S.League ‘can benefit from LionsXII’s return’

SINGAPORE — The LionsXII’s likely participation in the 2016 S.League season may last for only a year, but members of the local football community TODAY spoke to say it represents a golden opportunity to revive the flagging interest in the country’s only professional league.

As revealed by TODAY on Friday, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) planned to field the LionsXII — out of Malaysian football at the end of this season — in the S.League next year, before sending them to compete in the newly proposed ASEAN Super League (ASL) in 2017.

Given the popularity enjoyed by the LionsXII, whose matches draw an average of 4,000 spectators a game, their inclusion in the S.League is expected to provide a boost to the popularity of the floundering competition, which usually sees an average crowd attendance of just 500.

And Tampines Rovers’ head of football development Rafi Ali believes it is the duty of the clubs and players, as well as the FAS, to leverage on the expected rise in interest next season, and find ways to retain the fans.

“There will be some positives if the LionsXII are going to play in the S.League. But everyone still has to play a part in order for the league to move forward,” said Rafi.

“The players have to play a part because they are the entertainers, they are the ones who can make the crowd come to watch. From the management side, officials have to do much more to improve the league, come up with proper marketing plans to create stars out of our players.

“Having the LionsXII play in the S.League is like planting a seed. But it will be useless if the FAS doesn’t make it grow. And the S.League must grow, or we’ll be back to square one should the LionsXII play in the ASL in 2017.”

Geylang International goalkeeper Yazid Yasin added: “If the plan is for the LionsXII to play in the ASL, then having them play in the S.League is nothing but a stop-gap solution.

“But it represents a chance for S.League teams and players to show that we can be as good, if not better, than the LionsXII, who comprise the best players in Singapore. It is also a chance for the S.League to bring in the crowds, and if more people turn up, this might convince the FAS to invest more to build the league.”

The FAS said that the S.League “is an integral part of Singapore football” and it is “committed to the continuous improvement of the league for our fans and for the development of our game”.

TODAY understands that the FAS invests close to S$17 million in the S.League every year. It recently conducted a thorough review of the 10-team competition in a bid to raise its standard ahead of the competition’s 20th anniversary. And some of the changes that have been mooted include a reduction in the quota of foreign players per team from five to three, giving more local players a chance at professional football.

The proposal to include the LionsXII in next season’s S.League has drawn flak from netizens, with some questioning FAS’s perceived preferential treatment of LionsXII players. Yesterday, the FAS had moved to assure LionsXII players that their 2016 contracts would be honoured. In contrast, players from S-League clubs that went bust in the past were left to look for new employment.

But Hougang United manager Nicholas Low said he understands the reasoning behind the FAS’s strong support for the LionsXII.

“It’s an obvious choice for the FAS,” he explained. “There’s a lot of marketing opportunities and interest in the team. People may blame the FAS but it’s only logical for it to pay more attention to the LionsXII.”