FAS looking for 10th Singapore Premier League club to 'raise the level of professional football'
Singapore Premier League clubs Brunei DPMM FC and Young Lions in a Singapore Cup match. (Photo: Facebook/Singapore Premier League)
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SINGAPORE: The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is searching for a 10th club to take part in the Singapore Premier League (SPL).
"By expanding the league’s participation, the aim is to raise the level of professional football in Singapore by attracting top football talent and garnering significant fan engagement," said FAS on Wednesday (Dec 6).
Interested parties must submit their expression of interest by 6pm on Dec 20. They will then have four weeks to put forward a detailed proposal for consideration.
Their proposal must be aligned with the Asian Football Confederation club licensing regulations while also complying with SPL regulations, FAS said.
The proposal must show the ownership and management structure of the club, and it must demonstrate that the club has a "sustainable revenue source".
The club will not be entitled to any financial support, said FAS. As such, it needs to provide a comprehensive budget and financial plan for its operations for the first three seasons.
The proposal must also detail the club's player recruitment and youth development plans, the coaching and technical structure of the club, and the plans for fan engagement and marketing.
It will also need to identify a home stadium and training venue.
"In order to ensure a smooth process, the FAS will engage all parties who have submitted expressions of interest in order to ascertain that their subsequent proposals are in accordance with the mandatory requirements," said the association.
The nine clubs currently in the league are Albirex Niigata, Lion City Sailors, Tampines Rovers, Balestier Khalsa, Geylang International, Hougang United, Brunei DPMM, Tanjong Pagar United and the Young Lions.
The SPL - formerly the S League - was officially launched in 1996 with eight local teams.
Over the years, foreign teams have participated in the league, with the first team - Sinchi FC from China - joining in 2003.
Other foreign teams that have participated in the league include Sporting Afrique FC, South Korean Super Reds FC, and Chinese teams Liaoning Guangyuan and Beijing Guoan FC.
Albirex won the league last season. In September, it announced a shift in policy from being a club with mainly Japanese professionals to one with predominantly Singaporean players.
