18-Year-Old Danelle Tan Is 1st Female Singaporean To Play In European League
When it comes to football, Singapore’s achievements on the world stage so far have been lamentable.
However, that hasn’t stopped Singaporean boys like the Fandis from impressing in competitive leagues in Europe.
Now, our female footballers are getting in on the action, starting with Danelle Tan — now the first female Singaporean to play in a European league.
Source: Danelle Tan on Instagram
She recently made her debut in England and made a pass that led to a goal.
Danelle Tan made her European debut on 5 Feb
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced the historic achievement in a Twitter post on Friday (10 Feb).
Source: FAS on Twitter
While local footballing legend Fandi Ahmad became the first Singaporean to play football in Europe way back in 1983, our ladies had yet to make the leap.
That is, until 18-year-old Danelle Tan came along.
Last Sunday (5 Feb), she made her European debut for London Bees, a team in the third tier of the women’s game in England.
Source: FAS on Twitter
She made a pass that resulted in a goal on her debut
The match was played against Plymouth Argyle at London Bees’ home, The Hive Stadium.
According to a match summary by The Football Association, Danelle came on as a substitute in the 46th minute.
Unfortunately, it ended in a 1-2 defeat, with Plymouth scoring a last-gasp winner in injury time.
Source: The Football Association
However, Danelle can be proud that she contributed to her team, scoring an equaliser in the 69th minute.
She made a defence-splitting pass across the width of the field to her teammate, who then made an assist by passing the ball to the eventual goalscorer.
Source: Danelle Tan on Instagram
In an Instagram post on Friday (10 Feb), Danelle said she was happy to make her debut for London Bees.
She was happier, though, that her proud father was in the spectator stand to catch her in action during the momentous occasion.
Source: Danelle Tan on Instagram
She impressed the club during trials
Danelle found her way to England one year ago as she went there to study for her ‘A’ Levels at Mill Hill School, according to The Straits Times (ST).
She went for a trial at the London Bees and reportedly impressed them so much that they registered her as an attacking midfielder till May. She’s now the youngest player in the club.
Before that, she’d already played for Singapore’s national team and represented us at competitions like the SEA Games.
Source: Danelle Tan on Instagram
She’s also the youngest player to score a goal for the Singapore women’s football team.
At 14 years old, she made her senior competitive debut at the 2019 ASEAN Football Federation Women’s Championship.
There, she scored a penalty against Timor Leste.
She won football scholarship in the US
It’s already certain that Danelle will keep flying high even after her stint with London Bees ends.
That’s because, in November 2022, FAS announced that she’d won a part football scholarship at the College of William and Mary in the United States (US).
Source: FAS on Facebook
When she enters the college in 2024, she’ll play National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I football as part of their team.
As usual, she also made history again — she’s the first Singaporean to be accepted into such a programme in the US, with the FAS adding,
Only the top 1.1% of high school soccer players get accepted into D1 soccer programmes with only 0.5% receiving scholarship aid.
Source: FAS on Facebook
Wishing her all the best for her future
With such stellar achievements at the age of 18, it’s no doubt that Danelle will do Singapore proud.
We’ll be watching her development with great interest as we wait for her to join the roster of Singaporean athletes who’ve shone brightly on the international stage.
We congratulate her on her accomplishments and wish her all the best for her future.
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Featured image adapted from Danelle Tan on Instagram and Instagram.
