Amateur football side Kembangan receive sponsorship boost

SINGAPORE – They may be just an amateur club playing in the second division of the National Football League (NFL), but that has not stopped Kembangan United FC from attracting three sponsors to come on board to support them for the coming season.

At a media event at the Jalan Besar Stadium yesterday, Kembangan announced that they had tied up deals with Thai apparel brand Warrix Sports, fitness and lifestyle company ActivFitness, as well as businessman John Yap, who is also the chairmain of former S.League side Gombak United.

The total value of the sponsorships are worth about S$25,000. On average, NFL clubs operate on an annual budget of around S$50,000 to S$60,000 every year.

The deals will see Warrix provide Kembangan with their kits for the year, while ActivFitness will conduct fitness classes for the team throughout the season.

All costs related to the booking of fields for Kembangan’s training or friendly matches will be borne by Yap.

Incoming Kembangan president Albert Ng, who played a huge role in securing all three deals, told TODAY that he hopes their acquisition of these sponsors will convince other corporate backers to come on board to support the NFL.

“We hope that these sponsorships with Kembangan will be a platform to show that there’s (commercial) value in the NFL,” said Ng, who revealed that his team were aiming to be NFL 2 champions this year. “It also shows that there are corporates out there who are willing to support the grassroots clubs.

“It will take a lot of hard work to get sponsorship, but it is possible. We cannot always be looking to the FAS (Football Association of Singapore) to provide handouts…it’s our duty to also try and get money in for the club.

“We want the NFL to be seen as a league with good players playing good football…then maybe in time, when the league is more ‘professional’, then we can talk about relegation and promotion system with the S.League.”

Lim Kia Tong, interim president of the FAS provisional council, said he was pleased to see clubs like Kembangan taking steps to improve themselves.

“In 2012, we conducted a review of the NFL with the objective of lifting its standards,” said Lim. “We wanted to grow the NFL brand, to make it more vibrant and amplify its position in the footballing ecosystem.

“Since the review, we have embarked on re-inventing the league, and there have been results. Many NFL clubs have enhanced their reputation, and this, in turn, positively affects the league. We are pleased to note that NFL clubs such as Kembangan have been improving themselves in many aspects, both on and off the pitch.”

Agreeing, Ng credited the FAS for doing their best to improve the NFL, which he says helped him convince the sponsors to back his club.

“It has to be said that the FAS has played a role in improving the image of the league, and their support is one of the reasons why our sponsors were confident of coming in,” Ng explained.

“I think it’s important for us to continue developing the grassroots league as ideally, it should serve as a breeding ground for the S.League clubs. Therefore, we want the league to provide a platform for these players to play in a competitive atmosphere and work their way towards earning a S.League contract.”