’s own understanding and self-expression in games.
“If these three things are covered, then they deserve a pat on the back. If we won but went down to the opponents’ level, that’s still not development.
“I’ve reviewed the match videos and it’s evident that we’ve improved in our speed, intensity and desire in games.”
The happiness extends off the field. The group grew closer together and matured as individuals. Despite being away from their families for the longest time at this young age, Luka was surprised to hear that none of the boys wanted to return home after the six weeks.
“In Singapore, you are only with them two hours a day (in training). The majority of the time, they’re in school where they are required to be quiet. These things translate to everyday life,” he elaborated. “In Germany, you get their true faces… You can see that it was a group of players before we went there and it’s a different group altogether when we came back – that’s really nice to see.
“To be honest, I expected much worse (more issues) so maybe this is a testament to the boys. Of course there is the occasional “I miss home” or “I miss Singapore food”, but no one was close to being seriously homesick, no one cried – nothing of that sort.
“I think they realised when they were there, that they could only rely on themselves and their teammates. Of course the coaching team was always there if they needed help, but we tried not to interfere and let them solve any problems by themselves as far as they could.
“On the last day, I asked them as a joke if there’s a choice to extend for three more weeks, would they be willing to stay? Most of them said they wanted to and that shows how much they enjoyed the trip.”
Beyond the players, coaches and backroom staff also benefited greatly from this trip, as they were attached to counterparts handling similar age-groups from the BVB and Feyenoord academies to learn best practices.
With Singapore continuing to adopt groups of fives as the part of the existing Covid-19 protocol, it is clear that the academy has to look beyond the shores for continual development.
“We’ve got to base our seasons around these international trips,” stressed Luka. “It could be to Southeast Asia, Asia or Europe. It will depend on what is allowed under existing policies – but it will be critical to the development of the boys.”
In Sailors Abroad, we take an in depth look at the Sailors’ foreign stints, through the eyes of those who lived through the experience.
In this piece, Sailors’ Head of Sports Science, Mario Jovanovic, speaks on the benefits of learning from the best in the business, but stresses the importance of a firm commitment to improvement, a spirit that burns bright in the heart of the Sailors.
Last July, the Lion City Sailors’ two-and-a-half year partnership forged with Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund (BVB) brought about the promise of learning from one of European football’s giants.
Some four months into the partnership, the Sailors are already reaping benefits, with several members of the backroom staff embarking on a study trip to Germany at the end of last year.
Part of that entourage was Sailors’ Head of Sport Science Mario Jovanovic, who enjoyed his experience, which included attending the famed “Der Klassiker” – the highly-anticipated clash between Dortmund and Bayern Munich – in the first week of December.
That match was the cherry on top of a productive trip with several learning points.
“Overall, we received really good feedback from all those involved in the study trip to the Dortmund training camp. We were hosted by the youth academy sector, and we were really happy to see the ins-and-outs of a big European club,” explained Mario.
“We had people with different roles on the trip: myself, some from the medical side, colleagues from the performance department, as well as a goalkeeper specialist. One of the aims of such study trips is to see the different types of specialist work, which BVB clearly have.
“We had training sessions to observe, meetings with the respective specialist departments, and an open question and answer session.
“There were many positives,” added Mario, who counts the likes of Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic and AC Milan star Ante Rebic among the players he has worked with in the past.
Although the Sailors’ study team was primarily exposed to the BVB’s academy setup, the lofty standards that were maintained even outside the first team – particularly the level of professionalism – struck a chord with Mario, because it mirrors what the Sailors are striving for.
“Looking at a club like BVB with a history of competing at the highest level for a long, long time, I can’t say that it is easy to replicate what they’ve got – the context is different for us – but there were many valuable lessons from that trip,” he added.
One of the key challenges that Mario and his team will face in 2022, is managing the physical condition of players as they battle on various fronts – the Singapore Premier League (SPL), Singapore Cup and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL – and there was much to learn from the experience of a team like BVB.
“In terms of juggling several competitions throughout the season, which is something BVB are used to, we will encounter that this year and that is going to be another experience for us in terms of managing the load for the players,” said Mario.
“This means respecting the players’ physiology and not just looking to keep them fresh but to raise their levels. Even though we’ll have more competitions this year, I believe we’re going to have even more training sessions compared to last season.
“That’s also something you see with the big clubs throughout the world: professionals need to be taken care of – both from our end, but also by the players themselves.”
Mario’s belief that the players also need to take a personal interest in their own condition ties in with head coach Kim Do-hoon’s larger aspiration of maintaining a premier level of professionalism. He believes this target has been bought into by all on board.
“From what I see from our players, the level of professionalism is growing on all fronts,” said Mario. “We are sending a message that coach Kim is also driving: really emphasising the importance of all aspects outside of the pitch.
“Obviously with limited time with us throughout the day, what the players do by themselves at home has a huge impact. I fully believe the players and everyone around them remain very humble, knowing we have a lot more room to grow and improve together.
“In terms of the direction we’re headed in, I believe the Sailors are in a very good position to expand on our competences and develop further. We’re just starting and the management, along with our chairman, are actually pushing the needle every day,” added Mario, who hails from Croatia.
It is this commitment to continual and improvement that Mario believes is absolutely vital to the success of both the team and the Sailors project as a whole. And he believes the organisation is on the right track.
“There’s no sense of complacency even though we won the title last season and this type of study trip is proof that the club is investing, and that people are working to improve their skills and professionalism that will bring us to another level,” said Mario.
“Our target is to keep moving forward. Whatever we did last season, we need to do better this season. That is the message we’re sending throughout the club every day.”
In Sailors Abroad, we take an in depth look at the Sailors’ foreign stints, through the eyes of those who lived through the experience.
In this piece, Sailors’ Football Academy trainees, Idzham Eszuan and Nathan Mao look back on a trip into the unknown and the lessons gleaned – about football and themselves.
At the start, it looked like it was going to be 42 long days away from the comforts of home and the safety net of parents, and into the clammy fingers of European winter – a big ask for a group of boys barely into their teenage years.
But the 13 and 14 year-olds in the Lion City Sailors Football Academy Under-14 Elite squad came back from the Sailors’ six-week Europe training camp in Germany and the Netherlands at the end of 2021 with broad smiles, a heap of invaluable experience under their belts, and a bagful of stories to tell.
“The first thing which I told my parents when I came back was that playing 11 versus 11 was so fun,” said Nathan Mao, a Secondary 2 student at Zhonghua Secondary. “We were focused on our football but that didn’t stop us from having fun with each other every day… it really got the team spirit going.”
The trip was borne out of the two-and-a-half year partnership forged with Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund (BVB) in July last year.
The team, led by Academy Director Luka Lalić, did well on the trip despite having not trained or played in the 11-a-side format for almost two years due to Covid-19 restrictions in Singapore. The boys acquitted themselves – even excelled – against high-calibre opposition collecting six wins and a draw over a total of 11 matches – defeating teams like FC Utrecht and BVB along the way.
But the team gained so much more than just match experience. Spending a prolonged period together on and off the pitch, the players bonded more than ever before in their time as a team, enjoying their time so much that few were keen to return home at the end.
“Initially I thought it’s going to be very hard because this would be the longest time I’ll be away from my family, but my teammates made it so enjoyable,” said team captain Idzham Eszuan. “It was tough, but we went through it together.
“We woke up every morning feeling very excited and energetic – the weather was cold and we enjoyed having unrestricted training. It was just so nice to be away together and we got to know each other very well over the trip.”
More accustomed to Singapore’s warmer climate, the boys had to quickly adjust to playing in chilly conditions, against quality opponents no less.
Idzham, who plays as a centre-back, recalls several memorable moments including one that saw him nutmeg an opposition forward in his own penalty area and also having to step up to lead by example despite being soft-spoken off the pitch.
“Of course we feel down whenever we concede a goal or lose a match, but as a captain, I had to learn to keep my head up and lead so the team will follow suit,” said the 14-year-old, a Secondary 3 student at Westwood Secondary School.
