Lazy Afternoon at East Coast Park catching some games of Futsal

Was at the "Sports Planet" this afternoon for a futsal event organized by "U Sports", an affiliate of the NTUC.

Never thought of putting up this post, until I decided that the sunset moment of the day does look good for some picture-snapping on my new iPhone, so why not...

(Pictured above) Good about the futsal courts at "Sports Planet" are "stray-ball" proof, thanks to the nets that concealed the playing surface.

I think the playing surface of the pitch is something similar to that of the Jalan Besar Stadium (that black sand-like particle based).

Some of the players cheering their team-mates on from outside of the field, pretty glaring as it was close to evening when this shot was taken.

In the end, I was told the union which represented me claimed the title of one particular catergory... Well Done.

[Feature] NIKE INTRODUCES 2010 NATIONAL TEAM KITS DESIGNED FOR INCREASED PERFORMANCE WITH LOWER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

(The content of this entry is obtained via the transcript provided by Integrated Marketing Solutions Group [IMSG] - the PR agency for Nike Singapore)

(P.S: The copyrights of the images depicted in this blog entry belong to Nike.)

Jerseys worn in South Africa and available at retail made from 100 percent recycled polyester, diverting 13 million plastic bottles from landfills

Alexandre Pato of Brazil

SINGAPORE (February 26, 2010) – Many of the world's leading players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Robinho and Ji-Sung Park will take to the pitch in South Africa this summer wearing the most environmentally-friendly and technologically-advanced kit in football's history.

For the first time, all of Nike’s national teams, including Brazil, Portugal and The Netherlands, will be wearing jerseys made entirely from recycled polyester, each one produced from up to eight recycled plastic bottles. Nike unveiled the new national team kits with several footballers at a global media event at Battersea Power Station in London.

“This summer in South Africa Nike will give footballers an edge by providing the newest and most innovative product for the game’s greatest players,” said Charlie Denson, President, Nike Brand. “With today’s announcement, we are equipping athletes with newly designed uniforms that not only look great and deliver performance benefits, but are also made with recycled materials, creating less impact on our environment.”

Robert Koren of Solvenia

To make the 2010 national team kits, Nike’s fabric suppliers sourced discarded plastic bottles from Japanese and Taiwanese landfill sites and then melted them down to produce new yarn that was ultimately converted to fabric for the jerseys.

This process saves raw materials and reduces energy consumption by up to 30 percent compared to manufacturing virgin polyester. By using recycled polyester for its new range of national jerseys, Nike prevented nearly 13 million plastic bottles, totaling nearly 254,000 kg of polyester waste, from going into landfill sites.

This amount would be enough to cover more than 29 football pitches. If the recycled bottles used to make the jerseys were laid end-to-end they would cover more than 3,000 kilometres, which is more than the entire coastline of South Africa.

Edson Bradfeeld of the Netherlands

The national team kits represent an important step in the process to make all Nike products more sustainable.

To make the 2010 national team kits, Nike’s fabric suppliers sourced discarded plastic bottles from Japanese and Taiwanese landfill sites and then melted them down to produce new yarn that was ultimately converted to fabric for the jerseys.

In addition, all the national team kits have been designed with each country’s national culture and identity in mind. Nike understands the pride athletes experience playing for their country so each kit has been designed to represent the heritage and unique football culture of the nine national teams.

Nani of Portugal

Kit Innovations
Considering the environment doesn’t mean sacrificing the innovative performance elements of Nike’s kits. For this summer’s finals, the kits have been designed to keep players drier, cooler and more comfortable, allowing them to maintain an optimum body temperature and perform at their best on the pitch.

Improved Nike Dri-Fit fabric, now 15 percent lighter than previous Nike kit fabrications, helps keep players dry by drawing sweat to the outside of the garment where it evaporates. Ventilation zones have been placed on each side of the jersey to enhance breathability, and are combined with a fabric that increases air flow by up to seven percent compared to previous kits. Air can now pass across a player’s whole torso, keeping him cooler. These ventilation zones consist of up to 200 tiny laser cut holes which are backed by Nike’s innovative halo application. This treatment prevents ripping without reducing air flow.

The Nike kit shorts also have additional ventilation zones placed below the waistband and near the base of the spine, so this area prone to high sweat levels will now be significantly drier.

Lee Chung Yong (Cy Lee) of South Korea

The jersey’s new double knit structure not only gives it a sleeker appearance, while offering 10 percent more stretch than the last Nike national team kit jerseys , but also boasts a new dynamic fit cut to follow the natural contours of the body while still allowing for maximum airflow and movement.

Players will also incorporate the unique benefits of Nike Pro Combat into their respective national team kits. Featuring an engineered system of dress, Pro Combat includes Slider and Impact shorts for added protection against light impact and abrasion along with a therma Mock that protects players’ necks against harsh conditions.

The teams wearing Nike’s new national team jerseys in South Africa are: Brazil, The Netherlands, Portugal, USA, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Serbia, and Slovenia.

Clint Dempsey of United States

Away national team kits will be available starting February 25th while national team home kits will be available May 1st. They are available at local Nike store locations, on nike.com and nikefootball.com.

[Feature] NIKE LAUNCHES MERCURIAL VAPOR SUPERFLY II, DELIVERING GREATER SPEED AND EXCLUSIVE INSIDER ACCESS TO THE WORLD’S TOP PLAYERS

(The content of this entry is obtained via the transcript provided by Integrated Marketing Solutions Group [IMSG] - the PR agency for Nike Singapore)

(P.S: The copyrights of the images depicted in this blog entry belong to Nike.)

With the the vibrant ultra-violet outlook, it is hard not to notice the presence of "Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II" on the field.

Revolutionary football boot features Nike adaptive traction technology and helps players improve their performance with expert tips and training through Nike Football+

SINGAPORE (February 26, 2010) – At a global media event featuring footballer Cristiano Ronaldo in London, NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) today unveiled the Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II, a lightweight boot featuring a new, unique adaptive traction system designed for explosive acceleration. The Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II features a reengineered upper for enhanced fit and ball control for fast feet while the vibrant ultra-violet color boosts visibility on the pitch.

“NIKE, Inc. is the world’s largest and most innovative football company,” said Mark Parker, NIKE, Inc.’s President & CEO. “Our success in the world’s most popular sport is based on creating innovative products and experiences such as the new, incredibly light and responsive Mercurial SuperFly II boot and Nike Football+ which connects the digital and physical worlds of football. These are among Nike’s most advanced products to date and will help write the next chapter for Nike football.”

Traction on demand
In developing NIKE SENSE adaptive traction technology, designers created an adaptive stud that can extend and retract by up to 3mm, based on ground conditions and pressure exerted by the player. Directionally positioned blades maximize cutting and allow for quick changes of direction, while secondary toe traction provides added toe-off power for those first critical steps. The result is a boot that enables greater speed in all directions.

Nike’s design and engineering teams talked with some of the fastest players in the world, who emphasized that acceleration around a defender is just as important as beating him in a straight line. The Nike Sports Research Lab researched the world championship finals in 2006 and found that there were 845 slipping events over 63 games, or roughly 14 per game. Building on these insights, the Nike team collaborated closely with elite athletes including Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexandre Pato to create a boot that enables toe-off acceleration and minimizes slippage in game-changing situations.

"Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II" is endorsed by Real Madrid and Portugal star - Cristiano Ronaldo

“For me, it’s all about first-step acceleration, but twisting and turning around a defender is also important,” Cristiano Ronaldo said. “The Mercurial Vapor Superfly II helps me do both, so I can beat my opponent and create scoring opportunities.”

Athlete insights also pointed to the desire for a close fit around the foot without compromising on durability or support. Next-generation Nike Flywire technology incorporated into the boot’s streamlined upper provides a lightweight, strong and more dynamic fit. The carbon composite tuned chassis provides a lightweight platform with traction elements and allows players to stay closer to the ground.

