Geylang International FC

Geylang International

Full name	Geylang International Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Eagles
Founded	1973;51 years ago (1973) as International Contract Specialist 1975;49 years ago (1975) as Geylang International 1996;28 years ago (1996) as Geylang United 2013;11 years ago (2013) as Geylang International
Ground	Our Tampines Hub
Capacity	5,000
Chairman	Thomas Gay
Head coach	Mohd Noor Ali
League	Singapore Premier League
2023	Singapore Premier League, 5th of 9
Website	www.gifc.org.sg
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Geylang International Football Club is a professional football club based in Bedok, Singapore, that competes in Singapore Premier League, the top division of football in Singapore. The club was founded in 1973 to build a successful football team that would be remembered for generations to come. They played their first season in 1974, winning the FAS Division Three League which earned them a spot in National Football League Division One the following year. They enjoyed their greatest successes in the 1980s and 90s, winning six consecutive FAS Premier League titles.

Geylang International has won 2 league titles and 1 Singapore Cup since the inception of a professional league in 1996. Their greatest season was in 1996, when they became the first team to win both the league title and the FA Cup. They also reached the 1997 Singapore FA Cup final, 2001 and 2003 Singapore Cup final, and the 2012 Singapore League Cup final as runners-up.

Geylang International has a traditional rivalry with closest neighbour Tampines Rovers. Matches between these two are referred to as the "Eastern Derby" which is known to be one of the best rivalries in Singapore football.

Due to their strong partnership with J.League club, Matsumoto Yamaga, The Japanese fan based has been seen cheering for Geylang International in their fruitful long-standing relationships. ^[1]

History

Beginnings and breakthrough (1973–1995)

Formally founded by Colin Ng in 1973 during a dinner gathering with Arshad Khamis, Gulam Mohamed and Omar Ashiblie, Ng planned to build one of the successful club in Singapore. They were soon known as International Contract SpecialistsFootball Club (ICS) and played its first friendly match against Rollel, a Singapore Business Houses Football League (SBHFL) Division One league club on 15 November 1973 with a 2–0 win. ^{[2] [3]} They made their season debut in 1974, walking away with 2 titles – FAS Division Three League & President's Cup with no losses. This was not too difficult for them as they had several star players and well-known footballers among their ranks. With the likes of Arshad Khamis, Dollah Kassim, Gulam Mohamed, Samad Allapitchay, Kamal Mohd Nor and Robert Sim, they had a formidable side that receives the respect from oppositions. The team coached by The Yap Brothers, Sebastian and Andrew were no stranger to Football Association of Singapore.

Name changed

For the new season, in line with the Football Association of Singapore plans to streamline footballs and have teams on geographical consideration for the Division One League, ICS changed its name to Geylang International as their home ground was based at Geylang Field, Lorong 12. In 1975, they entered the National Football League Division One and won it before adding another title in 1976. Their back to back victory was made sweeter by winning the 1976 President's Cup. ^[4]

A relegation in 1981 prompted the arrival of a new management committee that guided the club back to the top division in 1983. In 1984, club president Kasim Chik financed the club and businessman Patrick Ang, who joined in 1986, managed to secure sponsors for them. Despite being relegated that year, they returned to Division 1 of the National Football League the following season and the golden era began. In 1988, the FAS started a semi-professional league competition called the FAS Premier League as the top tier of the Singapore football league structure. they dominated all eight years of the league, winning six consecutive titles from 1988 to 1993 before finishing third in 1994 and second in 1995. Every game would see their home ground packed to the brim as fans clamoured to catch a game of the Eagles’ skilful players. Subsequently, due to the huge fan following which numbered in the thousands, all their games had to be played either in Jalan Besar Stadium or National Stadium. The success behind winning the FAS Premier League was also aided by the players they had. Notably players such as Malek Awab, Razali Saad, Dollah Kassim, Samad Allapitchay and Robert Sim all contributed to the success of the team. These were players who would also go on to represent the country. It might not be known widely by many but they even managed to attract one of the biggest European stars of that era to turn up in their club's colours. French forward and legend, Michel Platini visited Singapore to attend a football clinic conducted by them and played half a game for the Eagles to highlight the club's attraction.^{[ citation needed ]}

Progressive and golden era (1996–2012)

