If you are a Manchester United fan, then the name Dwight Yorke will ring a bell and you should sit up and take notice.
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In less than a month’s time, the striker who is now 51-years-old, will be in Singapore as a keynote speaker at the JSSL 7s Coaching Convention, which takes place on the sidelines of the JSSL Professional Academy 7s, to be held between 7 to 9 April.
More recently, Yorke was in the news after he walked out of Australian A-League side Macarthur after just 13 matches, his first foray into management, but he is better known for his exploits in leading the Red Devils to the treble in the 1998/1999 season which included a dramatic win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.
The ninth edition of the event is set to be the biggest with the event welcoming 5,600 players from 400 teams (including 250 international teams from 15 nations), and an estimated 60,000 spectators in 2023.
Said Rina Salleh, JSSL Singapore Event Director, “The JSSL Singapore Professional Academy 7s is a home-grown event that is a well-loved regular fixture amongst football clubs both locally and from the region.
“It’s an immense privilege to have been able to continue to provide these passionate young footballers the opportunity to play and compete in a sport they love.
“Having more teams not only means more game time for these players, but also more chances for them to make friends with fellow football enthusiasts from all over the world.”
The organisers also added in a statement that this year’s tournament is the first of the new three-year agreement with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), an official partner of the event since 2017.
The JSSL Singapore Professional Academy 7s has grown from strength to strength, starting from having just 560 players and 40 teams in one venue back in 2013 to this year’s anticipated turnout of 5,600 players – 10 times more than when it first started.
The event will be held over three days at three venues – Our Tampines Hub, The Arena at Woodleigh and The Cage at Turf City.
Among the 250 international clubs and 14 professional teams to take part this year include last year’s winner Tottenham Hotspur. Valencia CF and Urawa Red Diamonds, with Melbourne City FC, Bangkok United, Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) and JSSL FC making up the 7-team lineup for the professional boys’ category.
This year’s pro competition will also extend to the girls with Valencia CF, Sporting Portugal, RCD Espanyol, Omiya Ardija Ventus, Melaka FC, Chonburi FC and JSSL FC contesting for the girls’ title.
More information about the tournament and its format is available at https://jssl-singapore7s.com/tournament-info/.
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