2018 Singapore Premier League

Singapore Premier League

Season	2018
Dates	31 March 2018 – 3 October 2018
Champions	Albirex Niigata (S) (3rd title)
Community Shield	Albirex Niigata (S)
AFC Champions League	Home United (S.League runners-up)
AFC Cup	Tampines Rovers (S.League 4th Place)
Matches played	79
Goals scored	248 (3.14 per match)
Top goalscorer	Shuhei Hoshino (18 goals)
Biggest home win	Albirex Niigata (S) 5–0 Balestier Khalsa (28 May 2018) Albirex Niigata (S) 5–0 DPMM FC (3 June 2018)
Biggest away win	Home United FC 1–6 Albirex Niigata (S) (18 April 2018)
Highest scoring	Geylang International 2–6 DPMM FC (10 June 2018)
Longest winning run	17 matches Albirex Niigata (S)
Longest unbeaten run	24 matches Albirex Niigata (S)
Longest winless run	13 matches Hougang United FC
Longest losing run	5 matches Geylang International
← 2017 2019 →

The 2018 Singapore Premier League (also known as the Great Eastern Hyundai Singapore Premier League due to sponsorship reasons) was the inaugural season of the Singapore Premier League, the top-flight Singaporean professional league for association football clubs. The season began on 31 March 2018, ^[1] and concluded on 3 October 2018. Albirex Niigata (S) won the league and successfully defended their title.

Each team will receive $888,200 if they meet key performance indicators that will be made known to them before the 31 March kick-off. This represents a "19 per cent reduction from the 2017 season", but funding for the league has been secured for the next five years. ^[2]

It is the league's first season after rebranding from the S.League to the Singapore Premier League. A major overhaul from the new FAS management is being made from this season onwards to improve the standard of Singapore football. ^[3]

An emphasis on youth development from the ground up is underway.

Rules

The following key changes are being made to the rules for the 2018 season: ^[4]

1. It is compulsory for each of the SPL's six local clubs to recruit at least six Under-23 footballers for their squad, with a minimum of three Under-23 players to feature in the starting 11 for each match. The first U-23 player must be replaced by another, if the substitution occurs in the 1st half. Beyond this, any U-23 players can be replaced by any other players.
2. Depending on the squad size, each team is to sign at least eight local players aged 24 to 30. A 25-man squad will need to have nine local U-23 players and 10 local players aged 24 to 30. ^[5]
3. Introduction of age quotas, with teams allowed to sign only two to six players above the age of 30, depending on squad size. For example, for squad between 19 and 22 players, there must be minimum of six under-23 players and 8 under-30 players. This will apply to all club except Young Lions and Albirex Niigata (S).
4. Young Lions can sign a maximum of 33 players for the season.
5. The foreign player quota for clubs will be reduced from three to two with no age restriction placed on them.
6. Albirex Niigata (S) has age restrictions imposed by the FAS for the new season. The squad will be made up of 50% of U23 players, 50% of U21 players and one player of any age. This is excluding 2 Singapore U-23 players which they can choose to sign. ^{[6] [7]}
7. The Singapore Premier League lineup for 2018 will remain the same as Young Lions are set to compete in 2018.
8. The Prime League will be scrapped with the National Football League (NFL) set to be installed as the second-tier competition.
9. Yo-yo test will replace the current mandatory 2.4 km test, and players will be tested three times a year in the pre-season, midseason and off-season.
10. All matches will be played during weekends at 5:30 p.m.

Teams

A total of 9 teams compete in the league. Albirex Niigata (S) and DPMM FC are invited foreign clubs from Japan and Brunei respectively. Despite large criticism and discussion against the Young Lions project, the Young Lions will continue to compete till 2019 for the purposes of training and preparing for the 2019 SEA Games. ^[8] The criticism mainly focused on the poor performances every season by the largely youth team made up of Singapore Football's brightest prospects. Season-long consecutive losses against the rest of the more mature teams inflicts serious long-term consequences on the morale of the players, considering that most of these players are in the developmental ages of their footballing career. The new age restrictions imposed on the rest of the Singapore Premier League clubs could be seen as giving the Young Lions a better advantage in terms of seniority, but most critics and fans of Singapore football are still wanting the FAS to abolish the FAS-managed Young Lions and have them developed under the guidance of genuine local clubs.