The Nike team collaborated closely with elite athletes including Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexandre Pato to create a boot that enables toe-off acceleration and minimizes slippage in game-changing situations.

Access to the elite through Nike Football+
The Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II also gives consumers unprecedented access to the training insights of the world’s top players, teams and coaches through Nike Football+. Each pair of boots comes with a unique user code that can be used to unlock trade secrets from inside the game and the next installment of Nike Football+, Master Speed training content on NikeFootball.com.

The Nike Football + Master Speed program provides exclusive access to Brazil national team stars Robinho, Fabiano and Nilmar, putting the power of speed directly into footballers’ hands and their game daypreparation. Four camps are available:

• A Pelada – Learn high-speed ways to practice fast, competitive Brazilian football.
  
  
• O Brasilerao – Meet the coaches and players of Brazil’s premier club, Corinthians. Experience four authentic drills with top club coaches.

• Na Gringa – Only the best Brazilians go to Europe. Get the inside track on the real difference between the continental games from the superstars who experience it – and apply it to your own game.
  
  
• A Selecao –Enter the top secret world of the Brazil National Team’s training hideaway in the mountains, Granja Comery. Experience squad drills and 3-man exercises with a top CBF coach.
  

Building on the Master Speed program, “Inside the Elite” is a new feature offering exclusive inside access to players. Athletes including Robinho, Javier Mascherano and Zlatan Ibrahimovic offer candid insights on their game and match preparation.

Ronaldo standing in front of the gigantic poster featuring him in action with "Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II" at the product launch in London.

In addition to these Nike Football+ Master Speed programs, footballers will have access to country-specific Nike Football+ activities like training sessions, trial events and player appearances. Nike Football+ is also available as an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch on iTunes®.

The Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II boot is available at retail globally and at www.nikestore.com from April 1st 2010. Here in Singapore, the boot will retail at $629. Nike Football+ can be accessed at www.nikesoccer.com.

[AFC Cup Group H] Geylang Utd 1-1 NT Realty Wofoo Tai Po

(Pictured above) This attempt by Tai Po's Ye Jia (23) was the first "decent" shot of the game I took.

SHORT SCRIBE
To be honest, it was a poor first half for me as there were barely any worthy shot that deemed "photogenic"

Time to time, I could only recall myself deleted those "unworthy" shots - in short, it was a frustration first 45minutes.

Things were made even more challenging, when I was told to stay near to the corner area (pictured above), instead of roaming behind the goal within the limits set by the billboards, which were not existed during the game!

(Pictured above) Geylang's skipper Miroslav Latiak had a good game as he practically involved most of the Eagles' offences.

(Pictured above) Geylang's striker Peter Tomko (right) had a fairly quiet game.

Things improved in the second half when Geylang were attacking towards the goal, which I still positioned behind, as they shown more innovative style of attacking plays as compared to their guests from Hong Kong.

The lack of innovative play in Tai Po had let Christian Annan (pictured right, above) down

Yet, against the run of play Tai Po took the lead in the 70th minute through Ghanian winger Christian Annan, who may have caused considerably threat to Geylang's defence which Tai Po attacking build-up failed to allow him to shine for large part of the game.

(Picture above) The Eagles celebrated after Belicak's equalizer.

However, much to the disappointment of the small band of Tai Po supporters, who travelled with their heroes, that an unmarked Rastislav Belicak sneaked in from nowhere to snatch the equalizer from close range, off a corner in the 75th minute.

POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE

Tai Po's coach Andy Cheung (pictured left above with Christian Annan) acknowledged that it was a tough game, but he glad he achieved what he set out in the first place – to secure a draw from this game, while added that his team were not used to the artificial turf of Jalan Besar Stadium (like most foreign teams would share the same sentiment)

“As this is first game (of the AFC Cup), we can't just blindly go for an 'all-out attack' as we don't know how they (Tai Po) play and we decided to play it tight.” replied Geylang's coach Mike Wong (pictured above with skipper Latiak) when queried if his team were playing too cautious in their first game back in continental football after six years of hiatus.

