A Catalyst Is Badly Needed For The Boost

LCS did their lap of honour after their ACLTwo Final defeat at Bishan

You have to give credit to Lion City Sailors (LCS) for what they have achieved so far.

Some may say they have the resources that other Singapore Premier League (SPL) clubs can only dream of, but let us not forget how difficult it has been for LCS to juggle so many matches in the current season (having to feature in four different tournaments in the ongoing season).

Singapore football badly needs a catalyst to lift itself out of the doldrums, and let's hope what LCS have done so far is something the game here can build on.

AGONY ON THE CONTINENTAL STAGE

While the result ended in agony for the republic's sole privatised football club in the recently concluded AFC Champions League Two (ACLTwo) final, in which they lost to UAE's Sharjah FC at the "new-look"  Bishan Stadium.

The 2025 ACLTwo Final saw the biggest crowd at Bishan Stadium since its opening

The sheer determination and the hurdles they overcame had won the hearts of the 9,737, which included luminaries like the President of Singapore, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who penned his thoughts on social media, lauded the performance of the team who ironically reclaimed the SPL title merely days before.

A MOMENT THAT FELT FAMILIAR

When I saw the LCS players sink to the ground after the final whistle was blown, it was no different from the ambience we witnessed when the Singapore national team lost to Indonesia in the 2020 AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final on Christmas Day in 2021 at the National Stadium.

BUILDING ON BELIEF

So the key is how can LCS and Singapore football on the whole build on this belief that the team showed against some of the top clubs in Asia?

England's heartbreaking exit from the 1990 World Cup was seen as a catalyst that fuelled the formation of the English Premier League, which has since become the world's most-watched football competition.

TIME FOR OTHERS TO STEP UP

How can this inspire the rest of the SPL clubs to also follow suit?

The efforts should be made to see the same turning out at local games on regular basis

After all, LCS pocketed US$1 million for their efforts in finishing as runners up of ACLTwo should be one push factor to spur the rest on, shouldn't it?

The ball is now in your court, and you know who you are.

📊 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲 ➡️ 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬.