The Lionesses celebrating their first-ever SEA Games win in a match that saw them beat Laos 1-0. Photo courtesy of Dyan Tjhia/Sport Singapore.
Football – a game well-loved by many Singaporeans. Whether it’s played at the community, national or international level, it’s a sport that ignites passion, holds interest and unites people.
Although football is a sport enjoyed by both genders, women’s football has not reached the same level and popularity as men’s football. Nonetheless, in recent years, we have been seeing increased interest in women’s football.
For instance, in April 2022, 91,648 spectators watched Barcelona play Wolfsburg in the UEFA Women’s Champions League – the highest number of all time for a women’s football game. The recent UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, held in July, also broke the attendance record for the biggest crowd at the 40-year-old tournament — 68,871 in the opening game between England and Austria.
New milestones for our nation’s women footballers
In Singapore, 2022 too has been a phenomenal year for women’s football, with the national team making major strides.
Here are some of the achievements of our female footballers:
- Our national women’s football team had a credible showing at the Hanoi SEA Games — they had their first win at the Games since 1985 by beating Laos 1-0.
- Our national team has been selected to play in next year’s Asian Games for the first time.
- Putri Syaliza Sazali became the first Singaporean to play in the Thai Women’s League. She had a stint with Chonburi Women’s Football Club in the season that just ended. Putri is currently on an athletic scholarship at the Eastern Florida State University in Florida, USA.
- The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) signed a cooperation agreement with France’s Fédération Française de Football (FFF) to promote and grow the sport in both countries, which includes developing women’s football.
- The Deloitte Women’s Premier League returns after two years due to the pandemic. Deloitte’s is the first title sponsor since the league began in 2000. Prize money for champions has increased five-fold to $25,000 and matches are livestreamed for the first time. Five S-League men’s clubs also debuted women’s teams in the league.
- FAS announced that women’s football clubs will receive grants towards the hiring of coaches and payment of allowance and travel expenses for players and staff. In addition, FAS will be introducing a club licensing system for amateur clubs.
- More secondary schools are offering girls’ football as a co-curricular activity. This year’s national school games saw 25 schools participate, which means we’re growing our talent pool of female football players and nurturing their skills from young.
Getting to know defender Nur Umairah Hamdan
One football player adding more “kick” to our local women’s football scene is Nur Umairah Hamdan. The 19-year-old plays defender in our national team. Here, Nur Umairah shares highlights of her sporting career and her thoughts on the local women’s football scene.
Lionesses’ defender Nur Umairah Hamdan hopes that more Singaporeans will support local women’s football. Photo courtesy of the Football Association of Singapore.
You’ve been playing football for 13 years now. How and when did you develop your passion for football?
I picked up football at about five to six years old and have never stopped since! I started playing with my brothers and cousin at a community club. I continued playing the game in primary school and that was where and when I discovered that football is my passion. Eventually, I got invited to the Under-14 national team trials. From the Under-14 national team, I made my way up to the Under-16s, Under-19s and now the senior national women’s team.
What is the usual first reaction when people first find out that you represent Singapore in football?
Most of them are taken aback as they don’t think I look like I could play a contact sport. But they are very supportive and show interest in women’s football.
What are the challenges you face as a female national team footballer?
Most of us on the women’s team are part-time footballers. Unlike the men’s team which has professional players, almost all of us on the women’s team are either working or studying full-time. One of my teammates, Mastura Jeilani, is even a mother of two! We sacrifice a lot to train daily and take days off our busy schedules to compete in overseas tournaments. It’s all part and parcel of representing our country.
What are your hopes for women’s football in Singapore?
We’ve been slowly getting more media exposure which has helped to promote women’s football. I hope that more Singaporeans will become aware of us and support our games. This would motivate us to train harder, perform better and land more game-changing opportunities. It’s also my dream to go professional in football and to see more girls getting involved in football from an early age.
Any words of advice for young, aspiring female football players?
If you have any interest at all in football, just give it a go as you’ll never know what the future holds. Like for me, I didn’t know it was my passion at first, but football has since given me a lot of joy and meaning in life.
