Latest news with #Roar!
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Seven more youth footballers awarded Unleash The Roar! overseas scholarships
Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo (left) speaking to Edan McCulloch (extreme right) ahead of the UTR scholarship award ceremony. SINGAPORE – Just five days after her exploits at the inaugural Lion City Cup girls' competition, Singapore's Chantale Lamasan made history by becoming the first goalkeeper from either gender to receive the Unleash the Roar! (UTR) overseas football scholarship. She was one of seven recipients, aged between 14 and 16, to be awarded the scholarship at Parkroyal on Beach Road on July 17. Chantale will be heading to IMG Academy in Florida, United States, for a three-year tenure and is excited to continue her development at the same institution as the previous two batches of recipients. 'Going online (and) seeing the school, it's really huge. In IMG there are like 16 football pitches and a huge gym. Hopefully (I will) have the freedom to work on myself and improve over there,' said the 16-year-old, who noted that the training facilities are a far cry from those in Singapore, which are 'quite hard to get'. The Singapore Sports School (SSP) student added: 'It's exciting for me to try out how different goalkeepers from different countries train, especially from such a big powerhouse like (the) US.' Chantale was part of the Lion City Cup squad that finished second behind champions South Korea in the four-team tournament. Despite conceding nine goals against the Koreans, she recalls how that was 'the best moment for me'. She said: 'Looking back on it, not only did I have the most to do (in that game), I actually played a full 90-minute match against such a strong opponent. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Driverless bus in Sentosa gets green light to run without safety officer in first for S'pore World US strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites, says new report Business 5 things to know about Kuok Hui Kwong, tycoon Robert Kuok's daughter and Shangri-La Asia head honcho Asia Air India probe into Boeing 787 fuel control switches finds no issues Singapore Man charged over manufacturing DIY Kpods at Yishun home; first such case in Singapore Singapore Sex first, then you can sell my flat: Women property agents fend off indecent proposals and harassment Singapore Two women jailed for submitting fake university certificates to MOM for employment passes Singapore Fatal abuse of Myanmar maid in Bishan: Traffic Police officer sentenced to 10 years' jail 'We were 5-0 down at half-time. I think in the past, I would have cried in the locker room. It'll be game over for me. But I feel like now, living in the moment, I just think as positively as possible. It's not 5-0. It's 'I tried my best'.' Being a goalkeeper, she understands how 'draining it can be mentally' and she hopes that her scholarship will change the wider perspective around the position. 'On social media, I always see how a goalkeeper can make 10,000 saves but one mistake that cost them the game will always (look) bad on the goalkeeper. '(But) I think I'm appreciating the position a lot (more) now. Having the whole team rely on me to be their last line of defence is an honour,' said Chantale, who cites German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer as her inspiration. This batch of UTR scholarship winners has only one boy in Edan McCulloch, who became the youngest ever recipient of the award. He will be attached to Rayo Alcobendas, a top youth side in Madrid, Spain. The SSP student, who received the scholarship on the eve of his 14th birthday, downplayed any nerves over the prospect of living away from his family. 'In sports school, I was boarding there five days a week so I'm quite used to the system where I'd only see my parents (for) two days. But this will be a bigger challenge,' said Edan, whose father is Scottish and mother Singaporean. Edan, who transferred out of Dulwich College to join SSP in 2024, considers the opportunity to train abroad as 'a leap of faith'. The attacking midfielder added: 'I was there (Dulwich) for nine years. I left all my friends and went to a new school so that I can improve my abilities. It's a big step but it's also a big achievement. I'm very excited to face this challenge.' The other recipients are all from the Lion City Cup girls' squad – Liyana Rickit, Seri Nurinsyirah, Verona Lim, Yuvika Suresh and Celine Koh, younger sister of Chloe, who was part of the inaugural cohort. They are the first pair of siblings to receive the UTR scholarship. Celine, 15, said: 'I saw how much my sister grew during her time in IMG Academy. It inspired me to aim for this. Now that I've earned this opportunity, I want to make the most of it and continue pushing the limits.'