Stadiums and locations

DPMM FC

Singapore

class=notpageimage|

Location of 2018 Singapore Premier League teams

Albirex (S)

Balestier Khalsa

Young
Lions

Geylang International

Home Utd

Hougang Utd

Tampines Rovers

Warriors FC

class=notpageimage|

Locations of the 2018 Singapore Premier League teams from Singapore

Team	Stadium	Capacity
Albirex Niigata (S)	Jurong East Stadium	2,700
Balestier Khalsa	Toa Payoh Stadium	3,800
DPMM FC	Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium	28,000
Geylang International	Bedok Stadium	3,800
Home United	Bishan Stadium	3,500
Hougang United	Hougang Stadium	3,400
Tampines Rovers	Our Tampines Hub	5,000
Warriors FC	Choa Chu Kang Stadium	4,000
Young Lions	Jalan Besar Stadium	6,000

Personnel and sponsors

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Team	Head coach	Captain	Kit manufacturer	Main Shirt sponsor
Albirex Niigata (S)	Kazuaki Yoshinaga	Wataru Murofushi [9]	Hummel [10]	Canon
Balestier Khalsa	Marko Kraljević	Zaiful Nizam	Mawin	Jeep [11]
DPMM FC	Renê Weber	Shahrazen Said [12]	Lotto	–
Geylang International	Hirotaka Usui	Yuki Ichikawa	FBT [13]	Epson
Home United	Aidil Sharin	Izzdin Shafiq [14]	Puma	Lionco Investments
Hougang United	Philippe Aw [15]	Nurhilmi Jasni	Vonda	Assisi Hospice
Tampines Rovers	Jürgen Raab [16]	Fahrudin Mustafić	Hummel [17]	– [17] / ANA Courier Express
Warriors FC	Mirko Grabovac	Kento Fukuda	Umbro	Rhino Sports / Armaggeddon
Young Lions	Fandi Ahmad	Taufiq Muqminin	Nike	-

Note: 1) ANA Courier Express is Tampines Rovers's Singapore Cup jersey sponsor only 2) Hougang United had a partnership with Assisi Hospice via its donation drive. Assisi Hospice will be published on the jersey

Coaching changes

Team	Outgoing Head Coach	Manner of Departure	Date of Vacancy	Position in table	Incoming Head Coach	Date of appointment
DPMM FC	Steve Kean	Sacked [18]	30 November 2017	Pre-Season	Renê Weber [19]	1 January 2018
Young Lions	Vincent Subramaniam	Redeployed [20] [21]	14 December 2017	Pre-Season	Fandi Ahmad [22]	14 December 2017
Warriors FC	Razif Onn	Redeployed [23]	1 January 2018	Pre-Season	Mirko Grabovac [24]	15 January 2018
Geylang International	Mohd Noor Ali	Redeployed [25]	1 February 2018	Pre-Season	Hirotaka Usui [26]	1 February 2018
Hougang United	Philippe Aw	Sacked [27]	10 June 2018	9th	Clement Teo (Caretaker)	10 June 2018

Foreigners

The foreign player quota for clubs was reduced from three to two. ^[4]

In addition, Albirex was reported to have declared their intention to have Singapore players in their squad for 2018 and is understood that a proposal is being put together for Albirex to take in local players and they will be allowed to sign two Singaporean U-23 players. ^{[28] [6]} Only DPMM are allowed to sign up to three foreigners. ^[29]

Players name in bold indicates the player was registered during the mid-season transfer window.

