Singapore version of fantasy football aims to rekindle interest for the game here

Amid Covid-19, instead of travelling abroad for a module called Go-Far (Going Overseas for Advanced Reporting), 14 journalism students from Nanyang Technological University focused on Singapore's national football project to qualify for the 2034 World Cup. The Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) undergraduates reported on what it will take to raise excitement and the standard of the sport here. This article is the last of three that TODAY is running. Read the first article here and the second one here.

SINGAPORE — Up-and-coming website Voiddeck Football does not leave the playing to those on the pitch.

With their newly launched fantasy football game for the Singapore Premier League, they hope to give fans a reason to return to the stands by adding excitement and competition beyond the 90-minute match.

The brainchild of software engineer Jeff Salleh, 44, and his team of six, this game is adapted from the English Premier League’s official version of fantasy football, the Fantasy Premier League (FPL).

With about 7.6 million playing worldwide last season, the fantasy league has boosted the EPL’s popularity by engaging fans between match days.

“If we cannot draw them to stadiums, we can draw interest for local football through technology,” said Mr Salleh, who created the platform in 2020.

He first started Voiddeck Football as a weekend project to practise his craft in software engineering and to boost the local football experience. It took him four months to build a beta version of the website, which allowed users to predict match scores and rate players’ performances.

In April 2021, Mr Salleh launched a fantasy football game on Voiddeck Football, with a team of fans he got to know through a nationwide WhatsApp group. Local fan clubs and fan media helped spread the word through Instagram posts.

The game does not make any profit and is fully funded by Mr Salleh. But everyone involved in the fantasy league chips in to make the game a success.

The founding members help by putting in time and research, while players of the game help with reporting bugs and troubleshooting through an online server.

“It’s a passion. If you like it, then you will do it,” Mr Salleh said.

The free online strategy game allows participants to live out their fantasy of becoming a team manager. They can select a variety of players from the eight local clubs to assemble their 15-man dream team.

Points are then awarded based on real-time performances. For instance, each goal scored by a striker in real life can earn someone four points in the fantasy realm. At the end of each game week, participants are ranked based on their scores.

But it is not all child’s play.

Participants have to work within a S$100 million budget and cannot pick more than three players from a single club. They are also required to adhere to Singapore’s Under-23 rule — introduced in 2018, each club had to field three players under the age of 23 for the first half of every SPL match, but come next season, teams will be required to field only one U-23 player.

Currently, over 200 fantasy teams are fighting to win the top three cash prizes valued at S$40, S$60 and S$100 at the end of the season.

Banter and bragging rights are also reasons people play fantasy football.

Former professional footballer Illyas Lee, 26, who played for Balestier Khalsa and Warriors FC, plays both the English and Singaporean version of the fantasy game. He thinks the friendly competition between him and his friends makes watching football more exciting.

“Getting good points for the players you have is fun. It makes you feel like you have a good eye for the game,” he said.

EXTRA LEGWORK REQUIRED

While the fantasy football league here will not turn people into fans overnight, it aims to at least make casual fans less casual.

In the FPL, you could scrape by without much research. For a decent score, all you need is to throw in a few players known for their stellar track records, such as Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes.

A quick look at various websites and YouTube videos that rank the best players each week would help.

Players of the Singapore fantasy league get far less help.

Without an extensive database of performance statistics yet, players have to put in the extra legwork to build their teams. This includes watching matches, tuning into the highlights, or reading up on the different players.

“Not a lot of people follow local football and even when they do, they may not know most players well,” said Mr Eddy Hirono, 33, a lawyer and one of the founding members of the local fantasy league.

An avid FPL player for the last decade, undergraduate Kevin Monteiro, 25, agreed that a fantasy league here is a great way for locals to learn more about the league.

As someone who spends many late nights watching teams he does not support, he thinks the competitive aspect can incentivise more to look at underrated players and clubs.

“The S$100 million budget forces you to scout for cheaper players in order to complete your team and I can see this happening for the SPL too. People have to study and learn about lesser-known teams and players to give their fantasy team an edge,” said Mr Monteiro.

Now boasting some 300 active users, Mr Salleh’s initiative shows that people are interested in making football here more than a weekend affair.

However, fans say important organisations such as the Football Association of Singapore are missing out on opportunities to maximise the fantasy league.

Mr Salleh and his team have tried to pitch the idea to the association, in a bid to replicate how the EPL directly supports the FPL. But they have yet to receive a response.

For now, Voiddeck Football is content with running the platform on their passion.

“As a local football fan, I want to see the league succeed,” said Mr Javier Peh, 20, Voiddeck Football’s social media manager. “There’s no point in criticising and doing nothing. If I say Singapore football sucks, I should think about what I’m doing to make it better.”