Will my son have a future in Pro Football?

Stanley Ho
Sun, Jul 19, 2009
The New Paper

THE NEW Paper examines this constantly-debated issue. Stanely Ng Yong Woo is at a crossroad.

The talented winger from the national under-17 squad is keen to pursue a career in professional football once he graduates from ITE Clementi next year.

But his mother, Mary Lim, is not too sure.

Like most parents, she is concerned if her child can, realistically, make a living out of playing football.

The career of a professional sportsman is short. It is a journey paved with uncertainties.

One bad break and it may well be all over. And when that happens, what next?

With the help of The New Paper, Lim meets the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) general secretary and S-League chief executive, Winston Lee, to share her concerns.

MARY LIM: Stanely is very active in football training and matches, so much so that I'm afraid he will neglect his studies. How can FAS help?

WINSTON LEE: FAS takes a serious view of players' education. It is important that young players like Stanely do not neglect their studies while pursuing their football passion.

For example, we schedule training in the evenings after school hours and matches on weekends.

Our players are also encouraged to apply the values they acquire through football - such as discipline, hard work and determination - to their studies.

Our coaches also monitor test and exam results of the boys regularly and will speak to their teachers and parents if necessary.

In extreme cases where the boys are doing poorly in their studies, the coaches may even advise them to take a short break from football to concentrate on their studies.

Even if he decides to pursue a career in football, I hope he will further his studies. How is that possible?
WE HAVE many players who continue to pursue their studies in the polytechnics and universities while playing football.

The Young Lions, for example, have 14 players who are still studying at various institutions.

The likes of Gabriel Quek, Fabian Kwok, Hariss Harun, Jasper Chan and Eugene Luo from the Young Lions, are all studying at different polytechnics here.

Senior players at the other clubs also take up part-time degree or diploma courses while they are full-time players.

These players are also able to balance their time outside of training and matches for further studies either in the afternoons or in the evenings.

This is similar to people in the workforce who take up part-time classes after work either at night or through correspondence courses.

If he decides to further his studies after his career, can FAS help him in any way?
WE HAVE football study grants and contacts at various educational institutions whom we can recommend to Stanely depending on his interests.

For example, current Lions captain Indra Sahdan has enrolled in school this year through our assistance and he is also benefiting from the FAS Study Grant.

Besides Indra, examples of players who have furthered their studies either during or after their playing careers include Lionel Lewis, Aide Iskandar, S. Subramani, Nazri Nasir and Steven Tan. They have received degrees through further studies utilising the FAS Study Grant.

Former Lion, V. Selvaraj, also took his Masters in Science using this fund.

Stanely is due for national service in a couple of years. How will that affect his career? Does that mean a loss of opportunity for two years?
LIKE all sportsmen, it is important our young players do not lose touch with the sport for a long period.

Mindef and the Home Team have a scheme that provides for elite athletes including footballers, to continue their training while serving their national service after they have completed their Basic Military Training and vocational training.

This allows our young players in national service time out to train and play for the Young Lions and contribute to Singapore, especially at the South-east Asia Games and Asian Games.

Since the formation of the Young Lions in 2003, a large number of current internationals were able to continue to play at the highest level while they were in national service.

National servicemen who are not in the Young Lions can also turn out for the uniformed group teams SAFFC and Home United FC.

In the unfortunate event of a serious injury, how will Stanely be compensated?
WHEN a player suffers an injury while playing for his club or Singapore, all his medical and rehabilitation bills will be covered by Great Eastern.

While he is under contract, he will continue to be paid while he undergoes rehabilitation.

Hariss Harun, who is back in training after almost one year of rehabilitation from his injury, is one good example.

FAS took care of all his medical bills and he continued to receive his monthly salary while undergoing rehabilitation.

Like any other career or job, players are also encouraged to take up the relevant medical and life insurance in addition to the coverage provided by FAS and S-League.

For instance, after suffering serious injury while on club or international duty, will he be released from his contract and left in a limbo because of his injury? If his career is tragically cut short, what happens next?
OUR PLAYERS are covered by insurance, whether they are playing for club or country. Clubs will honour their contract with the players who suffer injury while playing for their respective clubs.

One example is Home United FC who continued to pay national captain Indra Sahdan's salary when he was injured for six months while playing for Singapore against Malaysia in 2006.

In the unfortunate event that a player has an injury that prematurely ends his career, we will help him to secure a job within the sports or other industries.

An example is Robin Chitrakar, Stanely's coach in the national Under-17 team.

He suffered a bad injury which curtailed his career as a player. With the assistance of the FAS and his club, he is now able to focus on grooming the next generation of elite footballers.

What next after his football career? How does Stanely go about pursuing a career in the sports industry? Will FAS help him with job placements and post-career education and training?
YES, FAS will do our best to assist players with job placement and post-career education as well as training. We constantly engage our players in dialogue to understand their concerns as well as provide career guidance.

Senior players such as Subramani and Aide have regularly sought our advice on their post-playing career options.

We have many examples of former players who have gone on to work in different capacities in both the sports and football industries, from coaches to administrators.

R. Sasikumar is now running a successful event management company, and he is also a Fifa-licensed match agent.

Within the S-League, we see many former players holding different roles at the clubs.

Examples include Lim Tong Hai, Steven Tan, Richard Bok, D Tokijan, Nazri Nasir and Jeykanth Jeyapal who are coaching at all levels, in club management and even as the Director of Football.

We also have many former internationals working in FAS in the management and technical capacities: V. Sundramoorthy, Terry Pathmanathan, Lee Bee Seng, David Sivalingam, Robin Chitrakar, R. Suriamurthi, Salim Moin and Quah Kim Song.