In our first post, let us talk about the football structure in Singapore.
Starting from the top, we have the Singapore Premier League (SPL). It is the only professional league and comprises of 8 clubs competing. No relegation for bottom teams. The reigning champion is DPMM FC, whom sadly are unable to defend their title this season due to their country’s Covid restrictions.
The second and third tier of Singapore football is the Singapore Football League (SFL), formerly known as the National Footbal League (NFL). It is an amateur league, sanctioned by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and currently has two divisions. It has promotion and relegation within both divisions and relegation from Division 2 will go to the fourth tier. The reigning champions for Division 1 is Tiong Bahru FC and for Division 2 is Project Vaults Oxley SC.
The fourth tier of Singapore football is the Islandwide League (IWL). It is open to all clubs, members of FAS, and is a stepping stone to reach the SFL. The reigning champion is Commonwealth Cosmos FC.
There are other amateur and social leagues apart from the above but these leagues are not FAS leagues and they are open to all clubs and teams even if they are not members of FAS.
As for cup competitions, the professional cup competition is the Singapore Cup, open to professional clubs in Singapore and some overseas clubs. For the amateur clubs in the SFL and IWL, we have the Singapore FA Cup.
There we go, a brief introduction of the Singapore Football system. In future posts, we will feature clubs, players, staff and everything about Singapore football that are hard to find.
Till next time, support local football!
thesgfootballscene.com 