“I felt we gave away the ball in our defensive third and the lack of communication among the players that led to their first goal (in the 70th minute)” commented Coach Wong on his thoughts of the goal conceded by his team.

With two away game scheduled in their next continental adventure, the Eagles' chief revealed that “there'll be not changes in their approach” in those match on the road.

MORE PICTURES ON THIS MATCH, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

[Event] SRC Soccer Friendship Program and Super Sixes Soccer Tournament 2010 [CLOSED]

(Press release by the Singapore Recreation Club)

SRC Convener’s Cup 2010

Saturday 27th February 2010 @Padang, City Centre, Singapore (10am to 5pm)

The Singapore Recreation Club will be staging the 2nd SRC Super Sixes Soccer Tournament 2010 on Saturday 27th February 2010 at 10am at the Padang. This is a soccer tournament for players aged 38 and above. The objectives of the tournament are to foster friendship within the soccer fraternity and encourage sports as an important part of a healthy lifestyle regime as well as a way of life.

Up to 16 teams will compete for the SRC Convener’s Cup. Expect an afternoon of festivities, fun, excitement and action on 2 specially created Six-a-side soccer pitches on the Padang. Audience will also be encouraged to participate in some of the activities.

Expect to see top players parading their skills on the Padang including the likes of Steven Tan, Abbas Said, Esad Sejdic, Tamil Maren, Marko Kraljevic and more.

[Feature] ROONEY FACES TORRES LASER ACCURACY CHALLENGE IN NEW VIRAL FILM FROM NIKE FOOTBALL [edited]

(The content of this entry is obtained via the transcript provided by Integrated Marketing Solutions Group [IMSG] - the PR agency for Nike Singapore)

(P.S: The copyrights of the video and the screen-shots depicted in this blog entry belong to Nike.)

Fernando Torres and Wayne Rooney are being featured in this viral film

Two of the world’s deadliest strikers, Wayne Rooney and Fernando Torres, come together in a new viral film from Nike to showcase the accuracy of the new Total 90 Laser III boot (pictured below) launched on Saturday 16th January.

The Total90 Laser III boot is designed to allow strikers to put the ball exactly where they want to, and the film features Wayne Rooney in a ‘Mission Impossible’ style accuracy challenge, as lasers flash across a goal in a futuristic setting to create a series of ever-harder targets for the Manchester United and England forward to hit.

Torres is certainly not making life easier for the England striker by those sophisticated laser targets

As Rooney - the Manchester United ace striker tries to hit the target from far - Good Luck!

As the criss-cross pattern of lasers become faster to create smaller and more difficult targets, Rooney looks up to see they are being controlled by none other than the hooded figure of Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. But can Wayne have the last laugh, pinpointing a strike through the laser beams Torres puts in his path?

Find out at www.nikefootball.com or click on the video below.

The viral film featuring the two ace strikers and prowess of "Total 90 Laser III"

CALLING ALL FOOTBALL LOVERS!!!

Nike will be giving football lovers in Singapore the chance to experience the T90 Rooney Challenge at The Cage on 6 March 2010 !

Details
If you have what it takes to score with the same deadly accuracy as Rooney in the video, come on down and stand a chance to win attractive Nike prizes.

The Challenge is open to football fanatics aged 15 - 24 years old, and all participants will also receive a T90 Laser III laser pointer.

The promotional poster of the event

CONTACT DETAILS
Interested parties can register at www.nikefootball.com.sg/T90challenge, or call 6323 2054 for more details.

Related Link on this blog:

• [Feature]Total90 Laser III by Nike
  

2010 League Cup fixture and schedule

(Screen-shots of the following diagrams were extracted from the media information from the Football Association of Singapore)

Click on the diagrams to have a bigger view

The fixtures and schedules of the 2010 League Cup are reflected as above.

Please take note of the following:

• Matches to kick-off at 7.45pm
  
• "Live" telecast matches to kick-off at 7.30pm
• Third place play-off to kick-off at 5.oopm

(Kick-off as in Singapore time)

First posting of the year of "Harimau"...