Straits Times
07-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Singapore U-16 talents hope Lion City Cup will be gateway to big dreams
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SINGAPORE – For the past 12 months, Lukyan Tan has been living on his own in Madrid, honing his football skills with Spanish side Atletico Chopera's youth team under the Unleash The Roar! (UTR) overseas football scholarship. The 16-year-old Singaporean forward will be keen to put what he has learnt into practice this week, having received his first national call-up as part of the Singapore Under-16 boys' squad. The Cubs, led by Lion City Sailors academy manager Ashraf Ariffin, will be taking part in the July 8-13 Lion City Cup at the Jalan Besar Stadium. Lukyan, currently on a summer break, said he has benefited from the Spanish stint, adding: 'The training has been a lot tougher and the matches as well because the players are much better (than me).' Staying in a foreign country by himself has also enabled him to pick up some life skills and be more independent. When he feels homesick, a phone call to his family always helps to banish that feeling. Lukyan can also turn to his siblings for footballing advice. His older brother, Louka Tan won the Singapore Premier League Under-21 Golden Boot with Hougang United last season, while older sister, Lila, plays for Still Aerion in the local Women's Premier League. 'My brother is the reason I started to play football,' said Lukyan, who is eyeing a professional football career in Europe. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August Singapore Four golf courses to close by 2035, leaving Singapore with 12 courses Singapore Singapore's second mufti Shaikh Syed Isa Semait dies at age 87 Singapore Fewer marriages in Singapore in 2024; greater marital stability for recent unions Business OCBC sets loan target of $5b and covers more territories in boost for serial entrepreneurs Singapore Reform Party to leave opposition group People's Alliance for Reform; two parties remain Singapore Shell heist: Second mastermind gets more than 25 years' jail for siphoning $100m of fuel Asia 72-year-old man on diving trip to Pulau Tioman in Malaysia found dead on the beach Some of his teammates can also seek sporting advice from their family – for instance, defender Mika Baihakki, whose father Baihakki Khaizan was an ex-Singapore international, and goalkeeper Ilhan Hady Rezal, who had trained under his dad Rezal Hassan, a former Lions custodian. Aside from his siblings, Lukyan can turn to his captain, Zaki Jumlan, who will be competing in his second LCC, having played in the 2024 edition, in which the Singapore U-16s finished last among four teams. Zaki admitted that the mood in the dressing room last year was 'definitely not that good', but hopes to turn it around this year. 'It's going to be a huge responsibility for me to lead the team, but I believe in my squad,' said the 16-year-old defensive midfielder, who plays for the Young Lions. LCC 2025 will also mark an inaugural girls' category and U-16 captain Tyan Foong is certainly feeling the pressure of leading the pioneer batch of Singapore girls in the competition. 'This is the thing that (will) set the standards for women's football in future LCCs. People are going to be wondering what is the level of standard currently for women's football in Singapore, so there's going to be a lot of pressure,' said Tyan, who plays for the Lion City Sailors along with older sister Tia Foong. Besides football, 16-year-old centre-back Tyan is also on her school's softball team and has been wakeboarding for the past four years. She believes that competing in multiple sports is beneficial to her as an athlete. 'Wakeboarding has really trained me to handle pressure because you cannot rely on anyone else other than yourself, and it also builds my upper body strength,' said the Tanjong Katong Girls' School student. 'Being captain of my softball team has led me to have leadership experience and it guides me for being captain for LCC.' Teammate Celine Koh echoed her captain's thoughts, considering the girls' category 'the right step forward'. The 15-year-old central defensive midfielder added: 'Many of us will have the opportunity to play against international opponents, but I think playing (in front of) a home crowd is exciting and we can show everyone what we've been working hard for.' Like Lukyan, Celine's older sister Chloe Koh is a UTR scholarship recipient and is currently with IMG academy in the United States. However Celine, who plays for Tiong Bahru FC, does not want to draw comparisons. She said: 'I don't see (her) as someone I need to become, but more as someone that I can learn from and I can go to whenever I need help. 'But at the same time (I'm) also trying to play alongside her one day on the national team.' The Singapore U-16 girls, who are led by Sailors' head of women's football Yeong Sheau Shyan, will play their first game against South Korea on July 8, followed by matches against Hong Kong (July 10) and Cambodia (July 12). The boys will kick off their campaign on July 9 against the Philippines before facing off against Cambodia (July 11) and Hong Kong (July 13). All Singapore games kick off at 8pm. The teams who finish top after the single round-robin tournaments will be crowned champions of their respective categories.
