The saying that “Singaporeans do not care about the Singapore Premier League (SPL)” seems true for a country so madly in love with football, but it seems that once you delve a little deeper, the saying might not hold as much truth to it as one might think. Baztalks, being a football podcast, we always try to stay away from the local scene. Not because we care not for the local footballing scene, but because there are already so many channels dedicated to it and it is done by more talented people, with better connections and even better content.
What was surprising being to find out how in depth and dedicated these content creators are, but how they are selflessly creating content that doesn’t necessarily bring monetary returns. In short – they are doing this out of pure passion. The official SPL IG (@sgpremierleague) has 26.3k followers and they are ably supported by the vast amount of IG accounts – from each club having their own IG account – Tampines Rovers FC with @tampinesrovers, Lion City sailors with @lioncitysailors.fc and each club having their own fanzone or fan-run account like @stagszone and @hougang_hools to name a few.
The independent fans have also created their own channels and always have local stars as guests. Channels like The Final Whistle (@tfinalwhistle), The Goal Difference (the_goaldifference), Junpiter Futbol (@junpiterfutbol), TMSG (@tmsg01), Grandstand (@grandstandsgp) and BackPasst(@backpasst) are further fuelling the marketing for SPL for essentially free. Add this to the various ways one can catch SPL games – MeWatch, Youtube, Starhub and Singtel – questions are still raised as to why it has yet to catch the spark or interest of the people it was supposed to entertain – The local Singaporeans.
When asked with why don’t you catch more matches, the general answer is, “Why would I watch the SPL when there is the English Premier League or any of the European leagues?”. Hand raised, this writer is one such person. Having come across all these channels who have dedicated their work to increasing the profile of the league, I wondered to myself, what would get me to allocate 3hours of my life to watch local football. The first “excuse” I give,” Oh, I don’t know when the games take place.” A simple google would actually provide me of the answers I seek. But the games are quite scattered – it can take place anytime between Tuesday to Sunday, at least when I took a look at the 2023 fixture.
Maybe this scattered approach is what is making it tough for people to track and commit. The European schedule is pretty fixed – mid week and weekend games, usually mid week is cup competitions and weekend is their own leagues. Can Singapore adopt the same? Probably not. How many of us, especially weekend warriors would be willing to rush down to a match after our game. And weekends are usually rest days or family days. Maybe a start, would be a two day consistent block for the SPL? A mid-week fixture (Wed-Thur) to get people to come after work.
The next question would be, “What’s so good about the league? Singapore quality also not high”. It’s all relative. Why would we play weekend football when our own quality is not as good as the SPL, let alone any of the Top 5 european leagues. In that sense, what makes the top 5 leagues unique is their selling point that is often promoted. The EPL is very dynamic and action packed; the La Liga is technical – allowing player to showcase their talents; the Bundesliga is more tactical and Serie A is more defensive. Yes, I’ve opted out the Ligue 1 because honestly – never watched it, and its just a PSG show fest most years. Maybe Singapore clubs can have their own iconic style that is unique to them. Imagine if Lion City Sailors played Guardiola-ball or if Tampines rovers played the Diego Simeone way and parked the tank or even the all-out Biesa ball that Leeds United was famous for. Maybe with this, it can create narratives where people support a club that best fits what they like.
Singapore’s representation in the Asian region on club level is also not glorified as well as it should be.
But it stems probably from the same issue as the league – Why watch the Asian Champions League when there is the actual Champions League.
Concluding what started as an honest question that is then followed up with what looks like whining of the state of the local league, it seems that at present, the powers that be have done what they can to promote the league. They now need help from the community to raise its interest and profile.
Baztalks offer the following solutions: –
1. Remove nostalgia, build new memories.
So often we see ANY montage that is Singapore related begin with,” Remember the old days… [Insert Tiger cup, Fandi Ahmad, golden generation].”
We as a nation have to stop that. No progress can be made when we are anchored so tightly to our past. Not that I am suggesting we forget our past, but we instead focus on our future. The fact that we are still mentioning achievements from yesteryears, shows how we don’t have much success in our recent years.
