Source: http://www.fas.org.sg/default.asp?V_DOC_ID=3722
MEDIA BRIEFING ON FAS AND S.LEAGUE PLANS FOR 2011 HELD ON WEDNESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2011, AT 6.30 PM, LEVEL TWO, JALAN BESAR STADIUM, CONFERENCE ROOM.
SPEECH BY MR. ZAINUDIN NORDIN, FAS PRESIDENT AND MAYOR FOR CENTRAL DISTRICT SINGAPORE.
Introduction
1.Please allow me to wish all of you present here and your loved ones a Happy and Prosperous 2011.
2.The objective of today’s media briefing is to share with you FAS’ plans for the National Team and the S.League for the 2011 football season.
3.We would also like to take this opportunity to give you an update on the progress of the implementation of the FAS Strategic Plan 2010-2015, aimed at taking Singapore football to the next level.
Rebuilding of Our National Team
4. FAS would like to thank all the fans, stakeholders and members of the media who have passionately provided their opinions and suggestions on how to improve the National team and Singapore football.
5. We would also like to thank each and every player who has contributed to the national cause. Their efforts are truly appreciated.
6. Without the efforts of these players, Singapore would never have had an opportunity to taste victory and to reach milestones in Singapore's football journey which include back-to-back AFF Suzuki Cup victories, reaching the third round of the World Cup Qualifiers for the first time in Singapore history and narrowly missing out on the Asian Cup Finals in Doha.
7. Going forward, FAS will rebuild and rejuvenate the National team in 2011, which is in line with our FAS Strategic Plan 2010 -2015.
8. The FAS has tasked national coach Radojko Avramovic to begin the rebuilding and rejuvenating process. We are confident that Raddy will be able to do it as he has proven his capabilities of rebuilding our National Team in the past.
9. Every National player, when he is selected for an international assignment and puts on the National team jersey, must perform to the very best of his ability for the country. Every Singaporean and fans demands it.
10. FAS will rebuild the National team with the core of the players aged Under-23. As I said before, some experienced players will also be infused into the team to strengthen the National team.
11. This move will provide more opportunities to our young and talented players and it is in line with the FAS Strategic Plan 2010-2015, which is one of the key drivers to elevate Singapore football to the Asian level.
12. We have been grooming our younger players internationally since 2008 when we started preparations for the 2009 SEA Games. Most of these players would be eligible for 3 SEA Games (2009, 2011 & 2013).
13. In 2011, the National teams (i.e. the National 'A', Under-23 and Under-21 teams) will have the following major assignments: 2012 Olympic Football Tournament qualification rounds; the FIFA 2014 World Cup qualification rounds, scheduled for the second half of 2011 and the 2011 SEA Games that will be held in Palembang, Indonesia;
14. The target that FAS has set for the National Under-23 team is to qualify for the Final of the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia.
15. As we have always emphasised, the FAS want our National teams to progress as far as possible in all of the competitions that we participate in.
16. Our emphasis has always been on developing our local talents. We want to see even more of our graduates from our National Football Academy representing our various National Teams.
17. However, if a quality foreign player meets the FST selection criteria and is able to plug the existing gaps in our youth development output, we will consider such a player for the FST programme.
Progress Report of FAS Strategic Plan
18. In April last year, FAS launched a comprehensive Strategic Plan designed to take Singapore football forward to be among the Top 10 football nations in Asia. The plan was endorsed by leading football officials including FIFA President Sepp Blatter and AFC President Mohamed bin Hamman, who have commended the FAS management for its expertise and leadership, despite facing budgetary constraints.
19. We have made good progress in the Implementation of our Strategic Plan in 2010. Here are the highlights-
National Football Syllabus
20. The National Football Syllabus was developed as an integral part of the FAS Strategic Plan 2010 -2015, and is now the main coaching manual that all youth coaches including COE coaches to develop our young talents from 8 to 18 years of age. The Syllabus was endorsed and commended by FIFA and technical staff from both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
21. FAS have also adopted the 4-2-3-1 playing system as the system that is appropriate for Singapore. This system of play would be used by all our national teams. This is the playing system that is used by current World Champions, Spain as well as other top teams in the world.
Junior Centres of Excellence
22. As part of the FAS Strategic Plan 2010-2015, FAS will be launching our third JCOE for Under 8, Under 10 and Under 12 on 5th March this year at the Tampines Secondary School, to further complement our existing two JCOE centres.
23. Plans are already in the pipeline to increase the overall number of JCOEs to eight centres by 2015 as part of the long-term development pathway and to start nurturing players from a young age.
NFA Updates
24. Last August, our NFA Under-15 team captured the imagination of the whole nation when they won the bronze medal in the inaugural Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.
25. I am pleased to note that midfielder Ammirul Emmran caught the attention of one of the scouts of German giants Werder Bremen during the YOG. Some of his other team mates have also impressed the technical staff of Spurs during the team’s visit to London to prepare for the YOG.