“Some of us did feel a bit intimidated playing against some big teams, so before the game we just hyped each other up to make sure everyone of us was mentally ready to play the game. It was not just me, but it was clear that all of us learnt that we have to try and build up each other’s confidence during the game to make sure the whole team is at the same level.
“The first few games were tough, but we slowly got used to the tempo and everyone grew so much during the trip… My coaches were all surprised that I had the confidence to do such a thing (the nutmeg) and we celebrated like crazy after defeating Dortmund.”
Meanwhile Nathan, who plays as a forward, learnt how to cope against defenders of a bigger physique and how to recover from setbacks.
“For those opponents in the same age-group as us, the size difference wasn’t that big. But when it came to those who are a year older, the difference was suddenly massive,” noted the 13-year-old. “Most of their defences are very well-organised, so we had to learn how to create opportunities and be clinical.
“We actually played well against Feyenoord and were only down by a goal at half time, but we didn’t take a couple of opportunities and were so tired in the second half that we lost by a few goals. Against FC Dordrecht, it was our worst game – our mentality wasn’t there, our heads went down after conceding the first goal and we kept losing the ball because we were trying to force play. All these were valuable lessons for us.”
A battling draw against FC Cologne – leaders in the German domestic youth league – in the final match of the tour was one that showcased the team’s improvement and maturity over the course of the 42-day European sojourn.
Courtesy of the ongoing partnership between the Sailors and BVB, the boys had the opportunity to train in the famed BVB academy and even enjoyed a rare matchday experience in Dortmund’s iconic Signal Iduna Park – witnessing the massive clash between two of Germany’s biggest clubs with Bayern Munich prevailing 3-2 in a see-saw match.
The trip was not merely about football, but also about teenage self-discovery, getting the boys out of their comfort zone and encouraging the embracing of independence.
“We had to fold our clothes every day and make sure nothing got lost. In Singapore, I haven’t really had to do it myself,” admitted Nathan, who is an only child. “On the trip I had to make sure I was responsible and frugal, so that I didn’t spend too much money in the first few days and have enough left towards the end of the trip.
“Everyone was staying with a roommate so we had to learn to look out for each other. If you needed to use the toilet, you made sure you went in and out really fast so that your roommate could use it… we learnt little things like this.”
For Idzham, one of the fondest aspects of the trip was being able to overcome his fear of heights. With the support and encouragement from his teammates, he managed to navigate high obstacles and ziplines during a visit to a climbing park in Rotterdam.
The Sailors’ U14 boys have returned to Singapore, armed with new perspectives and a new-found confidence knowing they have the ability to go toe-to-toe with top European players in their age-group.
This Europe training trip has also fuelled their football ambitions.
“It makes me feel like there’s a proper path to success and my dream can really be achieved,” said Idzham.
“It has really helped me understand the level that I’m at and how far I’ve to catch up to match the players in Europe – it was like a reality check,” acknowledged Nathan. “In the Sailors academy they’ve given us such a fantastic opportunity – putting together all the best players from our age-group, but then we go and play against all these amazing players in Europe and we’ve seen for ourselves what our level really is.
“That really challenged us and now we know what we need to do and how hard we need to work to get to that level.”
In Sailors Abroad, we take an in depth look at the Sailors’ foreign stints, through the eyes of those who lived through the experience.
In this piece, Sailors’ Football Academy Under-14 coach Mustafa Al-Saffar shares a fresh perspective of the Sailors, having just joined the academy setup, and meeting his colleagues and players for the first time, while in Germany.
It is never easy to be a coach of an academy team leading a side on an overseas training tour, juggling on-field performances with ensuring the wellbeing of an entire squad of teenagers.
Now imagine doing that while only meeting your players for the first time while on the trip itself.
That was exactly the situation that Mustafa Al-Saffar found himself in as he led Lion City Sailors’ Under-14 team at their training camp in Europe at the end of last year, a trip that was borne out of the club’s partnership with Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.
