Photo: The Straits Times<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201cYou can ask anybody who went and they will tell you it was one of the best days of their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Come Saturday night, instead of reflecting on past glories, the modern day fan in Singapore might have a magical night of their own to celebrate for generations to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The crowd at the Bishan Stadium might not be as large as the contingent that travelled north over 30 years ago – even with the temporary increase in capacity – but the stakes are arguably higher now than they were back then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While regional bragging rights fostered a powerful sense of national pride, continental bragging rights are something no one in Singapore had even dreamed of until a few short weeks ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the city-state\u2019s flagship club, Lion City Sailors, crowned domestic champions for the second time last week, stand just 90 minutes – or perhaps even 120 – away from the most remarkable, and unlikely, of continental crowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s huge,\u201d Deepanraj Ganesan, a journalist for The Straits Times<\/em>, told The Asian Game<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cThere has not been a bigger club match here. It\u2019s significant for LCS and Singapore football. It\u2019s going to show people that this club is serious in its ambitions and show clubs here what you can do if you get your act together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCorporates will also be seeing that you can get some form of returns. For Sailors\u2019 owners, Sea is something prominently featured everywhere now. It\u2019s a validation of the investment made so far, and it\u2019s got people and youths rejuvenated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd a continental final being hosted in the heartlands (Bishan) is pretty dreamy even.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nPhoto: The Straits Times<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nDreams come true<\/h4>\n\n\n\n The history of Lion City Sailors is a slightly complicated one. Officially they were founded only five years ago, in February 2020 just as the COVID-19 pandemic was about to wreak havoc on the entire world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is when they were taken over by Forrest Li, one of Singapore\u2019s wealthiest men, worth an estimated $8.6 billion, and his Sea tech conglomerate, becoming Singapore\u2019s first privately owned club in the process and the year 2020 appears on their badge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the club was not born out of thin air. Li assumed control of existing club Home United, a club originally formed in 1945 as the Police Sports Association, and which was rebranded in 1997 to Home United to reflect the fact it also represented other departments of the Ministry of Home Affairs, such as the Singapore Civil Defence Force and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The \u2018Protectors\u2019, as they were known, had a moderate level of success, with league titles in 1999 and 2003, together with a string of Singapore Cup triumphs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They were no strangers to competing in Asia, either, making the AFC Cup semi-final in 2004, and the quarter-final on no less than four occasions, being crowned ASEAN Zone champions in the convoluted AFC Cup structure back in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As impressive as that was for a modest club from the small city-state, Li had a bigger, bolder vision of what was possible for a club team from Singapore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/video><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSea is proud to be a Singaporean company, and we are proud to play our part in elevating Singapore football to the next level,\u201d Li said upon taking ownership of the club in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy uniting with a club with a rich heritage, exceptional fans, and a great organisation, we intend for Lion City Sailors to set a new benchmark for footballing excellence in Singapore and the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs a passionate fan myself, I know that Singapore has a huge community of people who love football, and our hope is that Lion City Sailors will strengthen that passion and ignite a new era for the development of the game locally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe look forward to supporting the development of Lion City Sailors and guiding this great club into a new period of success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A first league title came just one year later in 2021 and looked to usher in a new period of domestic dominance for the Sailors. It took until this season to add a second, but the tide does appear to be turning in that direction and pointing towards an era of domination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A spokesperson for Sea continued the ambitious rhetoric: \u201cWe aim to ignite that spark for local football and set an example by building a club that can be successful on the field, and successful and sustainable off the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe recognise that sport can act as a powerful avenue to engage local communities and bring together people of all ages and backgrounds as we unite behind a shared passion. We believe in the massive potential of football in Singapore and that the country deserves to have a world-class football ecosystem and world-class teams. Our goal is for Lion City Sailors to represent our country with pride on the world stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPhoto: X\/lioncitysailors<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201cThe club has always had a great reputation for the standard of management and corporate governance – not just in Singapore but across Asia. We intend to build on these foundations and develop a club that Singaporeans can be proud of and stand behind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cutting through in a Premier League playground<\/h4>\n\n\n\n \u2018Igniting a spark\u2019 and \u2018engaging local communities\u2019 are noble quests, but ones that are easier said than done in a city where the Premier League and European football dominates, at the expense of the Singapore Premier League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite concerted efforts to grow the profile of the league, attendances remain stubbornly low, with average attendances sitting at under 1000 for the last three seasons. The Sailors, who are one of the best supported sides in the SPL, wouldn\u2019t divulge what their attendances have been over the last few years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s a long way from the sell out crowds Singapore was getting 30 years ago during their memorable Malaysia Cup run. So where have the fans gone?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sell out crowds whenever Liverpool or Manchester United come to town provide a sharp juxtaposition to the often empty stands at SPL matches, and explains where many of those fans now reside – in their homes and bars watching European football, rather than in the stands watching their own local clubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back in the 1990s there wasn\u2019t the satellite television and streaming services offering the proliferation of football from the biggest leagues in the world that we see today. Times have changed, and Singapore football fandom has changed with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cIt\u2019ll be a constant challenge,\u201d Ganesan explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow do you convince someone who has spent his whole life following his beloved EPL team to part with extra time to follow his local team as well? It\u2019s an impossible task at the moment and the way to go about it is to figure out what can draw the average Singaporean in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd one way, as we can see, is to produce winning teams and teams worth following. The Sailors have shown the way, now can the rest follow?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Part of the problem, Ganesan explained, is the sub-par standard of the league makes it less appealing for fans to jump on board, especially when they\u2019ve been raised on a diet of the world\u2019s best football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe truth is that the SPL, at the moment, is not as competitive as it needs to be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBesides the Sailors and Tampines (Rovers), most sides are not at the level they should be at. Geylang have done reasonably well, but they are only as good as their first eleven and have no depth to compete with the two teams above them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis ultimately goes down to resources and at the moment, because of sub-par players and foreigners in some of these teams, the level is not great.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are a dedicated few that are trying their best to flip that script, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eddy Hirono, also a avowed Arsenal fan, is a long time fan of the club, from back when they were known as Home United, and in 2021 started his own social media channel dubbed SailorFanTalk; styled somewhat after the famed Arsenal Fan TV and the countless number of fan produced networks appearing across the UK and Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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