2. Reassuring parents that football is a career.
The most oft asked question is – how can football pay the bills? That is true, especially in the early days. We have to be real on a few fronts. Firstly, Singapore is a country where having a stable job that pays well is a fundamental part of being a Singaporean. In the early part of a career, the players in their youths are paid very miserly. This then forces them to work elsewhere to support themselves. But if we are able to provide them with a stable enough base earning (maybe 50%- 75% of a liveable wage), then it would allow these players to focus on training. Yes, yes, we’re not a social state for handouts, I will get to that point later.
Secondly, being able to integrate education with football. The primary concern for parents is how their kids would survive without a certificate that acts as a safety net for their children. Clubs must then take more ownership to ensure that the players in their care are able to fend for themselves should misfortune befall them. This can be in the form of courses that have certifications that would be useful for employment. A collaboration with local authorities (think WSH courses for example) would not only reassure parents for those in younger age bracket, but also allow those who are in the middle or even end of their careers to prepare for a transition smoothly. Right now it seems as if the only avenue post career is to be a football coach, which in Singapore might be fair and few.
3. Rebuild the football ecosystem.
There is 3 parts to this equation: – Exclusivity, Footballing ecosystem and Funding.
The football ecosystem is very exclusive. In most cases, based on retelling of experiences, players are selected because they have someone on the inside – be it a friend, a coach or a staff. It’s understandable because it is easier to assess someone with a reliable source. There are not enough scouts in Singapore who would go out and search for players other than during key FAS events. This inadvertent gatekeeping then keeps players who have the talent, but see the gate keep as a deterrent from even trying is a talent drain that is wasted. The exclusivity has to stop; else it’ll keep those with better talent away from ever trying out for the country.
Which brings us to the ecosystem. There is a disconnect between the SPL and the other footballing activities in Singapore (Island Wide League, Prime League, amateur leagues etc). One has to wonder if adding a relegation system would encourage competitiveness and even a following that is better than what we see now. Allowing this would add emotional investment for family or friends of players who play in the other leagues to attend SPL matches. Think of it like Wrexham AFC is trying to accomplish in the 22/23 season. Or like how Leeds united worked themselves back into the EPL. Football is a game of emotions and to utilize the emotions of the fans and anchoring it to a core memory would possibly help with attendance and growth of viewers of local football. The flow in my opinion should be: Island-Wide League -> NFL Div 3 to 1 -> SPL. The Prime League team should remain in a tournament of their own, providing pathways to the SPL teams or even to NFL teams. Expanding the pathways to first team would greatly benefit the career pools available, as well as the national team pool in the long run. Singapore clubs should also look to have their own footballing identities as earlier mentioned. These styles of plays are what attract player’s imaginations as it gives them a united project to work towards to.
Funding is a key requisite for improvement. It is easier said than done for sure. A possibility is looking at Lion City Sailors. Since their takeover, they have expanded not only on the field, but off it as well. They now have a brand that is known and offers hope to those that play for the team, the opportunity to be well supported, and also have future careers elsewhere. As mentioned, it would not be possible to fully fund someone with the limited budget that is available. As such, clubs have to be able to raise revenue somehow. Traditionally it was slot-machines, but would it be possible to have potential investors into Singapore invest into the sports scene? The main question is WHY would people want to invest into the local scene. Truth be told, nothing but passion, as Forrest Li did when he took 100% ownership of Lion City sailors. And that could be something for clubs to look into. The returns are almost non-existent for now, but maybe, just maybe, in 10-20 years’ time, when Singapore get its first Asian Champions League winner – the companies would be hailed for their contributions. Practical wise, maybe donation in a form of tax relief to companies would incentivise them to fund local football clubs.
These are a couple of suggestions from a telescopic fan. Give me a reason to come and watch, not because I am high and mighty, but because it’ll keep me coming back for more and become a part of my schedule.
