http://www.cnngo.com/singapore/play/mrbrown-singapore-soccer-225900
How do we make Singapore soccer great again?
by mrbrown 11 March, 2010
How can we take the S-League to English Premier League status? mrbrown thinks the solution may be right before our eyes
I watched a live football match recently. It was an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup match between Singapore's Geylang United versus Hong Kong's NT Realty Wofoo Tai Po FC.
I haven't been to a football match in Singapore for a long time and since my buddy Ryan got us complimentary tickets, we decided to make the outing to Jalan Besar stadium. Ryan's friend "Horse Buddy" got them for us. He is named after the horse racing magazine of the same name (马友指南) as he is rarely seen without this horse racing bible.
Singapore soccer isn't exactly English Premier League standard. In fact, I don't think it is even at the standard of the EPL Stadium Toilet Cleaners' Weekend Football League (if there is one). Most of us who used to watch local soccer feel that since Singapore pulled out of the Malaysian League after the 1994 season, soccer in Singapore has never been the same. In fact, since then, it has pretty much sucked.
Horse Buddy told me the Singapore League (or S-League as it's commonly known) matches on Fridays were particularly interesting though. According to him, there's no entrance fee on Friday matches and there are usually 400 packets of beehoon or nasi lemak (fragrant coconut rice) given away.
I suppose that is a great way to get anybody to attend the matches. Horse Buddy said the bulk of the 'soccer fans' coming to redeem this free-soccer-match-with-meal deal are blue-collar foreign workers.
"What's not to like?" he said, "You get to watch some free football and get a free meal. The foreign talents love it."
Even so, the 400 packets of free food are not always redeemed, which goes to show you how many people actually go to S-League matches.
To my disappointment this AFC match had no free nasi lemak though. I like free food. It was a qualifier and somewhat above a typical league match.
The crowd was made up of Tai Po's Hong Kong supporters, a few Singaporean couples with their babies, a couple of older guys who looked like bookies, some young people, and some old uncles.
To spice things up, we bought some Singapore Pools bets. We bet S$5 on Hong Kong's Tai Po to win, and another S$5 that the total goals would be three.
I know what you are thinking. Why bet against a Singapore team? Where is the loyalty? I tell you where the loyalty was: Four dollars and seventy cents.
That was the amount you would get if you bet one dollar on Tai Po. Geylang United was seen as the stronger team and the odds on them was $1.50 for a $1 bet. So most people bet on Tai Po, in the hope that they would win.
As the match progressed, it was obvious that both teams were not very different. Both were equally average. Then Tai Po scored the first goal. The crowd went wild. Chants of "Tai Po! Tai Po!" reverberated throughout the 100-plus spectators.
"The crowd is a very pragmatic lot," said Horse Buddy. "$4.70 for a $1 bet is a bigger deal than any country loyalty. Good thing their name is easy to chant," he quipped. "Chanting '$4.70' is too much of a mouthful."
It was fascinating to hear the Tai Po coach screaming at his charges in Cantonese. I learned a few new words that evening to supplement my weak Cantonese vocabulary.
Then Geylang United scored an equalizer. That was a bit of a downer for the punters. But there was still a chance for Tai Po to score a second goal and bring us the win, plus the three-goal bet too.
"Tai Po! Tai Po!"
It was not to be. Both teams looked beat. Ryan muttered that Asian teams tend to lose steam after the 70th minute, their stamina not up to the full 90 minutes. The game ended with the score of 1-1.
As we tore up our betting slips, I took a final look at Jalan Besar stadium and its colorful seats. It was not exactly the National Stadium and this was not the Kallang Roar. But Jalan Besar was definitely a better place for post-game supper.
We did not get a chance to partake of the legendary free nasi lemak given out during the less important fixtures so we were a little hungry.
I now see the future of Singapore and Asian football. Forget the grand plans to bring us to the World Cup. Give a Singaporean a chance to gamble, throw in some free food, and we may just turn the S-League into something resembling the English Premier League.
