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Independent Singapore
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
Singapore U16 boys triumph over Hong Kong in the Lion City Cup finale
The Singapore U16 boys' team successfully concluded their Lion City Cup with a 4-1 victory over Hong Kong, China on July 13 (Sunday). With their win, they captured the hearts of 1,383 fans who gave them a standing ovation at the Jalan Besar Stadium. The national team finished the tournament with six points from the three matches. They secured second place after a 2-0 loss to the champions, the Philippines. Singapore's head coach, Ashraf Ariffin, was inspired by the progress of his team throughout the six-day tournament. 'Against the Philippines, the boys showed their potential; the game against Cambodia (3-0 win) was us showing our progress; and today we showed our consistency – and that we are developing and improving every step of the way,' he said. The coach added: 'Now I can say that the result against the Philippines was a glitch.' Ariq Rizzuwan, the player of the match, was joyful to be on a strong team that improved during the competition. The athlete admitted: 'We didn't achieve our goal of winning the Lion City Cup… But I think we can be proud of ourselves. We are happy with our development and performances.' See also 26 athletes to represent Singapore at 12th ASEAN Para games 'At the start of our centralised training, most of us (the players) were not close to each other. Eventually, we grew closer. It helped us to improve on and off the pitch,' he added. Highlights of the match Unity showed on the field when the Singapore U16 team had an early lead in their final game. Defender Aaryan Hermi delivered a perfect cross to Ariq, who then headed the ball into the net to score the first goal. The national team scored a second goal in the 31st minute, all because of striker Lukyan Tan. In the 65th minute, Singapore's goalkeeper Ilhan Rezal made an amazing save by stopping three shots in a row, helping keep his team's small lead. Striker Izzan Farid increased the lead, getting the ball low past Hong Kong's goalkeeper, Tang Pui Chun. With six minutes left, substitute Aidan Irfan scored a powerful long-range goal. Goalkeeper Ilhan made another great save, reaching out to stop a hard shot from substitute Sephrey Ma. On social media, the Football Association of Singapore shared a post: 'Good crowd. Great vibes. Convincing finish. Our boys wrap up their Lion City Cup campaign in second place.' Netizens expressed their support by saying: 'Congratulations Team Singapore. Spirits First, Results Second Respect Thank you very much', and 'Overall good show by the boys, just try to be more consistent.'
Independent Singapore
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
Singapore's Under-16 Boys are geared up to compete in the Lion City Cup
Photo: Instagram/fasingapore Singapore's U-16 Boys football team is geared up and ready for the return of the Lion City Cup at Jalan Besar Stadium. The young athletes are eager to showcase their skills as the future of local football. The team's head coach, Ashraf Ariffin, together with forward Izzan Farid, shared their optimism about the competition. Coach Ashraf described how the team prepared through a productive nine-day training camp in Thailand from June 21-29. He said: 'I think our nine days in Thailand were very good, they served an important purpose for us… The team bonded very well, and we managed to work on a lot of major things that we feel will be important heading into this tournament.' He added: 'Although we had a short window to prepare, I think the outcome at the end of the training camp was very positive.' The training camp played a crucial role in finalising the team roster. To finalise the squad, a bigger group of athletes travelled to Thailand, where 34 players competed in six matches over three days. This process aimed at challenging the athletes and selecting those who were most prepared to compete internationally. The head coach recalled: 'In Thailand, everybody competed for their places. We played six games in nine days, so everyone had plenty of game time to prove themselves… We had a headache at the end of the camp to select the best 25 — but that's the kind of headache we want. It means we have talent out there.' For Izzan, representing Singapore is an opportunity that he and the rest of the team wanted to seize with all their hearts. The athlete stated: 'I want to see all my teammates fight for each other — to win every tackle, header and challenge. That mentality is important if we want to compete and get a good result.' Competition aside, Ashraf is more focused on the growth of the team. He believes that the Lion City Cup is not only a competition, but a chance for each athlete to prove themselves. 'My expectation is simple: to see the team grow and individuals develop… At the end of the day, the big picture is for them to become future national players. And for that, they need more international games like this,' Ashraf said. Want to be part of the crowd? Grab your Lion City Cup tickets on Ticketek . () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
Straits Times
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Singapore to face Cambodia, S. Korea and HK in inaugural U-16 girls' competition for Lion City Cup
