Sports

Football Association Of Singapore Gives Up, Closes Elite Football Academy

FAS Football Academy Players Will Continue To Train With Respective Clubs

After a string of poor youth team performances, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced on Saturday (12 Jan) that it will be shutting down its elite youth academy — FAS Football Academy (FFA).

Singapore’s footballing body intends to refresh the existing youth system through this shakeup, which will hopefully translate to some positive results.

Source

Less-than-ideal results

The FFA was launched on 13 Aug 2000 with the purpose of grooming Singapore’s elite youth players between 15 and 18.

However, the youth team’s results have been less-than-ideal of late.

In 2015, the Under-19s found themselves languishing at the bottom of their group at the Asean Football Federation Championships (AFFC). The team managed only one goal throughout the tournament, and was humbled 4-0 by Malaysia.

Source

2 years later, the Under-15s (U-15) found themselves at the bottom of the group stage, after suffering 5 consecutive defeats, failing to score a single goal in the process.

Decentralised system moving forward

Moving forward, former players from the FFA will continue developing at their respective Singapore Premier League (SPL) sides.

This is in accordance to FAS’s plans to decentralise the youth development process, as mentioned in a press statement released on Saturday.

 

In addition, FAS will be working closely with SPL sides and schools in order to widen the pool of elite players eligible for National Team selection.

Explanations for disatisfactory results

Several reasons have been cited for the youth team’s lackluster results.

Jeffrey Lightfoot, skipper of the U-15 team that clinched bronze at the Youth Olympic Games, felt that players struggled adapting to the frequently changing coaching staff.

Source

According to the now 23-year-old, the team had 4-5 different coaches within “a couple of years”, all of which had their own distinct style of coaching.

One mother of a recent FFA graduate felt that were inadequate incentives and benefits for youths in the academy.

Trainees in the past allegedly received generous benefits.

  • Daily allowances
  • Bursaries
  • Boots allowances
  • Bus-stamp reimbursements
  • Training grants
  • Tuition

These benefits have since been significantly trimmed. Current trainees only receive $5/ training session.

Hope things take a turn for the better

Recent results may not have been exactly flattering for our youths, but we’re glad that the FAS is actively taking steps to rectify matters.

Meanwhile, let’s hope things take a turn for the better soon, and that we’ll see the Singapore flag fly high in the near future.

Also read:

https://mustsharenews.com/ben-davis-fulham/

Featured image from Flickr.

Jay Lo

Jay has an unhealthy obsession with Pokemon. He thinks he's qualified enough to be a member of the Elite 4.

Recent Posts

S’porean woman withdraws more than $300k from ATMs in Taiwan, gets arrested for suspected money laundering

If convicted, the woman can face a 10-year jail term and a fine of up…

16 Apr 2025, 6:12 pm

YouTrip launches M’sian Ringgit wallet, enjoy free bus rides to JB & shop with the best rates

If you needed a reason to jio your friends for that long-overdue JB trip, this…

16 Apr 2025, 6:00 pm

Parked car in Boon Keng splashed with yellow paint after bucket allegedly falls

Some residents suspected it was a prank or the work of loan sharks.

16 Apr 2025, 5:57 pm

‘Parenting is tough’: PAP’s new face David Hoe opens up about experience with preterm birth, touches netizens’ hearts

Mr Hoe has been actively engaging with the public on TikTok, where he posts about…

16 Apr 2025, 5:27 pm

S’porean woman orders S$1.9K worth of CNY snacks from M’sia, blocks supplier after paying only S$1K

The supplier later discovered that the woman had been reselling the items to other stores.

16 Apr 2025, 5:26 pm

PAP’s Alex Yeo to contest Potong Pasir SMC for GE2025, replacing Sitoh Yih Pin after 14 years

Mr Yeo expressed his gratitude to Mr Sitoh, whom he called a “dear mentor”.

16 Apr 2025, 4:47 pm