S. League
The S. League is the highest division in the Singapore football. Its history dates back to the early 20th century. As a "closed" league there are no promoted and relegated. The Lead Association, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS ), decides according to specific criteria as to whether a new club in the league can join.
History
1904-1960
The first documented football matches in Singapore took place at the end of the 19th century. First, the teams usually consisted of crews, which just docked in Singapore, and local teams. Due to the popularity, the first division in Singapore was installed in 1904. Responsible drew the then Singapore Amateur Football Association. Founded in 1892, it is the oldest football association in Asia. At the start of the league of the European / English teams dominated before later local teams were added. The first champion in 1904, was the 1st Battalion Manchester Regiment.
1952 replaced the Singapore Amateur Football Association by the Football Association Singapore.
1960-1987
From 1961 to 1974 no official league play more took place. However, an unofficial League took place, which was known as the National Football League. A total of 118 clubs and teams were involved in this league. 1975, the FAS, the National Football League decided to adapt as the official league. The name was retained and limited to 30 teams.
In 1988, the National Football League was renamed to the Premier League. The National Football League remained as unterklassige League on.
1988-1995
The Premier League was a semi-professional football league, which played only a minor role in the fans and the public. For the national team of Singapore took at that time a regular participant in the League Cup and Malaysia. Later, after the end of the season in Malaysia, the players played again in the local clubs in Singapore.
The dominant team this time was Geylang International, which six times in a row, won from 1988 to 1993, the championship.
1994, after the league's request to do something for the league to attract even more spectators in the stadiums and attract new fans. The FAS then invited two teams from Australia to participate in the league, the Perth Kangaroos and the Darwin Cubs. Inexplicably, all national team, which also still played in the League Malaysia deducted from the local league. This meant that both teams from Australia in 1994, the league was dominated. The Perth Kangaroos were undefeated champion, followed by the Darwin Cubs. The following year, the FAS moved back surprisingly the national team of Malaysia and let them play in the domestic league. This also ended a 75 -year tradition. It was no great surprise that the national team in 1995 undefeated champion.
From the spring of 1995, the FAS commissioned a Task Force to develop a professional football league in Singapore.
1996 - today
As late as 1995, the Task Force on FAS submitted your results. It should first league including eight teams, later increased to twelve, all stages in regional play. Two rounds should be played with each return game. The two winners of each round should then compete for the championship in a playoff. This proposal was then immediately put into action with the help of specially created for the league Singapore Professional Football League PTL. The first season of the S. League was opened by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in 1996. In a friendly match occurred in the Kallang National Stadium, the national teams of Singapore and Thailand against each other.
Among the eight founding members of the S. League were:
- Balestier Central
- Geylang United
- Police United
- Sembawang Rangers
- Singapore Armed Forces FC
- Tampines Rovers
- Tiong Bahru United
- Woodlands Wellington
The champion of the S. League was Geylang United. In the final of the Singapore Armed Forces FC were beaten 2-1. The format of the first season with two separate rounds and play-offs in 1997 was discarded, and played a regular league system. The club FC Police changed its name to FC Home United and FC Jurong came as the ninth team to the league to do so. 1998 saw the addition of two more teams by 1999, finally, the full strength of twelve League clubs could be achieved, which still exists today. To give more playing time to young internationals, 2003, the Young Lions were added to the league. The Young Lions consist mostly of U-23 players in the Singaporean national team. They report directly to the FAS. From 2003 to 2005 Gombak United had to pause because of financial difficulties.
For the 2008 season Dalian Shide Siwu replaced the club Liaoning Guangyuan in the S. League. After only one season with a disappointing tenth place in the 2008 season, Dalian Shide withdrew from the S. League. The previously playing in the Malaysia Super League DPMM FC of Brunei replaced in his turn Dalian Shide. Due to disagreements between the Malaysian Federation and the Ministry of Sport, the club DPMM FC was banished from the Malaysian premier league. Due to the closure of the Football Association of Brunei by FIFA, from October 2009, DPMM FC is until further no longer eligible to play for the S. League.
For the 2010 season occurred in two new teams from the league. Beijing Guoan Talent Singapore FC as an offshoot of the Chinese club Beijing Guoan and Etoile FC, a club whose squad consists only of French-born players. While Beijing Guoan Talent only reached the tenth place in the table and was disbanded after one season again, the Etoile FC surprisingly won the championship ( the first foreign team) and also won the Singapore League Cup. 2011 Beijing Guoan Talent was replaced by the Tanjong Pagar United FC, which is participating again in the S. League after a seven year hiatus.
2012, the Etoile FC moved back from the S. League. For advanced two other foreign clubs after in the S. League. One club was again the DPMM FC of Brunei, whose participation after the lifting of the suspension of the Football Association of Brunei by FIFA nothing stood on 30 May 2011 in the way. The other club was Harimau Muda A in Malaysia. Instead of, as before all three teams competed against each other, was played from this season in a double round, bringing the total number of season games from 33 (at 12 clubs ) reduced to 24 ( at 13).
Beginning of November 2012 announced the club Gombak United, that he will pause again for a season. Reason had financial problems, which would have allowed no regülaren game operating in the 2013 season.
As of the 2013 season, the S. League will be played in a new format. After the twelve clubs competed in a double round against each other, the league is divided into two groups: The first six teams will play in their round of the championship, while the last six play for the final ranking. In both groups, the teams play once each against each other so that all teams get to 27 games.