Category: News
Terms and Conditions – #OurShapesOurSpirit
Terms and Conditions – #OurShapesOurSpirit
- Introduction
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- These terms and conditions, and any other documents and policies incorporated by reference, (“Terms”) shall apply to the #OurShapesOurSpirit competition (the “Competition”) organised by Lion City Sailors Private Limited (“Lion City Sailors”), and shall form a contract between you and Lion City Sailors.
- Your participation in the Competition constitutes your agreement to be bound by these Terms The offering of the Competition to you is conditional on your acceptance of these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not participate in the Competition.
- Lion City Sailors’ other policies (including, but not limited to, the Terms of Service available here) (“Policies”) also apply to your participation in the Competition – to the extent of any inconsistency between the Policies and these Terms, the Policies shall prevail.
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- Competition Period
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- The competition shall run from 25 – 26 September 2023 (“Competition Period”).
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- Competition Mechanics
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- To participate in the Competition, you must use your personal Instagram account to post on your own Instagram page, and must ensure that each entry is public and contains the hashtag #OurShapesOurSpirit during the Competition Period. Entries of Instagram posts to the Competition are limited to one per participant / person.
- Winning entries will be chosen by the Lion City Sailors marketing department and will be judged on creativity (in its sole discretion).
- There will be ten (10) prize winners for the Competition. Each prize (“Prize”) is a trip for one person to Hong Kong to watch the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Group F fixture between the Lion City Sailors and Kitchee SC scheduled for 4 October 2023 (the “ACL Fixture”). The Prize shall include a return economy class flight to Hong Kong, two night’s accommodation in Hong Kong (twin-sharing), airport transfers, and one match ticket to the ACL Fixture (details of airlines and hotels to be determined by Lion City Sailors at its discretion and communicated to the winners separately).
- Each prize winner will be contacted through social media direct messaging by Lion City Sailors. In the event that Lion City Sailors is unable to contact or receive a response from a winner after three (3) attempts, a replacement prize winner will be chosen.
- Acceptance of a Prize by a winner shall constitute agreement for the winner to take part in such related promotional activities as Lion City Sailors may require.
- The Prize winner must meet travel, health and other conditions under Singapore and Hong Kong laws and regulations, including presenting proof of vaccinations and a valid passport. The Prize winner will also be responsible for all other costs in connection with travelling to the ACL Fixture, including, but not limited to, the costs of any COVID-19 tests and any COVID-19 related eventualities and personal travel expenditures (e.g dining / drinking, forms of transport beyond those mentioned above, travel insurance, etc).
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- Conditions
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- By participating in the Competition, you represent, warrant and undertake that:
- you are at least eighteen (18) years old and are ordinarily resident in Singapore;
- you and your immediate family members are not employed by Lion City Sailors or its associated promotional partners, companies or suppliers; and
- you will comply with all applicable laws when participating in the Competition.
- By participating in the Competition, you acknowledge and agree that:
- the Competition is deemed void to the extent prohibited by applicable laws;
- entries to the Competition are deemed void if Lion City Sailors determine (in its sole discretion) that such entries are illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, altered, counterfeit, produced in error or obtained through fraud or theft;
- the decisions of Lion City Sailors are final and binding with respect to all matters relating to the Competition (including, but not limited to, selection of the winner of the Prize);
- the Prize is non-transferable and non-exchangeable for cash or any other prizes;
- you grant Lion City Sailors a non‐exclusive, royalty‐free, transferable, sub-licensable, irrevocable, perpetual worldwide licence and right to use (including commercial use), distribute, reproduce, display and otherwise make available any content that you provide in connection with the Competition (including, but not limited to, your entry as well as your name, likeness and/or voice) (“Provided Materials”), and Lion City Sailors may use your Provided Materials in any publicity or advertising relating to the Competition or future competitions held by Lion City Sailors without compensation or approval (subject to applicable law);
- the Competition is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Inc. and its affiliates, and you agree to completely release Facebook, Inc and its affiliates from any and all liability in connection with the Competition;
- you may be required to provide and/or sign additional documents and forms prior to your receipt of the Prize, and elements of the Prize (including flights, hotels and other transport legs will be subject to the terms and conditions of third party service providers); and
- you agree to use, and assist with the transport of, game-day fan equipment such as drums, drum sticks and flags (further details will be conveyed to prizewinners separately).
- By participating in the Competition, you represent, warrant and undertake that:
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- Changes to / cancellation of Competition
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- Lion City Sailors reserve the right to (in its sole discretion): (a) amend or vary any term of the Competition, or suspend or cancel the Competition at any time, including, but not limited to, where for any reason the Competition is not capable of running as planned, due to any causes beyond the control of Lion City Sailors that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Competition (including, but not limited to, any changes to the dates, time or location of the ACL Fixture); and (b) suspend or disqualify your participation in the Competition at any time, including, but not limited to, where you breach any of the provisions of these Terms or the Policies or where your participation in the Competition is deemed by Lion City Sailors to be inappropriate, unsuitable or detrimental to Lion City Sailors.
