Not a death knellfor the S-League: Make S'pore's Malaysia Cup return part of a football ecosystem

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The atmosphere will be electric because the battle will be fought between two passionate football tribes inextricably linked with each other through a shared history.

And there will be much at stake, as the carrot for the winners of Singapore's double-header with Malaysia will be a place in the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup finals.

I cannot wait for the first leg of the Causeway derby next Saturday at Jalan Besar Stadium.

Even with a capacity of 6,000 the fervour at the football arena will match the excitement generated during the days of the Malaysia Cup, with the visiting fans bound to play their part.

It is why many local football fans cannot wait for the Singapore Lions to kick off against Malaysian clubs next season.

Loud cheers have been heard welcoming the news, but there has also been a sizeable group who have come out against the move of a return to the M-League and the Malaysia Cup, claiming the S-League will suffer as local fans turn their attention to the Singapore Lions.

Some even fear the death of the S-League, even though the Malaysian under-23 team will turn out in the competition, under the agreement jointly signed on Tuesday by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).

I remember squeezing in with the rest in a sellout crowd for Geylang United's clash with Tampines Rovers in the old Premier League at the old Jalan Besar Stadium in 1990, all fuelled by the heady football atmosphere in the country at the time, generated by the effervescent Lions who were going great guns in the Malaysia Cup helped by new signings Abbas Saad and Alistair Edwards.

Those are the kinds of scenes the FAS and our S-League clubs must aim for now.

Those kinds of scenes need to be repeated again, from next season, if the S-League is to remain a vital cog of the sport here.

FAS president Zainudin Nordin and general secretary Winston Lee have come out at various times over the last 72 hours to assure the stakeholders they will not lose their focus on the S-League, how can they, when it is a crucial production line for talent in the country.

I understand there is already a buzz being generated by potential sponsors over Singapore's revival in the Malaysia Cup, perhaps the FAS can also work to marry some of them with our 12 S-League clubs to generate more monetary support for the local teams.

In the end, the quality of football will be what attracts fans to S-League matches and if better coaches and even more skilful and exciting foreign signings are hired, then the domestic competition can thrive.

In the build up to last year's Youth Olympics, schools in Singapore were split into small groups and "twinned" with various countries from the 204 National Olympic Committees, forming relationships well before the Games to ensure support for their athletes during the event here.

The FAS should work with our clubs and come up with a similar programme.

Woodlands Wellington, for example, can then tap on their links with schools in their vicinity and build a support base for the team.

The likes of Vanda Sports, the sports marketing company that currently runs the Courts Young Lions' off-field activities, can be roped in to help the other clubs.

I feel it is also crucial the Malaysian team that turn up here play their part.

They need to be strong enough to pose a challenge to our local clubs, if they are whipping boys then Singapore fans will reject them, and question the whole experiment.

Maybe the Malaysians can be cajoled into filling up their quota of four foreign signings.

Geylang chairman Patrick Ang, Tampines Rovers chief Teo Hock Seng and Balestier Khalsa vice-chairman S Thavaneson know what it was like back in 1990 when locals clubs played in the Premier League.

The three veteran football administrators will know how to tap into the energy and excitement generated by Singapore's participation in the Malaysia Cup.

All of them in the S-League must continue to receive solid support, for a thriving football ecosystem to come to life in the country.