When it comes to football, Singapore’s achievements on the world stage so far have been lamentable.
However, that hasn’t stopped Singaporean footballers from impressing in competitive overseas leagues.
In February, Danelle Tan became the first female Singaporean to play in a European league.
Just a few months later, she’s now the first Asian to join Borussia Dortmund’s Women’s team.
Source: @danelle_tan on Instagram
The momentous news was announced by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) in a Facebook post on Friday (9 June).
Source: Football Association of Singapore on Facebook via Borussia Dortmund Frauen
They said the 18-year-old will join Borussia Dortmund’s women’s team on a one-year contract, which begins next month.
She will meet the team for pre-season training in July, before starting the season proper in August.
In an Instagram post on the same day, Borussia Dortmund Frauen said Danelle will be their second signing of the summer.
Source: @danelle_tan on Instagram
She has already been to the German city of Dortmund, where the team is based, several times in the last few months, they added.
Danelle trained with the team for a week in February after meeting Dortmund’s head of women’s football Svenja Schlenker, reported The Straits Times (ST).
She was then offered a proposal to join them on a permanent basis.
They welcomed her to the team in their post, saying they’re looking forward to seeing her.
Source: @bvb09frauen on Instagram
In her own Instagram post on Friday (9 June), Danelle just said she “can’t wait to get started”.
She told ST that she felt “incredibly blessed and privileged” to get such an opportunity, and hopes to make the most of it, adding,
The club have ambitious plans and their massive fan base were big swing factors for me.
The footballer will now spend lots of time on physical conditioning so that she’ll be ready to help Dortmund climb the leagues.
Source: @bvb09frauen on Instagram
Football fans will know that Borussia Dortmund’s men’s team is in the Bundesliga, the top tier of Germany’s football pyramid.
They ended the 2022/2023 season in second place after blowing their lead on the very last day of the season with a draw against Mainz, allowing Bayern Munich to beat them to the title.
Borussia Dortmund Frauen, on the other hand, are in the fifth tier of women’s football.
However, that’s not bad for a team formed only in 2021.
They started out in the seventh tier, scoring two consecutive promotions to land themselves in the fifth tier for the coming season.
With Danelle on board, they’re poised for even greater heights.
Source: @danelle_tan on Instagram
This opportunity didn’t come easily for Danelle, however — she had to make a sacrifice.
By deciding to join Borussia Dortmund, she effectively gave up her place in university.
She was supposed to begin her studies at the College of William and Mary in the United States (US) in January 2024, on a part football scholarship.
Danelle was the first Singaporean to be accepted into such a programme in the US.
Giving up that chance may not seem like a typically Singaporean thing to do, but her family are apparently fully supportive of her, judging from their beaming smiles as they posed with her new jersey.
Source: @danelle_tan on Instagram
Of course, this isn’t her first time playing in Europe.
On 5 Feb, she made her European debut for London Bees, a team in the third tier of the women’s game in England.
This made her the first female Singaporean to play in Europe.
Danelle found her way to England as she went there to study for her ‘A’ Levels.
She went for a trial at the London Bees and reportedly impressed them so much that they registered her as an attacking midfielder, also becoming the youngest player in the club.
Before that, she had already played for Singapore’s national team and represented us at competitions like the SEA Games.
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 repeatedly made history.
We congratulate her on her accomplishments and wish her all the best for her future.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from @danelle_tan on Instagram and @bvb09frauen on Instagram.
The coroner said this was the first case of its kind he had encountered in…
The brand-new jet suffered a series of technical issues since its first-ever flight on 19…
The Paradise Tree Snake may have misjudged its landing and ended up on the car.
The 69-year-old was reportedly upset over his neighbour's refusal to apologise.
False claims include that GCB transactions occur without government checks on beneficial owners' identities.
The suspect casually watched as the woman became consumed by flames.