- For the avoidance of doubt, cancellation, termination or suspension by Lion City Sailors of the Competition shall not entitle any party to any claim or compensation against Lion City Sailors for any and all losses or damage suffered or incurred as a direct or indirect result of the act of cancellation, termination or suspension of the Competition.
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- Data Protection
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- By participating in the Competition, you are deemed to have consented to: (i) the collection, use and disclosure of his/her name, image, voice and/or likeness by Lion City Sailors for editorial, advertising, competitional, marketing and/or other purposes without any payment and/or compensation except where prohibited by law; and (ii) receiving competitional, marketing and other publicity information from Lion City Sailors from time to time.
- Please also refer to Lion City Sailors’ Privacy Policy (available here). By participating in the Competition, you consent to Lion City Sailors’ collection, use, disclosure and/or processing of your personal data as described in the Privacy Policy.
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- Disclaimers
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- To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Competition (and any systems used to provide the Competition) is provided “as is” and without any warranties, claims or representations made by Lion City Sailors of any kind either express, implied or statutory with respect to the Competition, including without limitation warranties of quality, performance, non-infringement, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose, nor are there any warranties created by course of dealing, course of performance or trade usage. Without limiting the foregoing, Lion City Sailors do not warrant that the Competition (and any systems used to provide the Competition) will be available, accessible, uninterrupted, timely, secure, accurate, complete or error-free, that defects, if any, will be corrected, or that they are free of harmful code. You acknowledge that the entire risk arising out of your participation in the Competition (and use of any systems used to provide the Competition) remains with you to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.
- Lion City Sailors do not assume any responsibility or liability whatsoever for any Losses resulting from (i) any errors in communication associated with the Competition, (ii) any problems with the Prize; and (iii) any use of the Prize.
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- Indemnity; Liability
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- To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Lion City Sailors and its affiliates and their respective officers, directors, employees, subcontractors and agents) from and against any and all Losses, whether foreseeable or not, directly resulting from any third party claims, investigations, legal or administrative action, litigation or arbitrations or demands to the extent arising out of or relating to: (a) any actual breach of any of your representations, warranties, covenants, or obligations under these Terms; and (b) any breach of any third party’s rights.
- To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, under no circumstances shall Lion City Sailors be liable to you for any losses, liabilities, damages, fines, judgments, settlements, costs, expenses, and fees (including reasonable and justified attorney’s fees), including, but not limited to: (a) indirect, incidental, consequential, punitive or special damages whatsoever; or (b) loss of profits, loss of business, loss of opportunity or loss of goodwill, whether foreseeable or not, arising out of or related to this terms of service, regardless of the forum and regardless of whether based on breach of contract, tort (including, without limitation, negligence), misrepresentation, under statute or otherwise (“Losses”). Your only right with respect to any problems or dissatisfaction with the Competition is to discontinue participation in the Competition. If, notwithstanding the preceding sentence, Lion City Sailors is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be liable for any Losses, Lion City Sailors’ total liability to you or any third party is limited to SGD 100 (one hundred Singapore dollars).
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- Other
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- Lion City Sailors may revise and update these Terms at any time in its sole discretion by posting an updated version. It is your responsibility to check regularly to make note of any changes. All such changes to these Terms are effective immediately when posted and apply to your participation in the Competition thereafter. Your continued participation in the Competition following the posting of such revised Terms constitutes your acceptance and agreement to the changes which are binding on you.
- These Terms and any non-contractual rights or obligations arising out of or in connection with it shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Singapore.
- You shall do all things necessary, including executing all documents necessary, to give effect to the intention of the parties under these Terms.
- Failure by Lion City Sailors to enforce any of their rights at any stage under these Terms does not constitute a waiver of those rights.
- Any dispute, controversy, difference or claim arising under or relating to these Terms shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration administered by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre in Singapore in accordance with the Arbitration Rules of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre for the time being in force, which rules are deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Clause. The seat of the arbitration shall be Singapore. This arbitration agreement shall be governed by Singapore law. The Tribunal shall consist of three (3) arbitrators and the language of the arbitration shall be English.
- A person who is not a party to these Terms shall have no rights under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act (Cap 53B) to enforce these Terms.
- Introduction
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- These terms and conditions, and any other documents and policies incorporated by reference, (“Terms”) shall apply to the #OurShapesOurSpirit competition (the “Competition”) organised by Lion City Sailors Private Limited (“Lion City Sailors”), and shall form a contract between you and Lion City Sailors.
- Your participation in the Competition constitutes your agreement to be bound by these Terms The offering of the Competition to you is conditional on your acceptance of these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not participate in the Competition.
- Lion City Sailors’ other policies (including, but not limited to, the Terms of Service available here) (“Policies”) also apply to your participation in the Competition – to the extent of any inconsistency between the Policies and these Terms, the Policies shall prevail.
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- Competition Period
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- The competition shall run from 9 – 13 October 2023 (“Competition Period”).
