How to become a national player in Singapore?

Here’s what we at Ministry of Football think.

 

Being a national player, representing the country and having the Singapore flag on your chest would be a dream for any young footballers here in Singapore. Representing your country is not an easy task, one has to go through various obstacles in order to reach to the highest level. In football, it is essential to ensure that you build your craft to perfection, working on the fundamentals of football. The fundamentals of football is one of the key areas which separates an amateur footballer and a professional footballer. There’s no talent here, this is all about hard work. This is an obsession. If you want to achieve something, there is only one way to achieve it and that is through hard work and dedication. We are all equal human beings in this world, you could be anyone if you put in the time to train you will reach to the top and that is that.

Regardless if you train by yourself or with a team, it is important to train. Don’t practice until you get it right, Practice until you can’t get it wrong. As a young footballer, many of us are shy to ask around and to play for neighborhood teams thus this is one of the major reasons why many talents have yet to be identified. You have to get out of your comfort zone and get to know people from different walks of life. You can start by getting into neighborhood teams, Community centers would be a great stepping stone for any footballers who want to achieve their dreams. Getting into a football team does not only mean you are exposed to a new environment, you are also being guided by Coaches with plenty of experience. They are there to ensure that your craft is fix to perfection.

Getting into a football team will also help you experience competitive football starting from small competitions and slowly progressing towards league competitions which are more intense and competitive. Through this exposure, you will gain sufficient experience and it will definitely improve not only your footballing skills but as well as your footballing intelligence. It is essential for young footballers to be exposed to competitions and only then, they can gain more experience and learn from mistakes. There will definitely be obstacles along the way but remember, mountains are there to be climbed.

With the experience you obtained through those competitions and as you grow older, you will become more competitive and would want to compete at a higher level and play for S League clubs here in Singapore. Following the various clubs here in Singapore on social media would be a great start. Football clubs in Singapore would often conduct soccer trials during the early part of the year and on December. It is important to stay updated regarding club trials. S League clubs have various age groups starting from the U14’s and starting from their youth system would be a great stepping stone.

Even if you did not manage to go through the first trial, it does not mean it’s over. Trials are conducted not only for clubs to select players to represent their team but it is also an opportunity for you to make new friends and get to know the coaches. In Singapore, having connections is vital if you want to pursue a footballing career here. Some S League clubs conduct “closed” trials which means they do not update their social medias regarding any trials and only accept players through invitations. Thus, having connections would be key to ensure that your chances of playing competitive football would be higher.

All in all, it does not matter if you fail once, twice or thrice. The most important thing is to work hard. Having a positive mindset would be essential in order to achieve something regardless if it is football. If you believe in yourself, have dedication, pride and never quit, you’ll be a winner. ( Paul Bryant )