It certainly made for a unique experience, as Mustafa recalled with a chuckle: “I arrived the day before the team did, and obviously hadn’t met the staff or even the players.
“I noticed quite quickly that the players were a bit more reserved initially. They were very nice and polite but also very quiet, which is something different from back home in Scotland.
“I also saw that (LCS Academy Director) Luka Lalic had everything planned out and the setup was professionally done with the timetable, from breakfast to analysis… on paper it looked great and I was super excited,” said Mustafa, who holds a UEFA ‘A’ license.
“Then I heard the players hadn’t played a match in over two years and even training sessions were restricted (due to the Covid-19 pandemic). We had games against Dortmund and Feyenoord, clubs I knew were of a good standard, so I thought it would be a difficult experience.
“But then after the training sessions, from the first week into the second week, the players were more relaxed and started to open up, and there was naturally a change.
“There was a massive confidence boost in winning the opening game, and from then on, it was a completely different group of boys.”
The game that Mustafa was referring to saw the LCS U-14s record a resounding victory over their counterparts from German 6th-tier outfit Luner SV, where they opened the scoring after just 40 seconds and were leading 16-0 by halftime of the 60-minute match.
Nonetheless, the results – be it victory or defeat – are not the be all and end all for Mustafa and the coaches at the academy.
“Sometimes, I feel it’s unfair to compare players from Singapore to those from some of these other countries,” he explained. “In my opinion, the best thing to do is try to get close to that level you need to compete with the best.
“When we played Feyenoord, the difference was quite big. Physically, for example, their players were just more comfortable throwing their bodies into challenges, or even running at a really high intensity for longer periods of the game.”
“We got to see some of the youth teams training and even at Under-13 level, the players are pushed to a much higher capacity.
“But when we’re talking about football at this level, it’s all about development. The experience was massive. It’s not just about talking about what it’s like for our players to take on the best from Germany or Netherlands, but for them to experience it themselves, against teams like Feyenoord and Dortmund.
“We played against Cologne in our second-last game in Germany, and that match highlighted the biggest improvements during the trip. Had we played them in our first week there, we would have easily gotten beaten. Instead, what I saw were players that were louder, more aggressive, and competing at a different level.”
Mustafa also believes the emphasis the Sailors are placing on youth ties in with the club’s greater ambition of becoming one of the best teams in Asia, a project he is excited to be a part of.
“Coming to Singapore after the trip and seeing our new facility being built and the investment that has gone into it, the first team winning the league and aiming for continued success, linking up with overseas clubs like Dortmund… you can see this is the right way to go,” added Mustafa.
“The only thing is sometimes you don’t see the results after a year or two. It has to be a long-term project.
“But seeing how quickly things are moving, I’m super excited and I just hope in the next five to ten years, we get to see the success. It’s extremely inspirational.”
“I think, for a coach, what is sometimes overlooked in the role is the impact you have on a young person.
“I have been in situations before where I’ll see a young player who hasn’t exactly made a career in football, but for them to rush over and speak to me is just the best thing – to know I’ve connected with them.
“This is something I hope I will achieve with the boys here, even little things like being on time or looking someone in the eye when you’re speaking to them. Even planning on how to win a tournament – these are all skills transferable beyond the pitch and the game.
“As a coach, if you do it the right way, the kids can learn so much more than just making a pass or scoring a goal. I’ll do what I can from my end and hope the players can all take something away for their future.”
In Sailors Abroad, we take an in depth look at the Sailors’ foreign stints, through the eyes of those who lived through the experience.
First up in this series, Sailors’ Chief Executive, Chew Chun-Liang looks back at the Sailors’ 2021 trip to Europe.
There was privileged access to operational facilities, face time with both coaching and administrative staff, a slew of competitive matches against top European academy sides, and even the added bonus of taking in the famed “Der Klassiker” from the stands of the Signal Iduna Park.
It came as no surprise that Lion City Sailors Chief Executive Chew Chun-Liang returned from Europe last December, hailing the club’s European sojourn as a roaring success.
