S-League version 2.0 takes shape Matches next season to be held in a two-round format, with 14 teams likely to battle for honours

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SINGAPORE - The goal is to ensure the S-League does not suffer and, instead, flourishes when a Singapore side enters Malaysian domestic football competitions next year.

Football Association of Singapore (FAS) chief Zainudin Nordin had promised an S-League version 2.0 with changes, some radical, to help the domestic professional league.

A task force has been formed and, after a second meeting on Oct 7, the president's men have decided on the skeletal structure of the revamped S-League.

"We have come up with some new ideas ... and we'll be meeting with the club chairmen to inform them soon. There are a few areas that are very important: We're looking very seriously at the fixtures as well as riding on our Malaysian League participation to make sure the S-League flourishes," Zainudin told Today.

Today understands that the S-League will be expanded to 14 teams played over two rounds, instead of the current three-round format.

The seven weekly S-League fixtures will be played over three days. There will be three matches each on Thursday and Friday, with one match acting as a curtain-raiser to the Malaysian League fixture on Saturday.

Tonight's action in the S-League will see three matches played on a single day in what is understood to be a test run.

"It is jumping the gun to say that there will definitely be 14 teams in the league next year but there has been a lot of support to change things to a two-round format, it is an idea that will be positive for the league," said Zainudin.

The Malaysian Young Tigers will join the S-League next year and Today understands that Brunei side DPMM FC, the first foreign team to win a domestic trophy here in 2009 when they lifted the League Cup, are the front runners for the final spot.

The Brunei Football Association were banned from all football activity by Fifa in late 2009 for government intervention, with DPMM forced to leave the S-League without completing their fixtures.

But with Brunei reinstated by Fifa in May, DPMM have made an official application to the FAS to rejoin the S-League.

Training facilities have been a bugbear for local clubs. Most of them train and play competitive fixtures at their home stadiums and pitch over-use has been a constant worry.

In a move that will be warmly applauded by the clubs, Zainudin revealed that they are exploring ways to circumvent that problem.

He said: "There is a move to improve training facilities for clubs, and that will centre on having more artificial pitches."

With the 2012 S-League season projected to kick off next February, the challenge for the FAS is to implement the ideas.

Said Zainudin: "That's our next step, to come in early and concretely do what we have to."