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- Competition Mechanics
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- To participate in the Competition, you must use your personal Facebook or Instagram account to post on your own Facebook or Instagram page, and must ensure that each entry is public and contains the hashtags #OurShapesOurSpirit and #TheCrewInKorea during the Competition Period. Entries of Facebook or Instagram posts to the Competition are limited to one per participant / person.
- Winning entries will be chosen by the Lion City Sailors marketing department and will be judged on creativity (in its sole discretion).
- There will be ten (10) prize winners for the Competition. Each prize (“Prize”) is a trip for one person to South Korea to watch the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Group F fixture between the Lion City Sailors and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors scheduled for 25 October 2023 (the “ACL Fixture”). The Prize shall include a return economy class flight to South Korea, two night’s accommodation in South Korea (twin-sharing), airport transfers, and one match ticket to the ACL Fixture (details of airlines and hotels to be determined by Lion City Sailors at its discretion and communicated to the winners separately).
- Each prize winner will be contacted through social media direct messaging by Lion City Sailors. In the event that Lion City Sailors is unable to contact or receive a response from a winner after three (3) attempts, a replacement prize winner will be chosen.
- Acceptance of a Prize by a winner shall constitute agreement for the winner to take part in such related promotional activities as Lion City Sailors may require.
- The Prize winner must meet travel, health and other conditions under Singapore and South Korea laws and regulations, including presenting proof of vaccinations and a valid passport. The Prize winner will also be responsible for all other costs in connection with travelling to the ACL Fixture, including, but not limited to, the costs of any COVID-19 tests and any COVID-19 related eventualities and personal travel expenditures (e.g dining / drinking, forms of transport beyond those mentioned above, travel insurance, etc).
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- Conditions
-
-
- By participating in the Competition, you represent, warrant and undertake that:
- you are at least eighteen (18) years old and are ordinarily resident in Singapore;
- you and your immediate family members are not employed by Lion City Sailors or its associated promotional partners, companies or suppliers; and
- you will comply with all applicable laws when participating in the Competition.
- By participating in the Competition, you acknowledge and agree that:
- the Competition is deemed void to the extent prohibited by applicable laws;
- entries to the Competition are deemed void if Lion City Sailors determine (in its sole discretion) that such entries are illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, altered, counterfeit, produced in error or obtained through fraud or theft;
- the decisions of Lion City Sailors are final and binding with respect to all matters relating to the Competition (including, but not limited to, selection of the winner of the Prize);
- the Prize is non-transferable and non-exchangeable for cash or any other prizes;
- you grant Lion City Sailors a non‐exclusive, royalty‐free, transferable, sub-licensable, irrevocable, perpetual worldwide licence and right to use (including commercial use), distribute, reproduce, display and otherwise make available any content that you provide in connection with the Competition (including, but not limited to, your entry as well as your name, likeness and/or voice) (“Provided Materials”), and Lion City Sailors may use your Provided Materials in any publicity or advertising relating to the Competition or future competitions held by Lion City Sailors without compensation or approval (subject to applicable law);
- the Competition is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Inc. and its affiliates, and you agree to completely release Facebook, Inc and its affiliates from any and all liability in connection with the Competition;
- you may be required to provide and/or sign additional documents and forms prior to your receipt of the Prize, and elements of the Prize (including flights, hotels and other transport legs will be subject to the terms and conditions of third party service providers); and
- you agree to use, and assist with the transport of, game-day fan equipment such as drums, drum sticks and flags (further details will be conveyed to prizewinners separately).
- By participating in the Competition, you represent, warrant and undertake that:
-
- Changes to / cancellation of Competition
-
-
- Lion City Sailors reserve the right to (in its sole discretion): (a) amend or vary any term of the Competition, or suspend or cancel the Competition at any time, including, but not limited to, where for any reason the Competition is not capable of running as planned, due to any causes beyond the control of Lion City Sailors that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Competition (including, but not limited to, any changes to the dates, time or location of the ACL Fixture); and (b) suspend or disqualify your participation in the Competition at any time, including, but not limited to, where you breach any of the provisions of these Terms or the Policies or where your participation in the Competition is deemed by Lion City Sailors to be inappropriate, unsuitable or detrimental to Lion City Sailors.
- For the avoidance of doubt, cancellation, termination or suspension by Lion City Sailors of the Competition shall not entitle any party to any claim or compensation against Lion City Sailors for any and all losses or damage suffered or incurred as a direct or indirect result of the act of cancellation, termination or suspension of the Competition.
-
- Data Protection
-
-
- By participating in the Competition, you are deemed to have consented to: (i) the collection, use and disclosure of his/her name, image, voice and/or likeness by Lion City Sailors for editorial, advertising, competitional, marketing and/or other purposes without any payment and/or compensation except where prohibited by law; and (ii) receiving competitional, marketing and other publicity information from Lion City Sailors from time to time.