Club	Player 1	Player 2	Player 3	Youth Players 1	Youth Players 2	Former Players
Albirex Niigata (S)	Shahul Rayyan [30]	Adam Swandi [31]
Balestier Khalsa	Vedran Mesec [32]	Keegan Linderboom [33]		Dusan Marinkovic	Sanjin Vrebac [34]
DPMM FC	Mojtaba Esmaeilzadeh [35]	Brian McLean [36]	Volodymyr Pryyomov [37]
Geylang International	Yuki Ichikawa [38]	Fumiya Kogure [38]
Home United	Isaka Cernak [39]	Song Ui-young [40]				Sirina Camara [41]
Hougang United	Antoine Viterale [42]	Jang Jo-yoon [43]				Adam Mitter [44] [45]
Tampines Rovers	Jordan Webb [46]	Ryutaro Megumi [47]
Warriors FC	Jonathan Béhé [48]	Kento Fukuda [23]

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Albirex Niigata (S) [lower-alpha 1] (C)	24	21	3	0	69	17	+52	66
2	Home United	24	12	7	5	48	36	+12	43	Qualification to AFC Champions League Preliminary Round 1
3	DPMM FC [lower-alpha 1]	24	11	8	5	46	38	+8	41
4	Tampines Rovers	24	12	4	8	43	27	+16	40	Qualification to AFC Cup Group Stage
5	Warriors FC	24	7	7	10	32	35	−3	28
6	Balestier Khalsa	24	7	6	11	25	36	−11	27
7	Young Lions [lower-alpha 1]	24	5	6	13	25	46	−21	21
8	Geylang International	24	5	5	14	26	57	−31	20
9	Hougang United	24	2	6	16	22	44	−22	12

Updated to match(es) played on 29 September 2018. Source: Singapore Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of wins
(C) Champions
Notes:

1. The two foreign clubs – Albirex Niigata (S) and DPMM FC – as well as the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) under-21 team, Young Lions, are ineligible for any AFC competition spots.

Statistics

Top scorers

As of 3 October 2018.

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Shuhei Hoshino	Albirex Niigata (S)	19
2	Jonathan Behe	Warriors FC	17
3	Volodymyr Pryyomov	DPMM FC	17
4	Khairul Amri	Tampines Rovers	15
5	Shahril Ishak	Home United	13

Clean Sheets

As of 3 October 2018.

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Yōsuke Nozawa	Albirex Niigata (S)	10
2	Syazwan Buhari	Tampines Rovers	9
3	Rudy Khairullah	Home United	5
3	Mukundan Maran	Warriors FC	5
5	Zaiful Nizam	Balestier Khalsa	4

Hat-tricks

Player	For	Against	Result	Date	Reference
Taku Morinaga	Albirex Niigata (S)	Balestier Khalsa	5–0	27 May 2018
Jonathan Béhé	Warriors FC	Tampines Rovers	3–2	17 June 2018
Khairul Amri	Tampines Rovers	Balestier Khalsa	5–2	30 June 2018
Khairul Amri	Tampines Rovers	Geylang International	4–1	21 July 2018
Abdul Azizi Ali Rahman	Brunei DPMM	Hougang United	3–1	18 August 2018
Song Ui-young	Home United	Warriors FC	4–3	23 September 2018

Singapore Premier League Awards night winners

Awards	Winners	Club
Player of the Year	Wataru Murofushi	Albirex Niigata (S)
Young Player of the Year	Adam Swandi	Albirex Niigata (S)
Coach of the Year	Kazuaki Yoshinaga	Albirex Niigata (S)
Top Scorer Award	Shuhei Hoshino	Albirex Niigata (S)
Goal of the Year	Zulfadhmi Suzliman	Tampines Rovers
Fair Play Award	Albirex Niigata (S)
Referee of the Year	Nathan Chan	—

FansXI Team of the Year
Goalkeeper	Yosuke Nozawa (Albirex Niigata (S))
Defence	Riku Moriyasu (Albirex Niigata (S))			Shuhei Sasahara (Albirex Niigata (S))			Kento Fukuda (Warriors FC)			Kenya Takahashi (Albirex Niigata (S))
Midfield	Hafiz Nor (Home United)			Wataru Murofushi (Albirex Niigata (S))			Song Ui-young (Home United)			Adam Swandi (Albirex Niigata (S))
Attack	Shahril Ishak (Home United)						Shuhei Hoshino (Albirex Niigata (S))

References

1. Wong, Lester (16 November 2017). "Football: FAS unveils youth development plans to revive ailing local scene" – via The Straits Times.
2. Correspondent, David LeeSports (18 December 2017). "Football: FAS president Lim Kia Tong calls for change of mindset to improve S-League" – via The Straits Times.
3. Football: Goodbye S-League, welcome Singapore Premier League Straits Times, 21 March 2018
4. "Young footballers to take centrestage in revamped 2018 S-League". TODAY.
5. Correspondent, David LeeSports (13 December 2017). "Football: Some FAS proposals like emphasis on youth and fitness lauded but not all parties are convinced" – via The Straits Times.
6. OsmanCorrespondent, Shamir (15 December 2017). "Football: Albirex hit with age restrictions too but Koh's calm" – via The Straits Times.
7. "Announcement of 2018 Season's Players Regulation Issued by Football Association of Singapore". Albirex Niigata Singapore Official website.
8. "Young Lions to escape axe, will continue until 2019 SEA Games at least".
9. "Introduction of 2018 Albirex Captain and Vice Captain". Albirex Niigata Singapore Official website.
10. "Hummel to sponsor White Swan from 2016 to 2018".
11. OsmanCorrespondent, Shamir (29 March 2018). "Football: Balestier Khalsa embark on Singapore Premier League journey with Jeep" – via The Straits Times.
12. "New Captain Appointed for the new season".
13. "Geylang International FC - The wait is over! Pre-order your GIFC 2018 Jersey or even better, get the Ultimate Fan Pack. Please email [e-mail] your pre-orders stating size, home/away, name/number printing (additional costs if required). Jerseys expected to be available for collection in the last week of March. Kids' sizes available too! 6-12 years old | Facebook". www.facebook.com.
14. "Log in or sign up to view". www.facebook.com.
15. "Aw gets 2nd year with Cheetah".
16. "Tampines signal faith in Raab with three-year deal". TODAY.
17. Meng, Wang Meng (27 January 2018). "Football: Tampines Rovers chairman Desmond Ong assures S-League club's operations won't be affected despite him being involved in court case" – via The Straits Times.
18. "Steve Kean agrees to leave Brunei DPMM". ESPN.com. 5 November 2017.
19. "DPMM release Kean and imports, Latest Singapore Football News - The New Paper". www.tnp.sg.
20. Meng, Wang Meng (14 December 2017). "Football: Fandi Ahmad takes charge of Young Lions as FAS releases SEA Games coach Richard Tardy" – via The Straits Times.
21. "Subramaniam names FAS coaching instructor, Latest Singapore Football News - The New Paper". www.tnp.sg.
22. "Fandi to take charge of the Young Lions". Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
23. Correspondent, David LeeSports (3 January 2018). "Football: Warriors legend Mirko Grabovac to return to the club as head coach" – via The Straits Times.
24. AzizCorrespondent, Sazali Abdul (16 March 2018). "Football: Mirko Grabovac permitted to begin coaching Warriors" – via The Straits Times.
25. Osman, Shamir. "Two more local football coaches venture abroad, Latest Football News - The New Paper". www.tnp.sg.
26. "Noor Ali head to Japan for attachment".
27. "[Media Release] – Hougang United Football Club". 10 June 2018.
28. Osman, Shamir. "Albirex Niigata set the standard, Latest Singapore Football News - The New Paper". www.tnp.sg.
29. "DPMM participation for 2018 season". Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
30. "Shahul Rayyan (SAFSA) joins White Swans for 2018 season". Albirex Niigata Singapore Official website.
31. "Adam bin SWANDI (Home United FC) joins White Swans for 2018 season". Albirex Niigata Singapore Official website.
