The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) wants another team to participate in the Singapore Premier League (SPL).
And it has put out a Request for Proposals on its website seeking submissions which must be made by 20 December.
“By expanding the league’s participation, the aim is to raise the level of professional football in Singapore by attracting top football talent and garnering significant fan engagement,” the FAS said in its statement which was posted on its website.
If selected, the club will be the SPL’s 10th team, up from the current nine.
Clubs which are keen to put up a proposal will need to show that they will be able to sustain the club for the next three seasons, without relying on any funds from the national football body.
In addition, the interested parties will need to propose which stadium it would intend to use for the period of its participation.
Other areas which will be eyeballed by the selectors would be the club’s coaching and technical structure, and its revenue streams.
The FAS also added that interested clubs must comply with the SPL regulations as well as the Asian Football Confederation Club Licensing Regulations.
TMSG understands that among the clubs who have shown interest in taking part in the SPL include Woodlands Lions and Tengah Football Club.
The SPL was inaugurated in 1996 (photo below) by then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, and started off with eight teams, but was first called the S-League.
From 1999 to 2003, there were 12 teams in the league, and in 2012, there were 13 clubs which were involved in the competition.
In other seasons, the number of clubs hovered between eight to 10 clubs.
The S-League was rebranded as Singapore Premier League in 2018.
MAIN PHOTO: STRAITS TIMES