Just wondering if you guys encounter this situation like I always do when the discussion is on Singapore soccer that some people tend to pan it down mercilessly?

Not that long ago, I received an email from a reader who asked me "to stop writing about the S.League" simply because "will kill sg football in the long run" [sic].

Further discussion with this reader via email, I came to realize that he's one of those nostalgic folks who still clamouring for the return to the Malaysia Cup.

While I may not agree to what this reader had suggested (keep the s-league and at the same time send a Singapore representative team to take part in both the m-league and m-cup [sic]), as I was one of those "sick and tired" of those bullying tactics by those folks in KL that pulling out was the wise thing to do so then.

However, the point of this blog entry is not to set as a platform to debate whether who is right or wrong about that "pulling out". Instead, it's all about engaging with various parties in discussion for the betterment of local football.

Yes, there may be times we don't see eye to eye on certain issues pertaining the local game, still constant engaging is something we ought to do.

And which is why through blogging on the local game, I'm glad that I had met and had discussions with some of those who share the same passion as I do AND that's something I'll continue to do so, even if we don't share the same perspective and opinions all the time.

So let's not shy away and keep that engaging going on...

The New Boys' debut - Etoile FC 1-0 Beijing Guoan Talent FC

Referee Abdul Malik officiated this historical match

INTRODUCTION
It was a historical day at the Jalan Besar Stadium, as the season 2010 welcome the both Etoile FC and Beijing Guoan into the foray of the S.League.

For the record, the French-based Etoile is the first European-based club, while the feeder club from the Chinese capital is the fourth Chinese-based club to be feature in our league.

SHORT SCRIBE
I was at the pitchside to snap some shots during the first half, before heading to an elevated angle to catch this "live" game of the season after the break.

In the first half, what I saw was a stout Beijing defence that did a job in holding the French side at the bay, as in what their coach said the post-match press conference "they played according to my instruction", with Etoile striker Frederic Mendy was certainly a lone figure upfront with unwanted attention from those green-shirted men.

We hope it's just "first match jittery" for Frederic Mendy (pictured middle above)

It was common to see situation like this that whenever Etoile on the ball, they were being "closed-up" like what happened to Khaled Kharroubi (no.4).

The play of the game did not alter much when the match resumed in the second half, as I got a clearer picture to see how the weak the Chinese frontline was up against the French.

Brave effort by Beijing's skipper-cum- custodian Su Boyang, (as pictured above as he saved the ball off the feet of his counterpart Matthias Verschave in the first half), but his slip in the second proved costly.

And at the end of the night, a slip by the Beijing's 'keeper Su Boyang allowed Flavien Michelini to stab home the winner with five minutes (plus stoppages)to go.

PRESS CONFERENCE

The French connection (L-R): CEO Johan Gouttefangeas, coach Patrick Vallee and assistant coach Nicolas Possetti

Despite the win over their fellow debutant, Etoile coach Patrick Vallee felt the team, being together for just two weeks, still have a lot to work out to tighten up those loose-end.

While CEO Johan Gouttefangeas is confident of a healthy turnout when they play their first home game at Queenstown Stadium, as he has been receiving number of enquires over the phone from the 7,000 strong French expatriate community.

Beijing's coach Zheng Xiaotian addressed the media after the match

Beijing's coach Zheng Xiaotian promised and assured that the feeder team will enlist some of the club's best strikers in coming weeks once the contractual issues are sorted out , after he singled out attacking being the weakest link in his team.

(P.S: This assurance was made after a question was asked if Beijing would delivered what it promised, after its predecessor Dalian Shide promised BUT FAILED to deliver a big-named player from their CSL team during their time in the league.)