26. Singapore football has continued to progress steadily at the various age groups levels through our concerted efforts within our National Football Academy (NFA). The various NFA teams also participate in the COE and Prime League competitions playing against players who are older than them. For example, the NFA Under-14, play in the COE Under-16 League, while the NFA U-15 &16 teams play in the COE Under-18 League. The NFA U-17 & U-18 teams both play in the Prime League. These NFA teams have generally done well in these domestic competitions.
27. Our Under-14 team participated in the AFC U-14 competition held in Sabah last year. Three players from this team, namely Faizal Raffi, Zulfadhmi Suzliman and Elivin Sasidharan were identified by AFC and named in their AFC U-14 All-Stars team highlighting these players future potential. The Under-14 team have graduated to the NFA Under-15 this year, and will participate in the AFC Under-16 qualifiers that will be held later this year.
28. Our NFA U-18 team performed well last season finishing in second place in the Great Eastern - YEO'S Prime League. Eight players from the Under-18 team have now been promoted to the Young Lions for the 2011 S.League season.
29. Besides providing our emerging talents with the best training and competitions programs locally, playing against top European and Asian teams has been identified as critical for the overall development and international match exposure for our elite youth players.
30. Last year we sent our YOG team to train and play matches in London. This year we will be sending the team to Werder Bremen in June to further their development.
31. Our other NFA teams will also be sent overseas to play in international competitions to prepare for their various AFC assignments and details will be announced at a later date with the relevant partners.
32. In-order to improve the fitness levels of our youth players, FAS will introduce the Beep Test for all of our youth players in the NFA and COE this year. Although it would not yet be a mandatory requirement, our aim is to enhance the fitness levels of all our youth players as we prepare them for international matches and overseas match exposure.
33. FAS aims to introduced specialized coaching for our goalkeepers, defenders, mid-fielders and strikers over and above the daily training sessions so that our players will be able to fast-track their development. We are identifying the specialist coaches and will introduce this programme in phases this year for NFA teams.
Coaching
34. Developing good coaches is another of our key drivers and we have a Coaches Pathway in place. We have trained more coaches and currently have 1,399 coaches on our register.
35. I am also heartened to note that more of our ex-national players have taken up coaching and are actively pursuing AFC coaching certification. From the last AFC “A” Certificate Course that was completed last year ex-nationals such as Aide, Mani, Nazri, Selvaraj and Steven Tan all obtained their AFC “A” Certificates.
36. We also aim to send our local elite coaches for overseas attachments as part of our Strategic Plan, to further enhance their coaching capacity and capabilities thorough valuable overseas coaching exposure.
37. To further enhance the tactical and technical capabilities and capacities of our elite local coaches, who already posses the AFC “A” certification, FAS we will be conducting the AFC Pro Diploma for our elite local coaches later this year, which is the highest coaching qualification in AFC.
38. As part of succession planning, FAS is always on the lookout for good local and foreign coaches to enhance our coaching capacities to ensure that the process is a seamless one.
MOUs
39. We are also in the process of finalising MOUs with some of the leading football associations and clubs to adopt the best practices from these established FAs and Clubs in areas such as coaching, youth development, refereeing, football science and medicine as well as to have attachment programmes for our top players, coaches and referees.
Refereeing
40. Our Referees have already started their preparation for the 2011 S.League season in December 2010 when they took part in a Refereeing Seminar conducted by FIFA Instructors.
41. We will be working closely with FIFA to further enhance the performance of our Referees in 2011.
42. We are also in the process of acquiring the communicator set to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our match officials. This system was used during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the on-going AFC Asian Cup. We will use this set during some of our S.League matches and study the usefulness in 2011 before we introduce this or other suitable communication devises for the S.League matches in 2012.
Facilities
43. FAS understand that Farrer Park is not available and we have identified another suitable site for the proposed National Training Centre that we target to be implemented by 2015. Details will be shared at a later date.
44. FIFA has also approved our application for the 3rd FIFA Goal Project and we are in the process of identifying a suitable site to install the FIFA approved artificial turf. We are also exploring having regional artificial turfs to further enhance the training infrastructure for our players.
Football Science and Medicine
45. Football Science and Medicine is another key driver of our Strategic Plan which we are focusing on.
46. FAS have increased the Football Science and Medicine team with two new additional full-time personnel, a physiotherapist and a fitness and conditioning trainer.
47. We are also exploring the possibility of employing a sport psychologist to better equip our players with the mental demands of the game.
48. FAS is also currently in the process of implementing Football Sports Science and Medicine support for all NFA and JCOE players in a phased approach.
Sponsors
49. FAS have also continued to reach out to the private sector to seek sponsorship for the S.League and for our football excellence and development programmes.
50. Sponsors such as YEO’S have renewed their co-title sponsorship of the S.League for another three seasons, with an increased amount of $1.8 million. Tiger Airways also came on board earlier as the Official Airline of the National Football Academy. Field Catering and Supplies (Polar Mineral Water) extended sponsorship to FAS and the S.League for another 5 years till 2014. Other notable corporate partners include, Great Eastern Life Assurances Co Ltd, Nike, Asia Pacific Breweries, Certis Cisco, Sunrise & Co Pte Ltd, amongst others, indicating a strong corporate presence in the S.League and FAS.
51. FAS will be announcing new sponsorship agreements with other corporate sponsors over the next few months.
Update on 2011 S League
52. Credit must be given to our club Chairmen for their dedication and relentless efforts over these years. We will continue to work closely with the Club Chairmen so that we can together take the S.League to the next level.
53. Coming from humble beginnings, critics said that Singapore was too small with little or no geographical rivalry among our clubs, limited talent pool, lack of facilities and small financial support to succeed.
54. Despite these challenges, our S.League Clubs have persevered and worked hard to get the results for our fans albeit running on a modest budget.
55. FAS are committed to strengthening the S.League. Here are the updates on how we are intending to strengthen the S.League clubs.
Strengthening the S.League begins with the Youth Development Systems
56. This is a crucial area in the strengthening of the league and FAS must help the clubs get their youth development systems right so that they have more and better players who come through their pipeline for their club, which will in turn provide the national coach and the technical team with a bigger base of players to choose from.
57. FAS will continue to invest in youth development.
58. In order to increase the talent pool of young talents FAS has decided that all local S.League Clubs must operate their Club COE U-16 and U-18 programmes.
59. When we are able to secure additional funding, we would also like to include the Under-14 age-group into the Clubs' COE programmes.
60. This will complement the youth development programmes at the National level which comprises of Junior COEs from Under-8, 10 & 12, NFA U-14, 15, 16, 17 & 18.
61. When we have more resources and when the Clubs are ready, we would also like to include the Under-8, Under-10 & Under-12 age-groups in the Clubs COE programme in the future.
Technical Exchange and Management course
62. FAS organised the FIFA Administration and Management course for our S.League clubs along with the AFC Goalkeeping Level 1 course for our S.League goalkeeping coaches in 2010.
63. In 2011, FAS will organise more of such courses to enhance the Technical and Management capabilities of our clubs. The FIFA/IOC Olympic Solidarity Coaching course is scheduled to take place next week.
National Skills Assessment
64. As introduced in 2010, as part of the FAS Strategic Plan 2010 -2015, all COE players will be made to undergo the National Skills Assessment which will be used to measure the skill level of players at the COEs.
65. The FAS Technical Team will continue to monitor the progress of our players more closely from 2011 onwards.
66. This is because it is essential for our youth footballers to get their fundamentals and basics right at a young age.
Coaches Morning Sessions
67. FAS will continue to train the COE coaches through the weekly Coaches morning sessions conducted by FAS Technical Director to improve the technical knowledge of our local coaches. The National Football Syllabus will be the main coaching manual for these coaches.
Technical Dialogue with S.League Head Coaches
68. FAS will continue its Technical Dialogue with the Head Coaches of S.League Clubs in 2011.
69. This dialogue would be chaired by the Technical Director and National Coach and will provide a platform for our elite coaches to share their technical knowledge to improve the performances of our players in the S.League. Other matters such as fitness and football science and medicine will also be discussed.
AFC Pro Diploma for Coaches
70. To further enhance the tactical and technical capabilities and capacities of our local S.League coaches, FAS we will be conducting the AFC Pro Diploma for our elite local coaches, who have the AFC “A” Certification. This is the highest coaching qualification in AFC.
Attendance
71. FAS have been monitoring the attendance figures closely and are constantly looking for ways to improve the match day attendance for the 2011 S.League season. FAS has through the assistance of Tote Board engaged Vanda Sports a Sport Marketing agency, to improve the football experience of existing fans and to attract new supporters.
72. Vanda Sports will work closely with the Young Lions management to strengthen the Young Lions’ fan club and roll out attractive match day activities.
73. When this project is successful, FAS will implement this in other S.League Clubs.
Funding For S League Clubs
74. We are in the final stage of discussion with our key partners to secure additional financial resources for our S.League clubs. This will help our clubs to enhance their management capabilities and also invest in their teams to raise the quality and tempo of the game for our fans.
Announcement of 12th S.League Team
75. We are delighted to announce the return of Tanjong Pagar United to the S.League for the 2011 season.
76. Tanjong Pagar United are one of Singapore's most illustrious clubs and has a long and colourful history behind it.
77. Their return would mean that there is an increase in the talent pool, and the opportunity for more local players to come through the ranks.
78. More details of the club's plan will be shared with the media at the club’s S.League Press Conference.
Conclusion
79. In conclusion, I would like to once again like to thank all the fans, stakeholders and members of the media who have passionately provided their opinions and suggestions on how to improve the National team and Singapore football. We appreciate your feedback and inputs.
80. Looking ahead, FAS will continue to work hard to produce a quality National Team that will bring more successes for our fans and our nation.
81. We will also continue to work hard on the implementation of FAS Strategic Plan 2010-2015 to realise the key goals outlined in our plan.
82. We look forward to the continued cooperation from members of the media as we rally on the support of Singaporeans from all walks of life.
83. Thank you, we will now take questions from members of the media.
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