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Forum: Organise more overseas training stints for young footballers

Having witnessed Singapore’s shambolic displays at recent international youth football tournaments (

Having witnessed Singapore’s shambolic displays at recent international youth football tournaments ( May 13), I would like to suggest that the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) leverage its sporting connections to get training stints in other football academies for our best youth talent. FAS could pick 10 top players from each age group for two- or three-year training stints at established overseas youth clubs, which could be selected based on cultural and linguistic affinities for ease of adaptation. In the early 1990s, FAS sent promising young footballers for months-long training stints in Eastern Europe under the Football Talent Search Project. In 2010, the Youth Olympic Games squad went on a training stint in England, playing in friendly matches with top premiership youth teams. Such schemes can be resurrected on a more consistent basis. Former Singapore footballers like Fandi Ahmad and R. Sasikumar have helped their sons get invaluable footballing experience overseas. While S-League clubs such as Lion City Sailors and Geylang have in recent times forged partnerships with German and Japanese clubs, the training stints provided are usually short term or one-day friendlies. FAS should expose Singapore’s youth to footballing stints abroad and allow them to play in more competitive settings. Only then, perhaps, can FAS truly unleash the Young Lions’ roar.