MORE PICTURES (raw and unedited version) ON THIS MATCH CAN BE FOUND ON "BoLASEPaKO" FACEBOOK PAGE - Click HERE to access and join as a member today to see these pictures

[Feature] WORLD’S TOP FOOTBALLERS JOINED BY KOBE BRYANT AND MARIA SHARAPOVA TO LACE UP AND SAVE LIVES IN NEW SHORT FILM FROM NIKE

(The content of this entry is obtained via the transcript provided by Integrated Marketing Solutions Group [IMSG] - the PR agency for Nike Singapore)

(P.S: The copyrights of the video and image depicted in this blog entry belong to Nike.)

In support of Nike and (RED)’s unique two-pronged partnership approach to fight HIV/ AIDS in Africa, leading footballers Didier Drogba, Andrei Arshavin, Clint Dempsey, Denilson, Marco Materazzi, Javier Mascherano, Fabio Cannavaro along with Maria Sharapova and Kobe Bryant came together in a new viral film released by Nike this week to encourage fans globally to “Lace Up Save Lives”.

The film is part of the (PRODUCT)RED™ partnership. Nike produces (RED) branded laces, with 100% of Nike’s profits from the sales of (NIKE)RED laces going to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – which funds medication for those living with HIV – and football-based community initiatives that deliver education and understanding around HIV/AIDS prevention in Africa. This unique partnership, first announced on November 30th, the day before World AIDS day in London last year, delivers programs that both medicate and educate.

Bringing together athletes with global appeal across football, tennis and basketball through this film provides another way to elevate awareness and unite people in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa.

"Lace Up Save Lives" video clip by Nike

The film features a cast of global athletes using the (Nike) RED laces to lace up in unusual and imaginative ways. Premier league rivals Drogba and Arshavin pay each other the ultimate respect lacing each other’s boots, as do Serie A competitors Materazzi and Cannavaro. Maria Sharapova and Kobe Bryant add their personal touches, while all the players use the RED laces in distinct ways to encourage support for the campaign.

Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba, the leading global ambassador for (Nike)RED, has been wearing the (RED) laces in Premier League and at The African Cup of Nations, comments: “Filming was a lot of fun, but all of us are aware of the seriousness of the problem of HIV and AIDS in Africa and it is something I have seen first hand when I go back there. Maybe people aren’t aware but AIDS is treatable and we want to encourage players and fans around the world to by the laces and help fight this disease.”

Nike (RED) laces can be purchased at the Nike Flagship store at Wisma Atria

Here in Singapore, the Nike (RED) Laces cost SGD$7 per pair and are available at the Nike flagship store in Wisma Atria.

Related Links on this blog:

• [Feature] THE EMIRATES TO TURN (RED) TO ‘LACE UP. SAVE LIVES’
• Hariss Harun - Ambassador for the Nike (RED) campaign.

Tough League Cup draw for Home, Gombak and Tampines‏

(Media information by Football Association of Singapore)

SINGAPORE, 9 February 2010 – Of the top four S.League clubs to receive a bye to the quarter-finals, Home United, Gombak United and Tampines Rovers find themselves facing with a challenging League Cup journey after they were drawn in the same half of the competition’s quarter-finals.

Home United have been drawn against 2008 League Cup winners Gombak United in their quarter-final match-up, with the winner of the Tampines Rovers – Woodlands Wellington / Albirex Niigata clash awaiting in the semi-finals.

In contrast, 2009 League Cup runners-up SAFFC should be relatively pleased with the draw having been drawn at home against either Beijing Guoan Talent or Sengkang Punggol in the quarter-finals.

All eyes were on S.League new boys Etoile FC and Beijing Guoan Talent, who have been drawn to face Balestier Khalsa and Sengkang Punggol respectively in the preliminary round.

The other two preliminary round matches will see Woodlands Wellington host Albirex Niigata, with the Young Lions travelling to Bedok Stadium to play the 2009 RHB Singapore Cup winners Geylang United.

The Draw of this season's League Cup (click for a larger view)

Following Brunei DPMM’s League Cup triumph in their debut last season, Mr Winston Lee, General Secretary, FAS and Chief Executive Officer, S.League, believes the addition of Etoile FC and Beijing Guoan Talent will make for an intriguing competition.

