Yeo's extend sponsorship

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is pleased to announce that home-grown MNC, YEO’s will extend its sponsorship for the Great Eastern YEO’s S.League for another three years.

YEO’s is synonymous with local footballing culture thanks to its generous support and sponsorship of the S. League for a decade – making it a perfect ten – not just for the league but in terms of promoting the sport as well.

The success of the S. League is vital for the country to come up with the next generation of top notch quality players and YEO’s has supported this goal with other initiatives, most notably by identifying and grooming talented youngsters.

As part of its community outreach programme in 2012, YEO’s spearheaded various football clinics at many primary and secondary schools where students were taught the importance of hydration, nutrition, and given the exclusive opportunity to learn from their favourite S.League stars. These football clinics will continue in 2013.

FAS President, Zainudin Nordin, mentioned that YEO’s is a perfect example of a partner, who not only provides financial support but is also actively involved in the development of the game through its several talent grooming initiatives.

“YEO’s could have easily given the financial resources asked for and walked away, knowing it had done its part for Singapore football. However, not only did YEO’s provide us with generous financial support, it is also actively working with us to develop the next generation of footballers through its many initiatives,” said Zainudin Nordin.

The FAS president said, “Identifying the ITEs as a veritable source of footballing talent, YEO’s H-TWO-O events have identified and groomed several promising youngsters, who are now showcasing their skills in the S. League. Players like Samuel Benjamin, Ignatius Ang, Afiq Mat Noor from the Courts Young Lions, Benedict Chua from Hougang United FC, Sebastian Jon Lafour from Geylang International, and Daniel Farhan from Tampines Rovers were some who were talent-spotted at YEO’s H-TWO-O events. These youngsters could well become the next generation football stars, who could bring pride and glory to Singapore.”

As a proactive sponsor, YEO’s has gone out of its way to assist our S League footballers get more exposure via several activities such as YEO’s H-TWO-O branded event - the Ultimate Move. Currently, the company is also giving students a chance to prove their mettle via the ‘H-TWO-O Ultimate Dream Team’, and ‘H-TWO-O Ultimate Champions League’.

The S. League’s Chief Executive Officer, Lim Chin, was appreciative of YEO’s decision to extend its partnership and its several initiatives to groom young talent. He said: “S. League is delighted to continue our close collaboration with one of our longest and strongest partners in YEO’S. YEO’S commitment to Singapore football extends beyond the sponsorship of S. League and through their H-TWO-O Ultimate Dream Team Initiative; talented youngsters have been identified and groomed into the ranks of our S. League clubs. I want to take this opportunity to thank YEO’S for their strong and untiring support. We look forward to many fruitful years ahead with our co-title sponsor, YEO’S.”

The annual landmark H-TWO-O Ultimate Champions League is a joint initiative of YEO’S, Football Association of Singapore (FAS), and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) to unearth youth football talents, as well as to promote racial harmony, teamwork and healthy lifestyle among students. Teams from ITE Colleges and secondary schools slugged out in two iterations of the competition (according to their age categories), allowing the players to have a chance to showcase their skills and to build comradeship.

Another collaboration between YEO’S, FAS, and ITE; the H-TWO-O Ultimate Dream Team initiative was incepted to groom and nurture young talented footballers, helping them take the first step towards football as a profession. Upon the successful conclusion of the H-TWO-O Ultimate Dream Team 1 in 2011, football aficionados from all around the island fervently jumped at the chance of joining the second iteration of the coveted youth football team. The austere selection process for the H-TWO-O Ultimate Dream Team 2 was helmed and conducted by Singapore legend, Fandi Ahmad, and his team of coaches at the open trials in January 2012; as well as other H-TWO-O youth development programmes such as the H-TWO-O Ultimate Champions League in April and the H-TWO-O Football School Camp in November 2012.

“As the longest sponsor of S.League, we are proud and indeed honored to be an integral part in shaping the local football landscape. In our 9 years of partnership, we have never lost sight of the ultimate goal of uplifting the local football scene through various youth development and community outreach initiatives. The success of these programs have resulted in developing a talent pool for S.League and kindled these students' interest for local football.

Football is a national sport that brings a community together and helps foster social integration. It is a sport that can positively contribute to strengthening national pride and national identity. The league does not just provide a platform to develop sports talents, but also give an opportunity for friends and family to experience the great emotions of supporting their favorite team during matches. We hope the 2013 season will bring forth a breath of new life. Being a home-grown Singapore company, we are glad to work with FAS to reignite the fans' passion for our very own Singapore League.

We are confident that S.League will continue to soar to unparalleled heights in time to come,” said Mr Tjong Yik Min, YEO’S Group CEO.

Both FAS and YEO’s have soldered a strong synergistic bond over the years, and have come a long way in proliferating local football through a smorgasbord of initiatives such as the H-TWO-O Ultimate Dream Team, H-TWO-O Ultimate Champions League, and various school outreach programmes. With the common goal of developing young talented footballers and providing them with avenues to play professionally, YEO’s and FAS will continue to uplift the S.League brand and reignite the passion for local football among fellow Singaporeans in the years to come.

With Singapore’s triumph in the AFF Cup and coupled with the growing number of fans YEO’s, the S. League management and the fans have plenty to look forward to for the rest of the year. The FAS also hopes that more fans will turn up to support our youth players who will strive to put up a good performance in the Great Eastern YEO’s S. League. The fans’ continued support will greatly motivate our players.