History

Before 1996, local soccer competitions were non a independent attraction for football fans inside Singapore. Since 1921, Singapore had been typing the representative side (nicknamed "The Lions") in the Malaysia Cup, and down the road likewise in the Malaysian League. Along by using a state side from either Selangor, Singapore was one of the two dominant forces in the Malaysian association football scene for all over Lxx years. Hundreds to thousands of fans packed sports stadium page & away to view a Lions team require on the better Malaysian sides.

Inside 1994, Singapore won the Malaysian League & Malaysia Ventral suction cup double. However that was to exist as its go season in the Malaysian competitions. A initial click to leave come at a beginning of 1995 when there was a dispute between a Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and a Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) over a FAM's want to inflict the levy on the gate receipts of Malaysian League & Ventral suction cup matches played inside Singapore. Like than assume the levy, a FAS decided that a instance was correct to withdraw from either a Malaysian competitions & focus in building higher a office domesticated league. It was hoped that this move would facilitate the wider development of the game & help buy web pages for the involvement of the burgeoning people of players & coaches.

a project click was install to produce plans for the fresh league, & Douglas Moore, world health organization experienced been the coach of Singapore's 1994 Malaysian championship-winning side besides when a Singapore national football team, wwhen brought in as a league's number 1 Chief Executive.

A number 1 S.League year was held around 1996. Eight teams were taking part that month & a competition was split into deuce series. Inside every series, entirely eight teams played within both page & away. a table-topping teams from either every of the 2 series so met every more within a year-ending play-off match to determine the champions. Geylang United won a number one series & the Singapore Armed Forces Football Club (SAFFC) won the 2nd. Geylang so beat SAFFC in a final play-off to exist as crowned the foremost S.League champions. Geylang were captained therein number one year by Singapore's right-known association football star Fandi Ahmad (who too captained Singapore's survive Malaysia Ventral suction cup-winning side inside 1994). A as a result month, Fandi moved to SAFFC & won a S.League title using the babies (& late went in to turn into their coach).

Since its number one year, a S.League has grown to require tenner teams. the format of deuce series & the year-ending play-off has currently been replaced by a extra traditional league format.

Past champions

Top scorers

Current S.League clubs

Albirex Niigata FC (Singapore) Balestier Khalsa FC Geylang United FC Home United FC Paya Lebar Punggol FC Sinchi FC Singapore Armed Forces Football Club (SAFFC) Tampines Rovers FC Woodlands Wellington FC Young Lions (Singapore under-23 team)

Former S.League clubs

Balestier Central FC (merged with Clementi Khalsa FC to form Balestier Khalsa FC) Clementi Khalsa FC (merged with Balestier Central FC to form Balestier Khalsa FC) Gombak United FC Jurong FC Sembawang Rangers FC Sengkang Marine FC Tanjong Pagar United FC

League football in Singapore before the S.League

Before a formation of the S.League, a top league competitions inside Singapore were a Premier League (from either 1988-1995) and National Football League (from either 1975-1987). These was largely semi-semipro leagues &, in a eyes of virtually all fans at the instance, were a good deal 2nd-fiddle to Singapore's participation in the Malaysia Ventral suction cup & Malaysian League. A Singapore league month was unremarkably held fairly early a year when you took a pre-S.League era, & numbers of of the Singapore players in the Malaysian competitions besides played for clubs in the local Singapore league. A dominant team within Singapore in the pre-S.League period of time was Geylang International (at present Geylang United).

Around 1994, inside the bid to add a few spice to the Premier League & generate increased fan interest, 2 teams from either Australia teams were invited to participate – the Perth Kangaroos and the Darwin Cubs. Nevertheless fallowing confirming a participation of a deuce Australian clubs, the Football Association of Singapore so decided to withdraw all the players around its Malaysian League team from either participating in the local league that month. This substantially weakened a nature and severity of the local clubs. Perth Kangaroos won a Premier League that month while forgoing losing a game, & the Darwin Cubs finished 2nd. A experiment did non succeed blostering fan interest. (Notwithstanding it peradventure paved a way for a supplementary succesful introduction of foreign teams prefer Albirex Niigata of Japan & Sinchi of China into the S.League two or three years late.)

Inside 1995, a Football Association of Singapore unexpectedly decided to withdraw from either a Malaysian League. Virtually all of the players on the Singapore national eleven got been due to play in the Malaysian League team. It was so decided that a national team should play in a 1995 Premier League competition as a prevent-makeshift measure until the establishment of the S.League a as punishment season. Non amazingly, a national team finished a month undefeated against a club sides & comfortably won a Premier League that year.

A Premier League was disbanded once a S.League was formed inside 1996, however a National Football League continues to survive as a moo tier league in the Singapore football structure.

Premier League champions:

National Football League champions: