The 1950s and earlier

Do you know that football had existed in Singapore since the 1800s? In the late 19th century, the British in Singapore formed sporting clubs and regularly competed against one another. The first football match recorded on the island was played in 1889 by British engineers at a pitch in Tank Road. The game was subsequently introduced to British subjects and students in British schools before it became a favorite sport among the locals.

On 29 August 1892, the Singapore Amateur Football Association (SAFA) was founded. A predecessor of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), the SAFA was made up mainly of Europeans, and became the first governing body of soccer in Singapore. The first game it participated in was the Malaya Cup. Formed 29 years after the Football Association in England, SAFA is possibly the oldest football association in Asia. The SAFA held the first Singapore Football League in 1904. The league was wound down in 1961 and replaced by the National Football League in 1975.

The early football scene in Singapore was dominated by Europeans. By the 1920s, local teams such as the Singapore Chinese Football Association and the Singapore Malays Football Association began to make their mark. They often competed with overseas teams to packed stadiums. Once, the best players from both associations literally brought the house down when they beat Australia 4-2 at Anson Road Stadium in 1939, an achievement noted to be one of the greatest in Singapore football history.

Players such as Chia Boon Leong, known as the "Twinkle Toes" for his exceptional dribbling skills, became household names. Chia represented Singapore in the Malaya Cup and was later inducted into the Singapore Sports Hall of Fame.

The period also saw the rise of legendary goalkeeper Choo Seng Quee, who would later become one of Singapore's most celebrated football coaches.

Bibliography

The 1950s and earlier

1) Remember Singapore. "Generations of Local Football Heroes". Retrieved from https://remembersingapore.org/2011/06/14/generations-of-local-football-heroes/ on 23/8/2018.

2) The Straits Times (2014, August) "Flashback Friday: Singapore Amateur Football Association founded on Aug 29, 1892". Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/flashback-friday-singapore-amateur-football-association-founded-on-aug-29-1892 on 23/8/2018.

3) Singapore Philatelic Museum (2010, September) "FOOTBALL FEVER! Kick-off @ Singapore Philatelic Museum". Retrieved from https://www.spm.org.sg/~/media/spm/documents/football%20fever.pdf on 23/8/2018.

Singapore Amateur Football Association

1) Singapore Philatelic Museum (2010, September) "FOOTBALL FEVER! Kick-off @ Singapore Philatelic Museum". Retrieved from https://www.spm.org.sg/~/media/spm/documents/football%20fever.pdf on 23/8/2018.

2) National Library Board. "Early Straits Chinese associations and clubs" Retrieved from http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_826_2005-01-10.html on 24/8/2018.

Straits Chinese Football Association/Singapore Chinese Football Association

1) National Institute of Education. Retrieved from https://repository.nie.edu.sg/bitstream/10497/19780/1/TIJHS-19-2-66.pdf (retrieved on 23/8/2018)

2) Singapore Philatelic Museum. (2010, September) "FOOTBALL FEVER! Kick-off @ Singapore Philatelic Museum". Retrieved from https://www.spm.org.sg/~/media/spm/documents/football%20fever.pdf on 23/8/2018.

3) National Library Board. "Early Straits Chinese associations and clubs" Retrieved from http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_826_2005-01-10.html on 24/8/2018.

4) NewspaperSG/The Straits Times (1916, March). "Straits Chinese Football Association" Retrieved from http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19160317.2.61.1 on 24/8/2018.

Malay Football Association

1) NewspaperSG/The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1933, April) "700 MALAY FOOTBALLERS" Retrieved from http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/issue/singfreepressb19330411-1 on 5/9/2018.

Where were football games played?

1) National Library Board. "Anson Road Stadium" Retrieved from http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_2016-09-29_160413.html on 18/8/2018.

Games played by the teams

1) Singapore Philatelic Museum (2010, September) "FOOTBALL FEVER! Kick-off @ Singapore Philatelic Museum". Retrieved from https://www.spm.org.sg/~/media/spm/documents/football%20fever.pdf on 23/8/2018.

2) National Institute of Education. Retrieved from https://repository.nie.edu.sg/bitstream/10497/19780/1/TIJHS-19-2-66.pdf (retrieved on 23/8/2018)

3) Remember Singapore. "Generations of Local Football Heroes". Retrieved from https://remembersingapore.org/2011/06/14/generations-of-local-football-heroes/ on 24/8/2018.

4) National Library Board. "Malaysia Cup (football)". Retrieved from http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1837_2011-09-06.html on 4/9/2018.

5) The Lions Fear None. "Singapore soccer today, 2010 – present". Retrieved from http://sporesoccer.blogspot.com/ on 9/10/2018.