“From what we’ve seen of the two new teams, they have the potential to finish in the top four in the league,” he said.

Mr Zainudin Nordin, FAS President, Mayor for Central Singapore District and Guest-of-Honour at the draw, is one of many who are looking forward to witness yet another exciting League Cup tournament.

“There has been a lot of romance associated with past League Cup competitions, with clubs like Woodlands Wellington, Gombak United and Brunei DPMM lifting the League Cup trophy as their very first piece of silverware, and I think we can expect surprises again this year.

“This season’s S.League has been full of thrills and excitement so far, and it will be interesting to see who will lift the first major trophy in 2010.”

[Feature] Nazri Nasir Teams Up With The Cage: Cage F.I.T.T

(This feature and pictures used in this entry are brought to you by "The Cage" via "Strategic Public Relations Group Singapore", a renowned public relations consultancy)

Nazri Nasir was the captain of the first Singapore national team to lift up a regional trophy - the Tiger Cup in 1998

2 February 2010, Singapore – Former national football captain and local hero Nazri Nasir (pictured above) has teamed up with The Cage, Singapore’s pioneer indoor football facility, to develop a new fitness training concept called Cage F.I.T.T.

The Cage F.I.T.T programme aims at getting anyone fit for the game that he loves in a fun and unique group training environment. Cage F.I.T.T, which stands for Functional muscle development, Intensity suited to each fitness level, Technical skills transfer and Tactical application of skills and conditioning, is a programme designed with a mix of conditioning from a variety of other sports and football specific skills.

“Football is far more fun than looking and feeling like a hamster on a treadmill. You focus on the joy of the game rather than the pain of a workout, so that you stay motivated,” said Sanjay Danani, Managing Director of the Cage.

“The Cage F.I.T.T programme is part of efforts to reinforce our mission of making the beautiful game more enjoyable to people of all shapes and sizes,” he added.


A Youtube clip featuring Nazri and rapper Sheikh Haikel introducing "Cage FITT"
As Cage F.I.T.T’s ambassador and chief programme consultant, Nazri will be lending his experience to the team of trainers, which includes S.League footballer Mohamad Sofiyan Bin Abdul Hamid and some fitness professionals with local and overseas experience.

Nazri demonstrates part of the "Cage F.I.T.T."

Nazri has also designed the “Nazri’s Challenge” – a series of exercises which tests each participant’s progress at regular intervals over the duration of the programme. Through the variety of fitness drills, the team of Cage F.I.T.T trainers aims to reach out to those currently seeking more fun-filled exercise routines as well as weekend warriors.

“Having played the sport all my life, the decision to develop a football-based training programme came naturally to me. I feel that fitness training is an area where ex-professional footballers can use their experience and expertise to provide added value to the average Singaporean faced with the usual run-of-the-mill fitness programmes at their
local gyms,” said Nazri, who is also a current Football Association of Singapore Captains’Advisory member.

The Cage F.I.T.T group exercise programme is currently being run on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings, lasting no more than 70 minutes a session. It is aimed at giving the working professional a good start to the day in a short and sharp time frame. For rates and times, please visit http://2009.thecage.com.sg/cagefitt_1

--END--

About The Cage
The Cage is run by We Wanted to be Footballers Pte Ltd. Started by a group of passionate football fans 4 years ago, the team consisting of Rajesh Mulani, Sanjay Danani and V.Natarajan is dedicated to the serious business of fun football.

Located in Kallang, it is the first indoor football facility in Singapore and is open 24/7 for players. It provides 6 FIFA endorsed pitches and has recently offered another first; indoor cricket on astro turf at its premises.

"I want to go to Japan!!!"

That was what SAFFC's skipper-cum-custodian Shahril Jantan (picture above in foreground) said to this blogger before the start of the penalty-shootout that would determined who will join the elites of Asian club sides in the lucrative Asian Champions League.

And the 'keeper, who missed the last weekend's game against Sriwijaya due to suspension, got his wish at the end of the day after the S.League champions progressed to the group stages of the tournament following a nail-biting finish that saw hot favourites - Thai League champions Muangthong United knocked out of the competition.

