Some time ago, I received some images of a few black-and-white photographs from a member of the family of the late Mr Foo Hee Jong, a defender who represented Singapore during the 1950s. The 1950 MCFA tour contingent arrival at Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong (as credited) One of them was a group photo (above) taken at the Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong. Based on some information gathered, it is likely that the photo had been taken in mid-January 1950, and the contingent was the MCFA (Malayan Chinese Football Association) Sino-Malay team with Mr Foo being one of the members. THE RETURN OF THE HO HO CUP One of the objectives of the tour was to resume the Chinese Interport Football Competition, popularly known as the "Ho Ho Cup" (for sponsorship reasons) - a match that was contested by ethnic Chinese teams representing both Hong Kong and Malaya that traced its roots back to 1928. The MCFA contingent walking on the tarmac of Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong (as credited) In the middle of...
When ground sharing among Singapore Premier League (SPL) clubs started in 2019, there were mixed reactions from the fraternity. To some fans, the uprooting of their favourite clubs from their allocated home ground was like “losing the sense of identity.” Jurong East - one of the "shared stadiums" (file) After all, when professional football was introduced in 1996, one of the key emphases was community outreach. Clubs were strategically located around the island so that they could embed themselves into the neighbourhoods they represented. LOSS OF COMMUNITY ROOTS AND FAN IDENTITY Take the case of Hougang United. They have been playing their home games at Jalan Besar Stadium (JBS) in recent years after moving out of Hougang Stadium when they were still known as Sengkang Punggol. To this day, the HOOLs, the supporters’ group of the Cheetahs, still identify “Gate 3” as their meeting point. This was the spot near Gate 3 of Hougang Stadium where they congregated directly behind the...