Ok, perhaps we shouldn't aim our sights too high too early. Let's aim for EPL Stadium Toilet Cleaners' Weekend Football League.
gl
How do we make Singapore soccer great again?
by mrbrown 11 March, 2010
How can we take the S-League to English Premier League status? mrbrown thinks the solution may be right before our eyes
I watched a live football match recently. It was an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup match between Singapore's Geylang United versus Hong Kong's NT Realty Wofoo Tai Po FC.
I haven't been to a football match in Singapore for a long time and since my buddy Ryan got us complimentary tickets, we decided to make the outing to Jalan Besar stadium. Ryan's friend "Horse Buddy" got them for us. He is named after the horse racing magazine of the same name (马友指南) as he is rarely seen without this horse racing bible.
Singapore soccer isn't exactly English Premier League standard. In fact, I don't think it is even at the standard of the EPL Stadium Toilet Cleaners' Weekend Football League (if there is one). Most of us who used to watch local soccer feel that since Singapore pulled out of the Malaysian League after the 1994 season, soccer in Singapore has never been the same. In fact, since then, it has pretty much sucked.
Horse Buddy told me the Singapore League (or S-League as it's commonly known) matches on Fridays were particularly interesting though. According to him, there's no entrance fee on Friday matches and there are usually 400 packets of beehoon or nasi lemak (fragrant coconut rice) given away.
I suppose that is a great way to get anybody to attend the matches. Horse Buddy said the bulk of the 'soccer fans' coming to redeem this free-soccer-match-with-meal deal are blue-collar foreign workers.
"What's not to like?" he said, "You get to watch some free football and get a free meal. The foreign talents love it."
Even so, the 400 packets of free food are not always redeemed, which goes to show you how many people actually go to S-League matches.
To my disappointment this AFC match had no free nasi lemak though. I like free food. It was a qualifier and somewhat above a typical league match.
The crowd was made up of Tai Po's Hong Kong supporters, a few Singaporean couples with their babies, a couple of older guys who looked like bookies, some young people, and some old uncles.
To spice things up, we bought some Singapore Pools bets. We bet S$5 on Hong Kong's Tai Po to win, and another S$5 that the total goals would be three.
I know what you are thinking. Why bet against a Singapore team? Where is the loyalty? I tell you where the loyalty was: Four dollars and seventy cents.
That was the amount you would get if you bet one dollar on Tai Po. Geylang United was seen as the stronger team and the odds on them was $1.50 for a $1 bet. So most people bet on Tai Po, in the hope that they would win.
As the match progressed, it was obvious that both teams were not very different. Both were equally average. Then Tai Po scored the first goal. The crowd went wild. Chants of "Tai Po! Tai Po!" reverberated throughout the 100-plus spectators.
"The crowd is a very pragmatic lot," said Horse Buddy. "$4.70 for a $1 bet is a bigger deal than any country loyalty. Good thing their name is easy to chant," he quipped. "Chanting '$4.70' is too much of a mouthful."
It was fascinating to hear the Tai Po coach screaming at his charges in Cantonese. I learned a few new words that evening to supplement my weak Cantonese vocabulary.
Then Geylang United scored an equalizer. That was a bit of a downer for the punters. But there was still a chance for Tai Po to score a second goal and bring us the win, plus the three-goal bet too.
"Tai Po! Tai Po!"
It was not to be. Both teams looked beat. Ryan muttered that Asian teams tend to lose steam after the 70th minute, their stamina not up to the full 90 minutes. The game ended with the score of 1-1.
As we tore up our betting slips, I took a final look at Jalan Besar stadium and its colorful seats. It was not exactly the National Stadium and this was not the Kallang Roar. But Jalan Besar was definitely a better place for post-game supper.
We did not get a chance to partake of the legendary free nasi lemak given out during the less important fixtures so we were a little hungry.
I now see the future of Singapore and Asian football. Forget the grand plans to bring us to the World Cup. Give a Singaporean a chance to gamble, throw in some free food, and we may just turn the S-League into something resembling the English Premier League.
Ok, perhaps we shouldn't aim our sights too high too early. Let's aim for EPL Stadium Toilet Cleaners' Weekend Football League.
