Lion City Sailors FC
Lion City Sailors Football Club, commonly referred to as Lion City Sailors, LC Sailors or simply Sailors or LCS, is a Singaporean professional football club based in Singapore. They compete in Singapore Premier League, the top tier of Singapore football league system. LCS is one of the most successful and, wealthiest football club in Singapore. Their home ground is Bishan Stadium.
 | |||
| Full name | Lion City Sailors Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Sailors | ||
| Short name | LCS | ||
| Founded | 1945 (as Police Sports Association) 1997 (as Home United) 14 February 2020 (as Lion City Sailors FC) | ||
| Ground | Bishan Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 3,500 | ||
| Owner | Sea Limited | ||
| Chairman | Forrest Li | ||
| Manager | Aurelio Vidmar | ||
| League | Singapore Premier League | ||
| 2020 | Singapore Premier League, 3rd of 8 | ||
|
| |||
History
The Police Sports Association was founded in 1945 to organise football activities for the Singapore Police Force. It sent two teams to compete in the Singapore Amateur Football Association League in the 1950s and 1960s, but neither team won any trophies. Under coach Choo Seng Quee, Police SA won the inaugural President's Cup in 1968, then reached and lost the next two finals. In 1979, it joined the National Football League, was placed in Division III, and immediately earned promotion to Division II. In 1980, Police SA won the Division II title, the President's Cup and the Boggars Cup. In 1985, it was national league champions, after setting a national record as the only team to go unbeaten for 17 consecutive games. The performances of Police SA led to its selection as one of eight teams to compete in the newly formed S.League.[1]
When the S.League was formed in 1996, the club was known as the Police Football Club. The following year, its name was changed to Home United to reflect the fact that the team represented not only the Singapore Police Force, but also other HomeTeam departments of the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs such as the Singapore Civil Defence Force and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority.
Home United was two-time S.League winners and holders of a record six Singapore Cup trophies. It was the first club to achieve the S.League and Singapore Cup double in 2003.
The team's nickname was the "Protectors"; its mascot, a dragon; its home ground, the Bishan Stadium.
On 14 February 2020, the club was privatised for the first time in its history, when Singaporean billionaire Forrest Li announced that he had purchased a 100% stake in the club.[2] Home United Football Club was officially renamed Lion City Sailors Football Club, and its signature red kits and badge were replaced with white tops and a blue crest. LCS' main aim following its rebranding was to boost professionalism in Singaporean football, with becoming a Southeast Asian super club in the same mould as Malaysian giants JDT very much the long-term goal. [3]
On 21 January 2021, the Lion City Sailors created history by smashing the Singapore Premier League transfer-fee record with the signing of midfielder Diego Lopes from Portuguese top-flight side Rio Ave for 1.8 million euros on a three-year deal.[4]
Lion City Sailors Football Academy
Home United was the first and only S.League club to own and operate its own football academy. Located at 8 Mattar Road, HYFA comprises ten futsal courts, two full-size football pitches, an events plaza, staff offices, meeting rooms and a Sports Performance Centre.
According to its mission statement, HYFA will: help local, talented youths to achieve excellence in the sport of football as professional players, technical support staff, club administrators, or referees, in tandem with their academic pursuits; help them become law-abiding and responsible individuals; and help raise the standards for professional football clubs in Singapore so that Singapore qualifies for the World Cup.
In June 2020, numerous news sources announced the launch of the new the Lion City Sailors Football Academy and further plans on youth development and its investments.
Players
Squad
- As of 27 January 2021[5]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
On Loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Club officials
Management
- Chairman: Forrest Li[6]
- General Manager: Badri Ghent
Technical staff
- Team Manager: Herwandy Hamid
- Head Coach: Aurelio Vidmar
- Assistant Coach: Noh Rahman
- Goalkeeper Coach: Chua Lye Heng
- Sports Performance Specialist: Shazaly Ayob
- Sports Trainer: Fazly Hasan
Honours
League
- S.League: 2
- National Football League Division One: 1
- 1985
Cup
- Singapore Cup: 6 (record)
- 2019
- 1980
- 1968
Reserves
- Prime League: 8 (record)
- 2013, 2015, 2016
Performance in AFC competitions
- AFC Champions League: 1 appearances
- 2001: Second round
- AFC Cup: 8 appearances
AFC clubs ranking
- As of 13 MARCH 2019.[7]
| Current Rank | Country | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 46 |  | Istiklol |
| 47 |  | Al-Wehdat |
| 48 |  | Lion City Sailors |
| 49 |  | Al-Zawra’a |
| 50 |  | Altyn Asyr |
Sponsors
| Kit Supplier | Main Sponsors |
|---|---|
 Puma | Sea Limited |
References
- Malathi Das and Palakrishnan (1996), "S.League: the kick-off", Singapore Professional Football League Pte Ltd, p. 33
- "Football: Singapore tech firm Sea takes ownership of Home United; club changes name to Lion City Sailors FC". CNA. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- "Inside Lion City Sailors - The making of Singapore's first superclub". Goal. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- Narendaren Karnageran (21 January 2021). "Lion City Sailors sign Rio Ave's Lopes in landmark S$2.9m transfer". The New Paper.
- "SPL 2020 Club Guide: Lion City Sailors". Singapore Premier League. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- "Football: Singapore tech firm Sea takes ownership of Home United; club changes name to Lion City Sailors FC". CNA. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- "AFC Club Ranking 2019".