- Please also refer to Lion City Sailors’ Privacy Policy (available here). By participating in the Competition, you consent to Lion City Sailors’ collection, use, disclosure and/or processing of your personal data as described in the Privacy Policy.
-
- Disclaimers
-
-
- To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Competition (and any systems used to provide the Competition) is provided “as is” and without any warranties, claims or representations made by Lion City Sailors of any kind either express, implied or statutory with respect to the Competition, including without limitation warranties of quality, performance, non-infringement, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose, nor are there any warranties created by course of dealing, course of performance or trade usage. Without limiting the foregoing, Lion City Sailors do not warrant that the Competition (and any systems used to provide the Competition) will be available, accessible, uninterrupted, timely, secure, accurate, complete or error-free, that defects, if any, will be corrected, or that they are free of harmful code. You acknowledge that the entire risk arising out of your participation in the Competition (and use of any systems used to provide the Competition) remains with you to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.
- Lion City Sailors do not assume any responsibility or liability whatsoever for any Losses resulting from (i) any errors in communication associated with the Competition, (ii) any problems with the Prize; and (iii) any use of the Prize.
-
- Indemnity; Liability
-
-
- To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Lion City Sailors and its affiliates and their respective officers, directors, employees, subcontractors and agents) from and against any and all Losses, whether foreseeable or not, directly resulting from any third party claims, investigations, legal or administrative action, litigation or arbitrations or demands to the extent arising out of or relating to: (a) any actual breach of any of your representations, warranties, covenants, or obligations under these Terms; and (b) any breach of any third party’s rights.
- To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, under no circumstances shall Lion City Sailors be liable to you for any losses, liabilities, damages, fines, judgments, settlements, costs, expenses, and fees (including reasonable and justified attorney’s fees), including, but not limited to: (a) indirect, incidental, consequential, punitive or special damages whatsoever; or (b) loss of profits, loss of business, loss of opportunity or loss of goodwill, whether foreseeable or not, arising out of or related to this terms of service, regardless of the forum and regardless of whether based on breach of contract, tort (including, without limitation, negligence), misrepresentation, under statute or otherwise (“Losses”). Your only right with respect to any problems or dissatisfaction with the Competition is to discontinue participation in the Competition. If, notwithstanding the preceding sentence, Lion City Sailors is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be liable for any Losses, Lion City Sailors’ total liability to you or any third party is limited to SGD 100 (one hundred Singapore dollars).
-
- Other
-
- Lion City Sailors may revise and update these Terms at any time in its sole discretion by posting an updated version. It is your responsibility to check regularly to make note of any changes. All such changes to these Terms are effective immediately when posted and apply to your participation in the Competition thereafter. Your continued participation in the Competition following the posting of such revised Terms constitutes your acceptance and agreement to the changes which are binding on you.
- These Terms and any non-contractual rights or obligations arising out of or in connection with it shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Singapore.
- You shall do all things necessary, including executing all documents necessary, to give effect to the intention of the parties under these Terms.
- Failure by Lion City Sailors to enforce any of their rights at any stage under these Terms does not constitute a waiver of those rights.
- Any dispute, controversy, difference or claim arising under or relating to these Terms shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration administered by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre in Singapore in accordance with the Arbitration Rules of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre for the time being in force, which rules are deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Clause. The seat of the arbitration shall be Singapore. This arbitration agreement shall be governed by Singapore law. The Tribunal shall consist of three (3) arbitrators and the language of the arbitration shall be English.
- A person who is not a party to these Terms shall have no rights under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act (Cap 53B) to enforce these Terms.
The Lion City Sailors’ hopes of defending their 2021 Singapore Premier League (SPL) title went up in smoke on Friday (7 October) night with a 4-2 loss to Albirex Niigata (S) – a result that has instead sealed the White Swans’ fifth league triumph in seven years.
In front of a sold-out crowd of 3,500 fans at the Jalan Besar Stadium, the Sailors managed to cancel out Albirex’s early opener and gave themselves a fighting chance while trailing 3-2, but ultimately fell to a fourth straight defeat.
The loss meant the White Swans have secured an unassailable seven-point lead at the top of the table and are the 2022 SPL champions, although there is a thin silver lining for the Sailors who have a potential route back into the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League group stages in 2023 by virtue of finishing as the SPL’s top local team.
Sailors interim Head Coach Luka Lalić lamented the fact that a much-improved performance from the previous three matches failed to yield a positive result.
“We didn’t lose the title in this game; we lost it in the previous three. There was a positive feeling before the game and everyone had the belief that we could win. You can see how much the boys went out there to fight for every ball and be aggressive in their challenges.
“But we lacked that final touch and composure to convert the various chances we had, while Albirex took almost every chance they created – that’s the main difference. Congratulations to Albirex and we’ll try to bounce back in the Singapore Cup,” said the 35-year-old.
Albirex drew first blood on five minutes through Singapore international Ilhan Fandi, who capitalised on a botched clearance to fire home a sweet volley from the edge of the box.