As Geylang United Football Club, they were one of the eight teams in the inaugural season of the S.League in 1996. They won the first stage (the Tiger Beer Series) of the league season and finished fifth in the second stage (the Pioneer Series). They won the league after defeating SAFFC (the Pioneer Series champions) 2–1 in the Championship Play-off. ^[5] They completed the season with another trophy, beating the same team on penalties in the Singapore FA Cup. As the team was full of international stars, led by 1998 Iranian World Cup head coach Jalal Talebi, players such as Fandi Ahmad, Kadir Yahaya, David Lee, Hamid Reza Estili, Mohammad Khakpour, and Chris Riley, Vincent Subramaniam (Head Coach for SAFFC) identified them as the Manchester United of Singapore. As league champions, they qualified for the 1997–98 Asian Club Championship but were eliminated after losing 8–2 on aggregate by Japanese side Kashima Antlers in the first round.^{[ citation needed ]}

The 1997 season was a disappointing season for them. They failed to defend the S.League title, finishing fifth. The Eagles also failed to defend the FA Cup, after losing to SAFFC in the finals. They did not win any silverware till 2001, when they won their second league title by a close margin. Both forwards, Aleksandar Đurić and Brian Bothwell scored 57 goals for the team. It was the best performing S.League season for the team; scoring 84 goals and conceding 28 goals. Just days after winning the league title, they suffered their worst defeat in history; losing 8–0 to Home United in the Singapore Cup finals. As league champions, they were guaranteed a slot in the qualifying round of the 2002–03 AFC Champions League but were eliminated after losing to Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua 5–1 on aggregate in the second round.^{[ citation needed ]}

The 2002 season saw Geylang United finish third in both the S.League and Singapore Cup. They came close to winning their third S.League title and first Singapore Cup in 2003, only to finish runners-up to Home United for both competitions. As runners-up, they qualified to play in the AFC Cup 2004 due to Home United's double. Their debut in the AFC Cup 2004 was an impressive one. Despite losing their opening match, they managed to stay unbeaten for their next five games in the group stage. They went on to qualify for the quarter-finals, beating Malaysian club Perak FA before losing to Syrian side Al-Wahda in the semi-final.^{[ citation needed ]}

Geylang United won their first Singapore Cup in 2009, beating Thailand side Bangkok Glass 1–0 at the Jalan Besar Stadium. ^[6] The win ensured them a place in the 2010 AFC Cup where they were placed in Group H alongside Vietnam SHB Da Nang, Thailand club Port and Hong Kong side Tai Po. However, they failed to qualify for the knockout stages, finishing 3rd in the group stages with four draws and two losses.^{[ citation needed ]}

Weeks before the start of the 2012 season, Patrick Ang announced his retirement as club chairman. Ang, who had been with the club since 1986, moved up the ranks at the club as manager; vice-president; president and eventually chairman. ^[7] He was given the nickname "Geylang's Godfather" after helping the club to gain main and co-sponsors. ^[8] Former Singapore international, Leong Kok Fann took over the position. Mike Wong stepped down as coach after their 7–1 thrashing by Home United kept the club at the bottom of the league without a point. ^[9] Under-21 coach, Vedhamuthu Kanan, swopped roles with Wong. ^[10] Under the guidance of Kanan, the Eagles made it into the League Cup finals; only to lose in the final to Brunei DPMM. ^{[11] [12]} In the league itself, Kanan gave the U21 players the chance to be in the first team. It turned out to be a positive effort as some of these players who were given the chance to play in the S.League matches performed better than some of the first team players. They ended the season second from bottom in the nine-team table.^{[ citation needed ]}

Decline in performances (2013–2016)

Renamed as Geylang International

On 4 January 2013, the club announced in a pre-season press conference that it would change its club logo and name back to Geylang International Football Club. ^{[13] [14] [15]} The club has set on a vision statement, playing philosophy and values like discipline and commitment to a six-week training routine planned for the players to follow meanwhile on the community outreach side, there will be a new partnership with Singapore Management University [SMU] Mentorship Programme which includes opportunities to interact with the club players. A vision statement, playing philosophy and values like discipline and commitment have also been clearly set out, and a six-week training routine planned for the players to follow. They started off the season playing against Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta'zim, ATM FA and Selangor FA losing 1–0, 2–1 and drawing 0–0 respectively. The Eagles than sign three Japanese trios, Takuma Ito, Norihiro Kawakami and Shotaro Ihata however the squad saw plenty of long-term injury crisis, forcing their then-assistant coach, former Singapore international,Mohd Noor Ali to come out of retirement. ^[16] They finished the season in 9th place. On 19 August 2013, they face Hong Kong club, Sun Source winning the match 5–0 at the Bedok Stadium.

