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FAS spending on grassroots competitions sparks outrage

SINGAPORE — A sum of about S$70,000. That is the grand total the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) spent on grassroot competitions, the National Football League (NFL) and Island Wide League (IWL), in their last financial year (April 2015 to March 2016).

FAS president Zainudin Nordin. TODAY file photo

FAS president Zainudin Nordin. TODAY file photo

SINGAPORE — A sum of about S$70,000. That is the grand total the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) spent on grassroot competitions, the National Football League (NFL) and Island Wide League (IWL), in their last financial year (April 2015 to March 2016).

And this figure, which was presented during the FAS Annual General Meeting on Saturday (Sept 24), has sparked anger and disbelief among members of the local football community.

According to the FAS, the total organising expenses for grassroots competitions like the NFL, IWL, FA Cup and Singapore 9s, amounted to just over S$112,000, excluding staffing costs.

This was offset by the income - consisting of club participation fees - garnered by the competitions which totalled about S$41,000. Each NFL and IWL club pays S$1,700 to take part in their respective leagues and tournaments.

This amounted to just over 0.2 percent of the FAS’ total revenue of S$35.8 million. In contrast, the FAS spent more than S$4 million on the now-defunct LionsXII and S$16 milion on the top-tier S.League. Close to S$1 million was also dedicated to develop women’s football.

Darwin Jalil, president of recently-crowned NFL champions Eunos Crescent FC, told TODAY the financial support NFL and IWL teams get from the FAS is inadequate, and that indicates the association’s lack of regard for the local amateur leagues.

“The numbers we saw are alarming, and there were some comments from the current FAS executive committee (Exco) that gives us the feeling that the priority lies mostly in developing football at the elite level,” said Darwin.

“In my opinion, this whole model of focusing solely on elite football is wrong, because the NFL and IWL provide a base and platform for players to train and develop and serves as a channel for budding players to turn professional and play in the S.League.”

He estimated that the FAS need to spend about S$400,000 annually to ensure “that the clubs were sufficiently funded and that the leagues were properly run”.

Yakob Hashim, coach of Yishun Sentek Mariners, also expressed his unhappiness at the lack of financial support the amateur leagues receive. He revealed that many clubs struggle to stay afloat because of a lack of money.

“If you’re serious about making the NFL and IWL become proper leagues and improve the standard of players at a grassroots level, then you need to provide some seed money to the clubs,” explained Yakob. “A lot of the club owners are volunteers, but have to fork out their own money to run the club because they’re passionate about local football.

“The players don’t have security when they play because many of the clubs can’t afford to buy insurance for them. They don’t give their all because they’re afraid of injuries, and this prevents them from realising their full potential.”

Agreeing, Siglap FC team manager Alim Omar added: “I’m sure the clubs will adhere to proper accounting guidelines if you provide them with seed money. The clubs can open an account and the FAS can then train these club administrators on the correct way to use the money. In this way, you’re not just helping develop local footballers but also football administrators.”

This issue has also proven to be an area of concern for some S.League sides, as Tampines chairman Krishan Ramachandra explained: “I am somewhat disturbed at how the NFL and IWL have been effectively marginalised. No meaningful football ecosystem can be developed if the grassroots football leagues are not encouraged to flourish.

“This gross imbalance in budget allocation to the elite and non-elite football is worrisome. It belies a lack of understanding of the football ecosystem.

“As a chairman of an S.League club, it is critical for me that all strata of league football flourishes, otherwise we will never have an effective ‘pyramid’ of sustainability. If the NFL and IWL are not supported, we will never ever have our version of the Jamie Vardy fairy tale.”

He conceded however, that it was “hard to make a value assessment (of the FAS budget) without understanding the psyche of the Tote board, which ultimately contributes to the rump of the funding”,

Lawyer Alfred Dodwell, who will run for the FAS elections as part of Team Majulah SG Football, which also includes former People’s Association deputy director James Lim and veteran football official R Vengadasalam, said it is crucial that all football leagues are well-taken care of.

“It is very troubling to learn of the figures,” said Dodwell. “As a First World country, we should be giving the clubs enough money so they can focus on the game of football rather than on the logistics of it.

“Football must be enjoyed by everyone in Singapore and making sure that everybody is having a good time playing the game. If you turn football into a business and make it all about profit making, then you’ve got the wrong idea.

“Ultimately there should be a fair and equitable distribution of the money so we have total development of football across all leagues.”

Responding to TODAY’s queries, an FAS spokesperson said they “strive to be as inclusive as possible in our programmes and funding strategy”. Adding that the FAS will waive the participation fees for NFL and IWL clubs from next year onwards, he said: “Football participation is one of the key strategies to widen the talent pool in Singapore.

“The domestic football league is an important pillar ... and we recognise the passion and fervour of our members who are part of this league.

“The FAS recognise the high level of play ... and will be making changes to the IWL and NFL league format to support the continued development of players in these leagues.”

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