The Sailors swiftly responded to make it 1-1 through South Korean front man Kim Shin-wook, who calmly finished beyond Takahiro Koga for his 21st goal of the season after being picked out by a gorgeous Adam Swandi ball over the top.
The visitors went back ahead in the 37th minute with Ilhan teeing up Tanaka for a close-range header, before Luka’s men spurned a series of excellent chances to restore parity on either side of the break.
Tanaka then grabbed a second to make it 3-1 in the 78th minute after doing just enough in a one-on-one with Hassan Sunny to get the ball over the line, but the Sailors found a lifeline six minutes later.
Substitute Gabriel Quak coolly converted from the spot after Maxime Lestienne was felled in the box by Masaya Idetsu to halve the deficit and the Sailors went agonisingly close to finding an equaliser shortly after – with Maxime firing just over after skipping past a number of challenges.
The Sailors piled the pressure late on and were made to pay the price for pushing numbers forward, with Tanaka taking full advantage by latching onto a long ball and lashing beyond Hassan to complete his hat-trick and seal the crown for the Japanese satellite side.
While there is the obvious disappointment of failing to retain the league title, Luka called for the Sailors to quickly shift their focus to winning the last piece of silverware on offer this season.
“The feeling’s obviously not great, but our season is far from over – we still have the Singapore Cup,” stressed Luka.
“It was nice to see the stadium being so packed – we have all our Sailors Academy’s players and their families here tonight – and the support was fantastic.
“I would like to send big apologies to all our supporters; we know they’ll continue to be behind us for the Cup and we’re going to make sure we put up a strong performance in the tournament for them.”
The Lion City Sailors gear up for Friday (7 October) night’s big Singapore Premier League (SPL) clash against league leaders Albirex Niigata (S) at the Jalan Besar Stadium, fully aware of what needs to be done.
Trailing the White Swans by four points with three games to go, the Sailors need nothing less than a win to keep their title hopes alive and haul themselves back into the race.
On the other hand, a victory will see the Japanese satellite side open an unassailable seven-point lead and seal their fifth league triumph – a scenario that the Sailors are determined to avoid.
Coming into the game on the back of an error-laden 5-3 loss to Balestier Khalsa that stretched a losing run to three games, Luka Lalić’s men acknowledged their recent performances have been below-par and were hard at training this week to work out the kinks.
Calling it a “cup final”, experienced campaigner Hassan Sunny has called for his side to put up a back-to-the-wall performance against Albirex and show that they are ready to battle.
“Obviously it’s not been the best of periods for us, but we retain a strong belief and mentality internally within our squad. This is the time where we ought to show up and prove ourselves.
“Everyone of us has to leave it all out there on the pitch and give our 100 percent commitment to get these important three points,” said the 38-year-old, who won the title in 2014 with the now-defunct Warriors FC and in 2021 with the Sailors.
“In the past three games, I can say that the first half against Balestier was our best performance, but the levels dipped in the second half. For this game against Albirex, we know we have to turn up for the full 90 minutes and perform till the final whistle.
“We’ll still need other teams to do us a favour against Albirex (in the final two matches), but let’s just do our job first to give ourselves a chance of retaining the title.”
Saifullah Akbar sang from the same hymn book as he looks to take on a White Swans outfit that have been unbeaten in their last 11 outings.
“We’re going into this with the mentality of nothing to lose. The pressure is now on Albirex as they are the league leaders. For us, we aren’t going to worry that much about what they’re going to do but instead we’re going to focus on what we can control – which is to deliver the coaches’ game plan and play to our strengths,” said the 23-year-old.
“We’re going in with all guns blazing, we’re going to take risks and play our football. I’ve absolute confidence in this team that we can put up a result when it matters the most.”
With tickets selling out fast for this blockbuster clash, Saifullah is excited by the prospect of playing in front of a packed Jalan Besar and believes that will give them an edge.
“This is the kind of game that every Singapore football fan should be looking forward to. Credit to Albirex – they’ve made the league very interesting. With the crowd we’re expecting, the game should be one that will be played at a high intensity.
“We have that little advantage of playing in front of our fans on a flat surface, so we’re certainly out to deliver a good show for them – we do not want to let them down as they’ve been coming down to support us in every game, rain or shine,” he said.
All set for an exciting Friday night clash that will define the season, Hassan is rallying his teammates to play with hearts on sleeves to get an overdue first league win against Albirex.
“We have to treat this as if it’s the last game of the season, just like against Balestier last season (a 4-1 win that sealed the 2021 title on the final day) – I’ve never seen so much fire, desire and hunger from the players before that night.
“We’ve to do the same in this match and I know we can do this as a team,” said a defiant Hassan.
Fresh off a memorable title-winning Deloitte Women’s Premier League campaign, nine players from the Lion City Sailors Women’s Team will help fly the Singapore flag as the Lionesses host Indonesia in an international ‘A’ friendly at the Jalan Besar Stadium next Monday (10 October).
National captain Ernie Sulastri, along with eight others – goalkeeper Noor Kusumawati, defenders Khairunnisa Khairol Anwar, Fatin Aqillah, Syazwani Ruzi, Umairah Hamdan, midfielder Venetia Lim and forwards Nur Izzati Rosni and Lila Tan – have gotten the nod from Singapore Women’s National Team Head Coach Stephen Ng.
Khairunnisa, better known as Nisa, is handed a recall after missing July’s ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Championship campaign due to school internship commitments.
The 19-year-old full-back will be looking to add to her three international caps as 133rd-ranked Singapore takes Indonesia – 32 places above them in the FIFA rankings – in a rematch of their recent fixture in the AFF Women’s Championship.
The Lionesses won 2-0 on that occasion courtesy of an Izzati strike and an own goal for their first win in the regional competition in 18 years.
Sailors’ Lionesses: Noor Kusumawati, Ernie Sulastri, Khairunnisa Khairol Anwar, Fatin Aqillah, Syazwani Ruzi, Umairah Hamdan, Venetia Lim, Nur Izzati Rosni, Lila Tan
The Lion City Sailors slumped to a third straight Singapore Premier League (SPL) defeat after going down 5-3 to Balestier Khalsa at Toa Payoh Stadium on Sunday night (2 October).
With three games remaining, the reigning SPL champions find themselves four points behind league leaders Albirex Niigata (S), whom they face in a blockbuster at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday (7 October).
After a shaky start, Song Ui-young fired the Sailors ahead against the run of play with two goals in as many minutes on the half-hour mark.
But the game soon swung in favour of the Tigers. A brace from Ryoya Taniguchi pulled the Tigers level before Daniel Goh made it 3-2 with a close-range finish in the 50th minute.
The match was temporarily halted soon after due to a heavy downpour which affected visibility on the pitch, with the lightning warning coming on at Toa Payoh Stadium, extending the delay.
It resumed an hour and a half later, and so did Balestier’s scoring, with captain Shuhei Hoshino extending their advantage on 58 minutes on a rain-soaked pitch.
Hariss Harun then glanced home a Faris Ramli corner to reduce the deficit, with the Sailors needing Hassan Sunny to save a Hoshino penalty in the 68th minute to stay in the tie.
On the same evening Albirex were held 1-1 by Hougang United, the Sailors just could not produce the elusive equaliser with the sucker punch eventually coming 15 minutes from time.
Taniguchi earned his match ball after his effort deflected off a Sailors defender and past the wrongfooted Hassan in goal.
Things got from bad to worse for the visitors who were reduced to ten men late on. Hariss received his marching orders for tugging back Goh, but it mattered little as seventh-placed Balestier hung on for a memorable victory.
Interim Head Coach Luka Lalić did not mince his words after the match.
“It was an absolute nightmare and Balestier fully deserved their win tonight,” he said.
“This is a result of the combined mistakes we made throughout. Despite having worked on our defensive issues all week long, the same old mistakes repeated themselves and it is something we need to discuss when we get back to training.”
Despite seeing their title hopes hang by a thread, Luka is refusing to throw in the towel just yet.
“Our immediate focus is definitely to bring the team back up as the mood in the camp is not fantastic,” said the 35-year-old.
“Nothing is over yet until it’s mathematically confirmed. We will keep pushing as much as we can and hopefully get a result against Albirex.”
Hard work, determination and tenacity – the Lion City Sailors Women displayed all these qualities as they came from behind to defeat a stubborn Tanjong Pagar United 2-1 at Yishun Stadium on Saturday (1 October) night.
The result capped off a memorable debut Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL) season, in which they sealed the title with two games to go and finished unbeaten with 10 wins and two draws.
Describing this as “one of the best matches that we’ve played this season”, Head Coach Yeong Sheau Shyan expressed her delight at witnessing how her side battled through adversity to end the campaign on a high.
“We didn’t just want to end off with that unbeaten streak, we really wanted to win this match and that was what we were gunning for from the start,” she emphasised. “We played really well initially but didn’t score, then the wave turned and we conceded the opening goal.
“It was important that at half time we managed to get everyone to cool down. There were some emotions because tackles were hard and there was a lot of sliding around and pushing. The girls just needed a bit of a reminder that they can’t play the style we wanted to when everyone is hot-headed and rushing.
“We needed to play at our own timing, speed and rhythm – and the girls really did that in the second half. We’ve never done well at corners especially, but the deliveries today were superb.”
Up against a Tanjong Pagar side well drilled by former Singapore international Samawira Basri and gunning for a win to seal second spot, the Sailors dominated early proceedings but found themselves trailing after 34 minutes with Japanese striker Yuki Monden firing in off the post to put the Jaguars ahead.
This was the first time the Sailors conceded the first goal and trailed in a game this season – just the third goal that the women conceded in all 12 WPL matches.
The champions rallied after the break but found Tanjong Pagar goalkeeper Nurul Haziqah in fine form, until they finally found a way through in the 65th minute. Lila Tan bundled home the equaliser amidst a melee following Paula Druschke’s teasing inswinging corner.
The Sailors Women kept plugging away towards the end and got their just rewards six minutes into injury time, as centre-back Fatin Aqillah swept a clean shot into the bottom left corner after another Paula corner had caused chaos in the Tanjong Pagar box.
The goal sparked an outpouring of emotion with goalkeeper Noor Kusumawati racing the length of the pitch to join in the team’s celebrations. The final whistle soon sounded, marking the Sailors Women’s crowning as Invincibles.
Fatin revealed her mixed emotions on scoring the match-winning goal, having moved to the Sailors this season after six years with Tanjong Pagar.
“I felt bad for my ex-teammates, but I knew we needed to end the season with a bang,” reflected the 28-year-old. “Throughout the entire season, I was trying to score at least once, especially with Coach Sheau Shyan usually putting me up on set pieces.
“I guess I was at the right place at the right time on this occasion. Paula gave a really good ball and it somehow went to me. I chested the ball and it landed just in front of me, so I just took a shot and I’m so glad that it went in. It’s just amazing to end the season in this way.”
Confetti rained down on the Yishun Stadium as captain Ernie Sulastri lifted the WPL trophy in front of the adoring Sailors fans in a moment that would be remembered in years to come.
The team was also presented with a S$25,000 cheque for their efforts.
Even as the Sailors Women donned specially-made “Champions” T-shirts, they made sure to remember the efforts of their entire contingent, lifting up the no. 20 jersey in honour of forward Dorcas Chu who suffered an unfortunate anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in training two days prior.
Up-and-comer Nur Syafina Putri – who missed the entire season due to an ACL tear just before the campaign began – also joined the celebrations.
With the 2022 WPL season now wrapped up, Sheau Shyan is already looking to the next and beyond.
“We’ve already put our plans in place for next year,” she teased. “There’ll definitely be some ins and outs as our players are not contracted or full-time players.
“It’s important that the players continue to improve and strive to play at an even higher level. The challenge for them now is to go up one or two notches by playing against international teams and display the progressive football we desire to play.”
The title race is not over: Hafiz
The Lion City Sailors will be looking to bounce back from consecutive defeats when they go on the road to face second-from-bottom Balestier Khalsa at Toa Payoh Stadium on Sunday (2 October) evening.
It will be the Sailors’ first Singapore Premier League (SPL) outing since their 10 September 2-1 loss to Tampines Rovers, a result which came after a 3-1 reverse by Geylang International a week prior.
The defending champions might have slipped to second behind Albirex Niigata in the eight-team SPL, three points adrift with four matches left to play, but Hafiz Nor remains unfazed.
“We acknowledge that we haven’t been at our best in the last two games, but all of us are determined to put an end to this streak,” said the 34-year-old, who will return to the side after serving a one-match suspension.
“We have been working hard in training and everyone is in good spirits. As long as we bring our A-game, I’m confident we can get the three points to keep our title hopes alive.”
Interim Head Coach Luka Lalić echoed Hafiz’s sentiments.
“The short break was useful for us to have some time off to recharge and regroup after two straight losses,” he said.
“We have had the chance to look back at the Tampines game – a unique situation with the injuries and suspensions that we had to contend with. At the end of the day, we failed to make our chances count and were made to pay for mistakes at the back.
“It is however something we are working on at the moment and we hope to fix it in time.”
The return of Hafiz and club captain Hariss Harun is a welcome boost for Luka, who is treating each of their remaining SPL matches like a final.
“It’s a different team when you have your captain as well as someone with Hafiz’s experience back,” Luka added.
“We are thinking positively and our focus now is to win every game from now in order to stand a chance to retain our title.”
With fellow title challengers Albirex in action against Hougang United on the same day, Hafiz hopes the Cheetahs can do the Sailors a favour by getting a result.
“Hougang are a team gunning for a spot in the AFC Cup next season and they have nothing to lose,” he quipped.
“Hopefully they can conjure something and make the title race more exciting. At the same time, we cannot underestimate Balestier who have home advantage and we have to do our part as well.”
Eight-time German champions Borussia Dortmund (BVB) will play a friendly match against defending Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions, Lion City Sailors, at Singapore’s Jalan Besar Stadium on Thursday, 24 November.
The match is the crown jewel of the first leg of BVB’s Southeast Asia Tour that kicks off in Singapore (22-26 Nov) before seeing the 1997 UEFA Champions League winners travel to Vietnam and Indonesia. The Singapore leg of the tour comes in the wake of several joint initiatives since the Sailors and BVB penned a two and a half-year partnership in July 2021.
Tickets for the match go on sale today on SISTIC, and will cost between S$25 (Adult, Gallery) and $35 (Adult, Grandstand). Early bird discounts are available from 30 September to 24 October, with Lion City Sailors members able to purchase tickets at preferential rates.
The clubs have lined up a series of off-the-field professional activities over the five days of the tour that will further underscore their deep partnership. Staff of BVB and their Sailors counterparts will engage in knowledge sharing sessions, with fan activations and even community activities in the pipeline.
“It has been a fantastic year or so working with the Sailors who have helped us get closer to Singapore’s football fraternity and its communities. And while the match will be the main highlight, we’re looking forward to working together on even more initiatives on this tour,” said BVB Managing Director, Carsten Cramer.
“I’m personally delighted to be able to bring our first team to play in Singapore, and I’m confident that football fans will be treated to attractive football and meaningful initiatives as we solidify our partnership with the Sailors.”
The partnership has already witnessed Sailors Academy teams compete against their BVB counterparts as part of a six-week Europe training tour in December 2021. The club’s technical and corporate office staff concurrently visited Dortmund for a study trip which included attending the famed Der Klassiker – the highly-anticipated clash between Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
“Visiting Dortmund last year was an eye-opening experience for both our Academy players and staff. The entire club is already abuzz, looking forward to a BVB tour that will exclude the usual bells and whistles associated with such visits, but instead be fully focused on football activities,” said Sailors Chief Executive Chew Chun-Liang.
“Our players will get first-hand experience playing against a big European club, our staff will have the opportunity for deeper engagement with their counterparts to learn and grow, and we’re hoping to involve fans – both Sailors’ and BVB’s – and our community partners in this tour as well.
“We’ve ensured that ticket prices are kept affordable for our fans so they can grab the opportunity of watching our very own Sailors go up against some of the best in Europe in what will be a milestone for the club,” he added.
The friendly match will take place three days after the FIFA World Cup kicks off in Qatar on 21 November, and will not feature some of Dortmund’s stars who will be on international duty with their national teams.
But that has not dampened the enthusiasm of Sailors’ skipper Hariss Harun who revealed that there is electricity in the Sailors’ dressing room.
“We’ve played against some of Asia’s best at the AFC Champions League earlier this year, and this match will be a bit of a step up – against one of the best teams in Europe with some of the best young players too,” said Hariss, who is also the captain of the Singapore national team.
“It’s going to be a fantastic test for us, and the younger boys in the team are especially geared up for the match, and we’re all looking to put on a good show for our fans.”
Suresh Letchmanan, Managing Director of BVB Asia Pacific looked back on a fruitful year in partnership with the Sailors, and is confident that Singapore will see more during the tour and in the year ahead.
“Both clubs are dynamic and progressive brands with a commitment to developing talented young players, and we have leveraged these common values to great effect this past year,” said Suresh.
“We’ll put together some creative and innovative football-focused initiatives for Singapore fans this November, and build on that momentum for 2023.”
Tickets can be purchased from SISTIC here.
The Lion City Sailors Women will be gunning to finish their Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL) campaign unbeaten when they face Tanjong Pagar United on Saturday (1 October) night.
With nine wins and two draws so far, Yeong Sheau Shyan’s charges are eager to bounce back from a goalless stalemate against Tiong Bahru last time out.
Defender Khairunnisa Khairol Anwar believes that result has only served as motivation for them to do better against a well-drilled Tanjong Pagar led by former Singapore international Samawira Basri.
The Jaguars are just one point ahead of Albirex in second and will look for a result to cement their runners-up spot whilst spoiling the party for the Sailors, who will finally lift the WPL trophy at Yishun Stadium.
“All of us were disappointed we failed to beat Tiong Bahru. We want to approach the last game strongly and hopefully finish the season with a win,” said the soft-spoken 19-year-old.
“Tanjong Pagar are a strong team and we know the threat that they can pose. We will look to fix our errors from our last game and hope this translates into an improved performance.
“More importantly, we want to go into this with the right mentality and enjoy ourselves since it’s our last league game together.”
One who does not shirk from challenges despite her relatively small frame, Khairunnisa has surprised many with her aggression and confidence in the tackle.
She also hits the gym regularly to build on her strength so as to be able to compete with stronger opponents.
“I’m aware that I’m probably one of the smaller players in the team and I will likely lose out physically,” she mused.
“That’s why I feel that it’s important to put in the extra effort to go to the gym as much as possible, working on things that cannot be done in our usual trainings as a team.
“On the pitch, it’s also about being tactically smart by being patient and waiting for the right time to go for the tackle instead of just going for every challenge.”
Reflecting on the Sailors Women’s WPL season, Nisa is simply thankful for every opportunity that she gets, even as she has had to play as a right winger against Tiong Bahru.
“Actually I’m not really one of the core members of the team, but I try to play and do my best no matter which position I’m being put in,” said Nisa, whose first brush with domestic league football came with Women’s National League side Tampines Changkat in 2019.
“I feel that my performances this season has been decent, but there is always room for improvement. I always tell myself to go in every game with an open mind and just go for it.
“Overall, the team had a good run and it wasn’t an easy journey due to various commitments but we made the best out of it. We carried out Coach’s plans and while we could have done better in certain aspects, I still had fun and I’m happy we won the title this season,” she added.
“The job isn’t done yet, we are out to do well in this last game to reward the fans who have been coming down regularly to support us.”
