Geylang International get Epson, MP Tin Pei Ling on board

SINGAPORE — S.League club Geylang International, aiming to improve on their mediocre results for the past few seasons, have given themselves a boost by snaring Japanese electronic giant Epson as their new main sponsor for the coming season.

At a signing ceremony at ­SAFRA Tampines today (Feb 10), the Eagles ­announced that Epson will be providing the club with its printing and imaging equipment and services to support their running operations and training facilities.

Epson’s sponsorship will also be used to support the Bedok Stadium-based club’s community outreach programmes.

The cash-and-product deal, ­with both sides declining to disclose the value, marks Epson’s second involvement with local football. The company also has a deal with the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), which will run until August.

Geylang chairman Ben Teng said: “(In football), a very important element of sustainability and success is budget. Soccer is an expensive enterprise, for long-term development, for facilities ... amongst others.

“We spent the whole month of December signing players and the whole month of January finding sponsors and I am grateful for Epson for coming on board ... For the next couple of months we will be looking for more revenue streams and are in talks with other companies with the players all settled in now.”

Besides Epson, Geylang have also secured athletic footwear and apparel brand New Balance as their boots sponsor and local apparel brand THORB as their kit sponsor.

Geylang also introduced Tin Pei Ling, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Macpherson SMC, as the club’s new adviser. She becomes the latest woman MP to become involved with local football. Other past and present MPs who have done so include Lee Bee Wah (who helped out with the now ­defunct Super Reds) and Cynthia Phua (former FAS vice president).

After finishing eighth in 2014 and last season, the Eagles are hoping that the 24-man squad they have formed for the new season will lead them to a better finish this year.

Led by head coach and former Singapore international Hasrin Jailani, the squad has a good mix of youth and experience.

It includes seven players who represented the Singapore ­Under-23 team at last year’s South-east Asian Games — goalkeeper Syazwan ­Buhari, defender Al-Qaasimy Rahman, and strikers Sahil Suhaimi, ­Safirul Sulaiman, Amy Recha, Stanely Ng and Shahfiq Ghani. Sahil and Al-Qaasimy also turned out for the LionsXII in the Malaysian Super League (MSL) last season.

The Eagles have also recruited two former LionsXII players — ­defender Faritz Hameed and winger Gabriel Quak — and reinforced the spine of the team by signing veteran players Shariff Samat, Daniel Bennett, Indra Sahdan Daud and Isa Halim, who has been given the captain’s armband.

The Eagles will face a stiff test in their opening match of the new season. They will face title favourites Tampines Rovers — which feature former Arsenal and Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant, and prolific MSL striker Billy Mehmet — on Monday night at the Jurong West Stadium.