32. "Balestier Khalsa Football Club - New Signing | Balestier Khalsa is delighted to announce the new signing of Vedran Mesec from NK Aluminij of Slovenia 🇸🇮. 👕2️⃣2️⃣ The 30-year-old attacking midfielder from Croatia 🇭🇷 just managed to complete his registration papers in time to feature in Balestier's Singapore Premier League opener against Home United FC at Bishan Stadium on Wednesday (4 April). . . #halatigers #2018players #NewSigning | Facebook". www.facebook.com.
33. "Balestier Khalsa Football Club - New Signing | Balestier Khalsa is delighted to announce the new signing of Keegan Cameron Linderboom from Waitakere United, New Zealand 🇳🇿. The 29-year-old South African-born striker, who holds a New Zealand passport, completed his paperwork in time for his eligibility to play for Balestier in last night's (4 April) opening Singapore Premier League fixture against Home United at Bishan Stadium. 👕2️⃣1️⃣ The 1.88m Linderboom marked his league debut for Balestier with a goal from the spot after brought down in the penalty area. . . #halatigers #2018players #NewSigning | Facebook". www.facebook.com.
34. AzizCorrespondent, Sazali Abdul (30 June 2018). "New blood may give Tigers fresh impetus" – via The Straits Times.
35. "DPMM FC set to sign Iranian striker Mojtaba".
36. "McLean set for DPMM FC return". Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
37. "Ukraine striker join DPMM for 2018 charge". Archived from the original on 24 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
38. "Geylang International FC - Welcome Yuki Ichikawa and Fumiya Kogure to the Eagles 2018 squad! Both players are no strangers to the S.League.. Yuki has been with us since joining from Albirex Niigata in 2014, while Fumiya played for Albirex in 2015 and signed for Hougang United in 2016 and 2017. We look forward to their contributions and wish them a successful journey with the club. #gifc2018 #yukiichikawa #fumiyakugore #geylangboleh | Facebook". www.facebook.com.
39. "Robbie Kruse and Ken Ilso got me to the Singapore League".
40. "Song Ui-Young Signs | Small in stature, Song Ui-young plays a physical, tough-tackling style of football. Song Ui-Young had shown good strength in tackle, using his low centre... | By Lion City Sailors Football Club | Facebook" – via www.facebook.com.
41. "SIRINA CAMARA SIGNS | Home United Football club manage to secure our final foreign signing of the season, Sirina Camara. A left-back who is strong defensively and good coming... | By Lion City Sailors Football Club | Facebook" – via www.facebook.com.
42. "Prime League foreign striker promoted".
43. "Hougang United sign Chang Jo Yoon".
44. "Adam Mitter the final foreigner in puzzle". Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
45. "Adam Mitter out as Korean signed up".
46. "Tampines Rovers Football Club - #WEBBISBACK Look who's back! Jordan Webb joins the Stags for his second stint at the club, taking up our second foreign player slot. The 29-year-old winger has penned a 3-year contact with the club, where he had made 40 appearances in 2016. He was also the club's joint-top goalscorer in the league during that time. Head Coach, Jürgen Raab, was full of praise for Webb, describing him as "one of the best wingers in Singapore". Welcome back, Jordan! | Facebook". www.facebook.com.
47. "Tampines Rovers Football Club - #MeguStays Ryutaro Megumi extends his stay with the Stags! Despite having offers from abroad, including his homeland, Megumi has penned a 2-year deal as one of the club's foreign signings. The 24-year-old Japanese winger was the club's top scorer last season and one of the nominees for S-league's Player of the Year. We are delighted to have him with us and look forward to his electrifying pace on the pitch! | Facebook". www.facebook.com.
48. "Warriors Football Club - Béhé's back! We are delighted to announce the signing of Jonathan Béhé for the 2018 Season! #WelcomeBéhé | Facebook". www.facebook.com.

External links

• Football Association of Singapore website
• Singapore Premier League website Archived 13 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine