The inaugural Tasek Sailors Charity Football fundraiser that brought together 24 corporations and organisations as well as 14 boys and girls teams on Sunday, 25 June saw a total of S$265,000 raised from all sources.
Funds raised will go towards empowering and uplifting disadvantaged youth across Singapore through a holistic development program put together by the Tasek Sailors, a joint initiative of the Lion City Sailors and Tasek Football Academy.
Sunday’s Charity Football tournament that was hosted at the Lion City Sailors Training Centre saw the enthusiastic participation of corporate supporters and schools that came together in the spirit of friendly competition and community interest.
“It’s wonderful to see such strong support for the Tasek Sailors initiative. It’s part of how we must help everyone discover their strengths, including the talents they never knew they had, and to gain respect for each other’s strengths. Sports brings that out in so many of the young people we have been working with,” said Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who is also Patron of Tasek Jurong.
SM Tharman was one of the three Guests of Honours who graced the event along with Members of Parliament, Ms Tin Pei Ling and Mr Shawn Huang.
The event showcased Singaporeans’ passion for football – and just how effective the sport can be in bringing the community together – and also demonstrated the collective commitment to supporting young individuals who face challenging circumstances.
Deloitte won the Open category tournament beating UB Morgan 2-0 in the final.
Sailors B10 were the champions of the Boys Under-11 category, while Sailors White ended the day as champions of the Girls Under-14 tournament.
A Celebrity Exhibition match, featuring the likes of local footballing legends Fandi Ahmad and Aleksandar Duric as well as local actors Elvin Ng and Ian Fang, was also played out to much fanfare.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all participants and sponsors who contributed to the success of our fundraiser,” said Lion City Sailors Academy General Manager, Tan Li Yu. “There are also several supporters who worked hard behind the scenes to breathe life into the event.
“While we are delighted to witness such an outpouring of support, we know the real work for us starts now, channelling funds raised to where they can effectively help – and we are looking forward to getting properly started.”
The funds raised will be utilised to provide a comprehensive programme of football training and mentorship – through the Tasek Sailors Football Academy, Financial Assistance for female footballers as well as outreach programmes – for young boys and girls, empowering them to develop both as individuals and footballers.
A key facet of the Tasek Sailors initiative that Dr ‘Ain Azman is looking forward to is the support that Tasek Sailors will give to girls’ football.
“We’ve already seen the effect that our programme has had and we’re excited to see how much we can further the development of girls,” said the Tasek Jurong Senior Manager.
“There are several girls under the Tasek umbrella who are looking forward to the programme being set in motion, and we also witnessed in the girls’ tournament today that we are not short on talent either. It will be fantastic to see just what more Singaporean girls can do with more structured support.”
The Tasek Sailors will start with a scaling up of the Tasek Sailors Academy, before getting outreach programmes underway across the island, to deliver professional football coaching and structured mentorship programs to empower more Singaporean youth.
