Football in Singapore

Football in Singapore
Football In Singapore
1st game
United Kingdom British Engineers XI A vs British Engineers XI B United Kingdom[1]
(1889)
Governing bodyFootball Association of Singapore
Top leagues (National Leagues)Singapore Premier League
FAS National Football League
FAS Island Wide League
FAS Women's Premier League
FAS Women's National Football League
National CupSingapore Cup
FA CupSingapore FA Cup
Season starterSingapore Community Shield
International
1st international
Singapore Singapore 2–3 South Korea 
(Singapore; 12 April 1953)
Men's teamSingapore
Women's teamSingapore ♀
Boys' team (youth)Singapore U15s & 16s
StadiumNational Stadium
(Capacity: 55,000)
Jalan Besar Stadium
(Capacity: 6,000–8,000)
International honours
Youth Olympics Bronze (1) – 2010 (boys' U16)
AFF Championship Gold (4) – 1998, 2004, 2007, 2012 (men's)
AFC Women's Cup Bronze (2) – 1977, 1983 (women's)
Lion City Cup Silver (1) – 2011 (boys' U16)
 Bronze (1) – 2011 (boys' u15)

Association football, known more popularly as football, is considered the national sport of Singapore.[2] The country is home to the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), the oldest football association in Asia with its roots coming from The Football Association in England. The national teams include the men's, women's and youth. Despite the country having a relatively small population pool, it has generally punched above its weight by successively producing squads that has fiercely competed with much larger and more populated countries in both club and international football.

The sport reached one of its highest peaks during the 1980s and 1990s with the Singapore Lions' participation in the Malaysia Cup, whereby they dominated the competition. The Singapore Lions, the team which played in the Malaysia Cup, is not considered as a national team. The Singapore Lions left the Malaysia Cup in 1994, before rejoining the competition in 2012 as the LionsXII until 2015, winning a league title in 2013 and an FA Cup in 2015 in the process.[3]

The men's senior team is one of the strongest national sides in Southeast Asia, being the second most successful team in the AFF Championship with 4 titles, winning in 1998, 2004, 2007 and 2012. It is also one of the only two national teams in history to have won consecutive titles in the competition. The current champions of Singaporean club football is Lion City Sailors, having won the Singapore Premier League (SPL) title in the 2021 season.[4]

  1. ^ History of Singapore Football Archived 26 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Fas.org.sg. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  2. ^ "National Day Special 2016: In search of Singapore's national sport". TODAYonline.
  3. ^ Singapore is Back!. Voxsports.net (12 July 2011). Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  4. ^ "Lion City Sailors FC are 2021 AIA Singapore Premier League champions". CNA. Retrieved 8 April 2021.