SHORT SCRIBE
To be honest, teams from Thailand are never easy opponents to play with, as they are by far technically more sounded and skilful, thus it's always a pleasure to watch them play.

And true enough that right from the start of the kick-off, the hosts were being stretched to their limit as the "Twin Qilins" utilized both the flanks and their pacey football to wreck havoc in ther Warriors half.

This picture was picked up by "Singaporesports.sg"

Less than 10 minutes into the game, SAFFC saw themselves conceded the first corner of the match (pictured above), earlier they suffered an early horror when Shaiful Esah was stretched out for a while (pictured below), but lucky he's ok after a short treatment.

Yet, despite having all the advantages in terms of having more possession and penetration in their opponents' territory, Muangthong struggled to break their duck and quite a number of occasions they restored using long shot from outside and only to see them went wide or being stopped by the impressive Shahril at goal.

(Pictured above) SAFF's Noh Rahmah's (left) attempt to rob the ball of Muangthong's Aliyoune Soumahoro on the flank.

(Pictured above) "Tough Luck, mate" as another Muangthong's wrecked attack because of their poor finishing in front of goal.

While for the Warriors, the twin flank terrors of Ahmad Latiff and Akiyoshi Taisuke failed to provide more options to their team's offences, no thanks to the Thai side's skipper Nattaporn Phanrit, who did a great job to shut out the Warrior attacking plays (Collaged below).

So at the end of the day, it's no wonder that the game headed to the "lottery" (as what SAFFC's coach Richard Bok described the "penalty shoot-out" in the post-match press conference).

4-3 was the score at the end of the day (man, how I hate this "lottery" as I was hardly breathing when taking these shots behind the goal).

PRESS CONFERENCE

"It was an excellent game and I thought the team raised to the occasion a it was a tough game for us that I want to praise the boys for what they had done." said a pleased SAFFC coach Richard Bok (pictured above) at the post-match press conference.

"It's not only relief but happiness to see SAFFC to get through to the (ACL) group stages for the second time on a roll." he added

"And we trained very hard for this (match) as we know the opponents (Muangthong) is a tough side and whatever they came at us, we returned back" when asked if his charges deserved the victory.

Muangthong's coach René Desaeyere speaks to the media after coach Bok left the room.

"I have been football for a long time, in a game (like this) we had so many chances that it's unbelievable we didn't score and that's our failure." said the 62-year old Belgian.

"I wish SAFFC success in the group stages, but I don't think so because you have to show more especially you're playing in home game." said a visibly upset coach Desaeyere.

"I think Maungthong came here to win the game and they did everything to win the game.

"It's a pity that such a game had to depend on 'lottery' (penalty shootout), but it's not lottery because there's a referee (in charge of the game)."added coach Desaeyere dismissed his counterpart's theory on the penalty shootout.

The Muangthong coach concluded his day by making the suggestion to the AFC to have a "home-away" basis, instead of the current "one-off" format to decide the play-off winner which he felt " then there'll be NO lottery".

MORE PICTURES ON THIS MATCH CAN BE FOUND HERE.

First Week of the Season 2010 [edited]

Some snapshots of the first week of the season...

The Young Lions warming up prior to their season opener against Woodlands Wellington at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

So were these cheerleaders from the Republic Polytechnic...

At the tunnel that leading to the pitch at the Jalan Besar Stadium - Young Lions and Woodlands Wellington gearing up and raring to go.

A Young Lions' supporter waving a big flag that bears the logo of the team.

Some eager parents armed with their cameras and video to capture their daughters who were getting ready for the cheerleading routine at the Albirex's opener against Home United.

The cheerleaders from Albirex Niigata performed before their match against Home United at the Jurong East Stadium.

This trio are having a discussion on the match they watching - Gombak Utd vs Tampines Rovers at the Jurong West Stadium.

The video crew in action - just outside the Glass Box of the Jurong West Stadium.

Debriefing after the match - Tampines-style.