The trip was built on the platform of the deepening partnership between Sailors and eight-time German champions Borussia Dortmund (BVB), and saw Sailors club officials learn from some of the best in the business, while the Sailors Football Academy’s Elite Under-14 team spent 42 days in Germany and the Netherlands gaining invaluable experience playing 11 matches across both countries.
“A key focus of the trip was to ensure our elite academy boys could get unrestricted training sessions, and also play in a full 11v11 games to benchmark ourselves against top youth teams in Europe,” said the 45-year-old.
“The team did an excellent job on and off the pitch. Our coaches were pleased with the discipline and determination the boys demonstrated and how they grew as a team, while their performances on the pitch showed that our team is indeed competitive at the European level.”
The trip to Europe had another key purpose as well, to drive improvement and professionalisation in the club’s specialist teams and administrators.
“There was much gained by our backroom staff as well: our staff from the sports science department, fitness, match analysis and even goalkeeping departments got insights into how a club like a top European club like Dortmund operates and picks up best practices to implement in our club,” said Chun-Liang.
“On the administrative side of things, we were allowed access to observe even restricted areas in matchday operations – including matchday experience for fans – merchandise sales, and also how our partners in Dortmund run ticketing, hospitality, security, and crowd control.”
Chun-Liang and the Sailors also visited the BVB training facility to see first hand what it takes to put together an excellent football infrastructure, perhaps an important facet of the trip with the Sailors’ training centre at Mattar Road set to be open later this year.
“We’re of course not there yet, but our BVB partners are at a level that we aspire to be at and it was important to learn best practices from them,” he said.
“Despite the difficult situations of Covid-19 and the rise of the Omicron variant, we’re delighted that we came together and persevered to make this trip work – it was invaluable in so many ways.”
The Europe training camp came just some four months after both clubs forged a two and a half-year partnership last July, and also saw the Sailors invited to watch a BVB first team training session and watch the likes of Erling Haaland, Marco Reus and Jude Bellingham up close.
The club were given access to certain parts of the stadiums on matchday of the match between Dortmund and rivals Bayern Munich, and were allowed to step onto the pitch for a jersey presentation ceremony to officially cement the LCS-BVB partnership.
The ultimate goal was to provide opportunity for unrestricted training and match exposure for the academy’s U14 team, in a safe environment with regular testing for all involved. This was especially important with Covid-19 restrictions limiting 11-a-side training and game opportunities for the team in Singapore since it was first set up in 2020.
“We were somewhat forced by circumstances to look abroad to ensure that our players continue to develop and match the progress of players in other countries around the world who have been training with fewer restrictions,” said Chun-Liang.
This Europe training camp was, in fact, only penciled in for 2022 but, when the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) between Singapore and Germany was first announced in early September 2021, the Sailors raced to sort things out from planning to logistics to execution.
BVB graciously accommodated the club’s special request, and just six weeks later, the Sailors were on a plane to Germany.
“The VTL gave us the opportunity to do this because a trip would not have made sense if you’re going to do a 14-day quarantine in both countries. You can imagine how fast we decided to do this after the VTL was first mooted,” he shared. “Credit goes to Luka and Academy General Manager (Tan) Li Yu for pushing and we quickly got the green-light approval from club Chairman Forrest (Li).
“We’re very grateful to Dortmund for helping us make this happen. A typical training camp overseas would’ve been around two and a half weeks, but since this was a rare opportunity, we wanted to maximise it. The cost was high, but the club moved ahead, for the good of our boys.”
It was not just about the two clubs, but also getting approval from schools in Singapore, as the boys had to skip their final academic week to make the trip and reassuring the parents as the Covid-19 situation was still fluid in Europe – a process which was made easier due to the support from both parties.
Beyond the tangible benefits to players and officials, the trip also served to solidify the relationship between LCS and BVB even as the partnership agreement was ‘practically done over Zoom’.
“Club Chairman Forrest was also there with us, and it was important to us that we could connect with BVB’s senior management to develop a deep relationship with them going forward,” stressed Chun-Liang.
Even before the trip, the two parties worked on several initiatives together – from virtual challenges between both sets of players to Zoom workshops on fan engagement to youth development philosophy, and even a combined CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) effort supporting the Macpherson Community, that witnessed staff from both LCS and BVB, along with Member of Parliament Tin Pei Ling distribute gifts to some 130 children in a “Grant A Wish” event.
The club has hosted members of the BVB management in the last couple of months as well, with Benedikt Scholz, Head of International & New Business and Managing Director of BVB Football Academy in town to explore collaborative efforts in 2022.
With both clubs sharing lofty ambitions and even adopting similar beliefs, Chun-Liang firmly believes this partnership is one that can last the distance and also hinted at more exciting developments ahead.
“I think it is quite extraordinary, what we’ve done in just six months, and we’re all looking forward to doing much more in the months ahead,” he said.
“It’s certain that we’ll send a youth team to Dortmund every year, and depending on the pandemic situation, we want to explore the possibility of having some of our players spend time with BVB, be it with the first team, reserves or U21s,” added an optimistic Chun-Liang.
“We would love to have some form of exchange involving both our first teams too, perhaps even inviting Dortmund to play in Singapore.”
In this piece, Lion City Sailors’ Chief Executive, Chew Chun-Liang looks ahead to the new season, and the host of initiatives that are in the pipeline for Sailors’ fans.
It has been somewhat quiet on the local football front since the AFF Suzuki Cup ended on an emotional note for our Lions last December, as we now all await the start of the 2022 season.
We are wildly appreciative of the heartwarming support we saw in stands across stadiums in the country last year, and behind the scenes, we have been hard at work. At the Sailors, we are determined to do more, and do better for football fans in our country.
Memberships: The Crew
We are planning a gesture to show our appreciation for fans who have stood alongside the Sailors even before we were crowned Champions of Singapore, and we’ll leave it at that for now.
From here on in, our revamped membership, The Crew, will be renewed annually and we are continually looking to bring more value to our Crew.
The Crew will receive an exclusive membership pack – we’ll leave its contents as a bit of a surprise for those of you who will come on board – and also discounts on match tickets and a host of Sailors’ merchandise that will be rolled out soon. Membership will open doors to exclusive perks with our partners as well as members’ events that – pandemic safety measures notwithstanding – are aimed to be peppered across the season.
Only members of The Crew will be allowed to ballot for a Sailors season pass that will guarantee a seat for all of our home games in the domestic football calendar.
While we continue to work to bring on board partners who can bring added value to our Crew, we are equally determined to provide value ourselves and make this membership affordable.
Season Pass: A front row seat to the Sailors’ adventure
Singapore Premier League clubs will be allowed to welcome 1,000 fans to the stadium this year – under prevailing safe management policies – and for the season pass holders of The Crew, a seat will be guaranteed for all home games for domestic football competitions we will host at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
In addition to that, season pass holders will have early access to tickets for Sailors’ away games.
In 2022, we will make our maiden appearance in the season-ending Singapore Cup which will throw up a few more matches for fans – hopefully with a cup final included – and we believe the season pass provides good value to our loyal Crew who have already shown how inspiring they can be from the stands.
Aiming for a smoother, more entertaining, overall experience
Below the deck, we are exploring various options to improve the matchday experience for local football fans, starting with online ticketing. The vision is to have fans glide seamlessly through the turnstiles and to their seat, where they are enthralled by music and activities on the pitch and around the stadium.
We will announce details as soon as we are ready to, but one thing’s for sure, us Sailors are working our socks off to bring fans more value, and a more enjoyable experience of Singapore football.
While Covid-19 safety measures continue to be important to ensure that we can all keep our loved ones safe, we will continue to find ways to improve the matchday experience while working within regulations, because you – the Singapore football fan – are at the heart of everything we do, and we would love to have more of you in the stands as we drive towards a more vibrant Singapore football scene.
The Sailors and I would love to welcome you for the next leg of the Sailors’ adventure – come join us for the 2022 SPL season!