Yeong Sheau Shyan, who won back-to-back Women's Premier League titles with the Lion City Sailors in 2022 and 2023, will lead the Singapore Under-16 girls at the 2025 Lion City Cup. PHOTO: FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE SINGAPORE – Supported by the Asian Football Confederation's Enhance Programme, the Lion City Cup's first Under-16 tournament for girls will see hosts Singapore take on Cambodia, South Korea and Hong Kong at the Jalan Besar Stadium from July 8-13. In a media statement on June 26, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) also announced that the 29th edition of the youth tournament will continue to feature an U-16 boys' category, with Singapore, Cambodia, Hong Kong and the Philippines taking part. The teams that finish top after three matches in the round-robin tournament will be crowned champions. FAS general secretary Chew Chun-Liang said in the statement: 'This year's edition marks an exciting new chapter in the Lion City Cup story. We are excited to have our girls involved in what is an important platform to showcase their ability to Singapore. 'Introducing the girls' tournament not only raises the profile of the women's game here, it also ensures that the Lion City Cup remains at the forefront of regional youth development.' The Singapore U-16 girls' team will be led by Yeong Sheau Shyan, the Lion City Sailors' head of women's football. Yeong, who won back-to-back Women's Premier League (WPL) titles with the Sailors in 2022 and 2023, said: 'We are making headway in improving the women's game here, and I'm delighted that we are expanding the space to include our young girls, and provide them an opportunity to compete at this level, in front of their family and friends. 'I'm looking forward to putting in the work to prepare our girls to grab that opportunity with both hands. Despite their tender age, some of our players already have a couple of seasons' experience in the WPL and I look forward to them displaying their quality in the Lion City Cup.' Calling it a huge honour to be part of the first competition for girls at the Lion City Cup, Singapore U-16 girls' captain Tyan Foong said: 'This is a fantastic platform for us to show what we're capable of, and we're really excited to play in front of our friends, family and local fans at Jalan Besar Stadium.' The girls will kick off the competition on July 8 with Cambodia taking on Hong Kong at 5pm, before Singapore play South Korea at 8pm. The following day, the boys will take to the pitch with Hong Kong meeting Cambodia at 5pm before Singapore face the Philippines at 8pm. Ashraf Ariffin, who is the Lion City Sailors' academy manager, will be the Singapore Under-16 boys' coach at the Lion City Cup. PHOTO: FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE Ashraf Ariffin, who is the Sailors' academy manager, will be the Singapore U-16 boys' coach. He said: 'We have some exciting talent coming through the ranks and this tournament is a platform for them to showcase their abilities. Results are important of course, but what will be most important is the team growth and individual development during the tournament.' Singapore U-16 boys' captain Zaki Jumlan said they are looking forward to testing themselves against quality opposition and see how far they have come as a group, adding: 'It will also be a good gauge of where we stand as we prepare for the AFC U-17 qualifiers.' While both coaches are from the Sailors set-up, FAS deputy president Desmond Ong said in a separate statement announcing their appointments that they have earned their place. 'They're there because they're the best in class here, and the Sailors had the resources to bring them to the club,' said the former BG Tampines Rovers chairman. 'If they can do with our national teams what they have done with their own teams, we should lean on them so we can get our teams up to a competitive level quickly, then build from there.' Tournament tickets, priced at $12 for adults and $6 for concession card holders, are available through Ticketek and the FAS website. First staged in 1977, the Lion City Cup was the world's first international youth football tournament for national teams, and was widely recognised as the inspiration behind the U-16 World Championship, now known as the U-17 World Cup, which was introduced in 1985. Over the years, the Lion City Cup has attracted youth sides from national teams as well as top clubs such as England's Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam and Brazil's Flamengo. Players who have gone on to become top professionals include Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui, Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones and Girona midfielder Donny van de Beek. Singapore Under-16 hat-trick hero Ikhsan Fandi shooting at goal in a 3-3 draw against Liverpool U-15 in the 2015 Lion City Cup. PHOTO: THE NEW PAPER On the home front, the tournament also served as a launchpad for many Lions including Fandi Ahmad, his sons Irfan and Ikhsan, Hariss Harun, Safuwan Baharudin and Izwan Mahbud. After an eight-year hiatus, the competition returned in 2023 with Thailand's BG Pathum United beating Malaysia's Selangor, Indonesia's Borneo and Singapore U-15s to the title. The Thai side lost to Japan's Tokyo Verdy in 2024, with Johor Darul Takzim and the Singapore U-16s also taking part. David Lee is senior sports correspondent at The Straits Times focusing on aquatics, badminton, basketball, cue sports, football and table tennis. 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