Player Type: MIDFIELDERS
Nationality: Singaporean
DOB/Age: 16 March 2004 (21)
Previous Club: BG Tampines Rovers
Nurhidayu, more commonly known as Ayu, is known for her soft-heartedness off the field.
On it, however, Ayu transforms into a fearless midfielder who reads the game well and is fully committed and brave in the tackle. After suffering an unfortunate ACL injury, Ayu made her comeback with the Sailors Women in 2024 and is determined to make up for lost time, alongside her younger sister Natasha.
Nationality: Singaporean
DOB/Age: 7 January 2010 (15)
Year Promoted to Women’s Team: 2024
As the first female scholar of the Sailors Football Academy, Ain is a rising star to watch. After impressing with the Sailors U-13 Elite Boys’ team, Ain was promoted to the WPL team in June 2024, where she has quickly established herself as a key figure.
Ain’s technical ability, speed, and acceleration, combined with her aggressive off-the-ball play, showcase a talent far beyond her years. Touted as the future star of Singapore women’s football, Ain is already making significant strides in her young career.
Nationality: Dutch
DOB/Age: 29 June 1996 (29)
Previous Clubs: FC Utrecht (2014-2016, 2019-2023), PSV Eindhoven (2016-2019)
Having honed his craft in the Dutch Eredivisie for around a decade, Bart was a key acquisition for the Sailors when he joined in February 2024.
A versatile attacking midfielder who has the ability to play on either flank, or centrally in between the lines, he played a crucial part in a historic 2024/25 season – scoring crucial goals in the AFC Champions League Two semi-final against Sydney FC and the Singapore Cup final against BG Tampines Rovers.
He rose to prominence as a technically supreme midfield playmaker with PSV, winning the 2017/18 Eredivisie title and featuring in the UEFA Champions League with the Dutch giants. He had two spells with Utrecht, accumulating 130 domestic league appearances for them, before making the move to Singapore in February 2024.
Bart has also been capped thrice at international level with Holland – this includes a start in their 3-1 World Cup qualifying win over Luxembourg in November 2016, where he played alongside the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Wesley Sneijder, Georginio Wijnaldum and Arjen Robben.
Nationality: Portuguese
DOB/Age: 22 March 1998 (27)
Previous Clubs: FC Porto B (2016-2019), Troyes (2019-2022), FC Paços de Ferreira (2021-2022 – loan, 2022-2023)
Rui is a defensive midfielder who spent a large portion of his youth career progressing through the ranks at FC Porto, featuring in their Under-15, U17 and U19 sides.
He was promoted to Porto’s B side to play in Liga Portugal 2, the second tier of Portuguese football, before moving permanently to French Ligue 2 side Troyes. After two seasons there, the midfielder moved back to play in the Portuguese top tier, the Primeira Liga, on loan with FC Paços de Ferreira before the deal was made permanent.
Rui previously captained Portugal’s national age-group sides on a regular basis and was called up till the U20 level. In 2017, he put up a solid display throughout the UEFA European Under-19 Championship, earning him a place in the Team of the Tournament.
After a solid 2024/25 campaign in which he formed the fulcrum for the Sailors’ exciting run to the AFC Champions League Two final, Rui is hungry to contribute more in yet another campaign which the club will represent Singapore on two continental fronts.
Nationality: Singaporean
DOB/Age: 22 August 1988 (37)
Previous Clubs: Tanjong Pagar United (2011, 2012-2013), Home United (2012, 2018-2019), Geylang International (2014-2015), Warriors FC (2016-2017)
Well-known as a speed merchant, Hafiz forged himself a reputation as a dangerous and tricky winger in his younger days. He has since done well to transform himself into a steady and committed full-back, who is capable of putting in crunching tackles as well as whipping in dangerous crosses from his flank.
Now the senior statesman at the Sailors, Hafiz is still going strong and enjoys the opportunity to impart his knowledge to the younger ones at the club.
In July 2024, he became the first player to hit a century of appearances for the Sailors and is now heading into his 15th season in professional football.
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Nationality: Singaporean
DOB/Age: 23 April 1992 (33)
Previous Clubs: Home United, Woodlands Wellington
A bit of a sports fanatic who dallied with badminton and track and field, Hui Xin gave football a go with friends when in primary school and was hooked by the camaraderie and team dynamics of football.
The sport took her on a journey of highs and lows that featured a Direct Schools Admission (DSA) entry into Victoria Junior College, stints with Home United – the previous iteration of the Lion City Sailors – and Woodlands Wellington.
A midfield enforcer who possesses superb playmaking abilities, Hui Xin is a real leader in this young Sailors side and her years of experience comes in handy to help guide the rising talents of the Singapore women’s game.
Nationality: Belgian
DOB/Age: 17 June 1992 (33)
Previous Clubs: Mouscron (2008-2009), Brugge (2010-2014), Genoa (2014-2015 – loan), PSV (2015-2016 – loan), Rubin Kazan (2016-2018), Málaga (2018 – loan), Standard Liège (2018-2022)
In just a few seasons in the Singapore Premier League (SPL), Maxime has already staked a claim for being the best-ever SPL import player.
In 2022, he was the league’s top-assist maker with 23 to go with 12 league goals. Then in 2023, he picked up the SPL Player of the Year gong after 25 goals and 21 assists saw him top both the SPL’s goal-scoring and assist charts, while playing a starring role in the club’s first Singapore Cup triumph.
Magic Max finally achieved his target of winning the SPL title with the club in the 2024/25 season and swept home a memorable last-minute equalising goal in the Sailors’ heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Emirati side Sharjah FC in the AFC Champions League (ACL) Two Final 2025.
Capped at all Belgian youth levels, as part of the country’s Golden Generation alongside the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Dries Mertens and Romelu Lukaku, Maxime has proven pedigree at the highest level of the game.
Being a part of PSV Eindhoven’s 2015/16 UCL squad that qualified for the Round of 16 at the expense of Manchester United and made several appearances in European top-tier competitions for various clubs, the attacker is now happily settled in Singapore and is hungry to achieve even more with the Sailors.
Nationality: Singaporean
DOB/Age: 16 December 1998 (27)
Previous Clubs: Young Lions (2015-2018), Home United (2019), Young Lions (2020-2021)
An elegant midfield playmaker who always seems to have an extra yard of space on the ball and has the vision to produce defence-splitting passes, Hami has long been viewed as one of the most accomplished local midfielders since making his professional debut in 2016.
He has already chalked up than 200 professional club appearances under his belt and is now going into his 11th season in the Singapore Premier League.
Hami enjoyed an excellent 2019 season with Home United – the former iteration of the Sailors – scoring the decisive penalty to help the club win the Community Shield, and also netting a long-range scorcher on his AFC Cup debut.
Hami has since kicked on to be a regular in the Singapore national team and is already a lynchpin in the Sailors’ engine room. He was undoubtedly one of the Sailors’ best performers in the recent 2024/25 season, in which he excelled in the unfamiliar position at right wing-back.
Nationality: Singaporean
DOB/Age: 8 November 1993 (32)
Previous Clubs: Home United (2012-2019), Nongbua Pitchaya (2023), Persebaya Surabaya (2023-2024)
Fan favourite Song returned home to the Sailors in 2024, following stints in Thailand and Indonesia with Nongbua and Persebaya respectively the past year. Known for his superb technical abilities and unwavering commitment on the pitch, he is set to play an integral role in the Sailors’ pursuit for domestic supremacy and continental breakthough this coming campaign.
The South Korean-born attacker played an integral role in the Sailors’ initial rise between 2020 to 2022, as he carved out a reputation for scoring in critical matches. Some of his most notable goals include the opener in a 4-1 win over Balestier Khalsa that secured the club’s first-ever SPL title in 2021, as well as the strike that inspired the Sailors to a historic 3-0 win over Daegu FC in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) – the first time a Singaporean club had beaten a K-League outfit.
In the 2024/25 season, Song starred once again with crucial goals in the ACL Two to lead the club to a first final in a major Asian club competition. Now a veteran, he will continue to impart his experience to the younger players embedded in the squad.
