SINGAPORE - The Singapore-Selangor rivalry of old conjured memories in his mind, bringing back memories of a National Stadium engulfed by a sea of red and yellow, reverberating with the cacophony of slogans and cheers.
The camaraderie, spirit and national unity was at a high in those days when Singapore plied its trade in Malaysian domestic football and the possibility of reigniting those fires is what prompted Calvin Lee, chief executive officer of Tohtonku, the makers of SilkPro, to splash some S$1 million on V Sundramoorthy's LionsXII side.
In a one-year deal of cash and kind, SilkPro has come on board as the first brand to join the LionsXII's Malaysian adventure as the team's official partner.
The SilkPro label will adorn the back of the LionsXII jersey, but it is the community bonding prospect that was the bigger draw for Lee.
Speaking at the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) headquarters at Jalan Besar, Lee said: "Every year we pick a programme ... to give back to the community. We welcome the long-awaited return of the M-League and Malaysia Cup to our stadium, and that rivalry that unites our people and bonds the nation."
As part of its first community outreach programme, SilkPro will invite families of the HELP Family Service Centre and the Young Women Muslim Association to the LionsXII home games, with the hair- and skin-care company purchasing 50 tickets for each game, and more programmes are being rolled out in the next few months.
HELP Family Service Centre aims to help single-parent families in Singapore, while the Young Muslim Women's Association runs education, social services and training programmes to aid Muslim women and their families.
"SilkPro's support of the LionsXII is commendable and noble as it is angled to the concept of community service, and the FAS, in recognition of their support, to the tune of S$1 million, want to accord them something in return for their support to aid community bonding through the team," said FAS vice-president Lim Kia Tong, explaining SilkPro's label on the back of the team jersey.
When fans walk into Jalan Besar Stadium on Tuesday to watch LionsXII face Kelantan in their opening league fixture, they will also see the SilkPro label on advertisement boards around the pitch, and banners around the stadium, with the FAS also looking at the possibility of giving out SilkPro products to fans who come to watch LionsXII matches.
SilkPro will look to extend the deal beyond this year, but it will not be dependent on Sundram's side winning silverware in their maiden Malaysian Super League season.
"While winning is always good, what is more important to us is the community bonding aspect of this partnership. We hope through their participation in Malaysian competitions, we can help unite the country," said Lee.
Kelantan off to losing start
by shamir osman
Defending Malaysian Super League champions Kelantan did not get off to the most auspicious of starts to their 2012 season, falling 2-1 to last season's Malaysia Cup winners Negeri Sembilan last night in the season opening Charity Shield match. Malaysian international Norshahrul Idlan Talaha gave Kelantan the lead, but Negeri's impressive Cameroonian forward Effa Onowa ensured that the first silverware of the year went to Negeri, with two goals on his competitive debut.
Kelantan face V Sundramoorthy's LionsXII on Tuesday in the opening MSL fixture, and this result as well as a suspected knee ligament injury to Kelantan central defender Azizi Matt Rose will boost Singapore's chances.
However, the solid performance of Kelantan and Malaysian international goalkeeper Khairul Fahmie Che Mat suggests that Sundram's charges will not have an easy path to goal.
No comments:
Post a Comment