The 2014 season was something to look out for as Vedhamuthu Kanan flew to Argentina during the pre-season to look for new foreign players. It was later announced that Leonel Felice, Franco Chivilo and Joaquin Lopez had signed a 1-year contract. ^[17] In addition, Nazareno Velez joined in as assistant coach. ^[18] The Eagles started off their 2014 pre season friendlies participating in the IFA Shield 2014 in India playing against Kingfisher East Bengal, United Sports Club and Korean Sun Moon University at the Salt Lake Stadium. However, the season did not start well as one of the Argentinian players failed to get their employment pass before the season kicked off. ^[19] V. Kanan eventually got demoted back to coaching the U-21 team after 3 straight losses. German Jörg Steinebrunner was than appointed as the new head coach 24 hours before their next match. ^[20] Despite their poor league performance, Steinebrunner almost led the team to the finals of League Cup and Singapore Cup; only to lose both domestic competitions on penalty shoot-outs. The team ended the 2014 season in eighth place.

In 2015, Steinebrunner took this opportunity to get his own players ahead of the new season. The Eagles participated in the 2015 Kata Group Hotel Challenge Cup tournament in Thailand facing Phuket winning 1–3 in the 1st leg and 2–1 in the 2nd leg. They than fly off to Indonesia to face Semen Padang and FELDA United of Malaysia in a friendly match. The Eagles was inconsistent throughout the season, failing to win most of their matches. After their defeat in the semi-finals of the League Cup, they failed to collect any points for six consecutive games, remaining rooted to the bottom of the table for months. An unbeaten run in their last five matches with 3 wins and 2 draws allowed them to finish one place off the bottom.

Weeks after the 2015 S.League season ended, it was announced that Ben Teng would replace Leong Kok Fann as club chairman. ^{[21] [22]} Ben Teng and his new management committee (comprising mainly Singaporeans who have worked in Dubai/Abu Dhabi previously) set about to revamp the club by recruiting young players from the disbanded LionsXII and Courts Young Lions, anchored by seasoned players such as Daniel Bennett and Indra Sahdan. Four players, Hairul Syirhan, Yuki Ichikawa, Nor Azli Yusoff and Shawal Anuar from the 2015 season were retained. In line with the club's philosophy of promoting young players from within, four Prime League players were promoted to the senior team (one was subsequently released to Young Lions at the request of FAS). The new 2016 squad also featured returning former Geylang Prime League players such as Stanely Ng, Amy Recha and Taufiq Ghani. Former Singapore international and championship winner with the 2001 Geylang team, Hasrin Jailani, was appointed as head coach. His teammate from the 2001 winning team, Mohd Noor Ali, was appointed as assistant head coach and Prime League coach. In its first S-League away match of the 2016 season against title favourites Tampines Rovers, the Eagles recovered from an early 2–0 lead by the hosts to lead 2–3 before an 86th-minute equaliser by the hosts. ^[23] Geylang International finished 5th out of the 9 teams competing in the 2016 S league.

Mohd Noor Ali era (2017–present)

In June 2017, Mohd Noor Ali took over as head coach of Geylang International, managing the team he had won the 2001 S league with as a player. The Eagles played their pre season friendlies against Malaysian club, Johor Darul Ta'zim , Melaka United and Petaling Jaya Rangers before returning home to face Philippines club, Ceres–Negros and Australian club, Rydalmere Lions winning 3–1 in the process at the Bedok Stadium. The Eagles improved on their previous position and attained 4th position in the 2017 S league. It was Geylang International's first top four finish in 14 years ^[24]

In 2018, Mohd Noor Ali went to abroad for a 1-year coaching stint with Japanese club Matsumoto Yamaga (as part of Geylang International's collaboration with their sponsor Epson). Noor Ali's venture abroad meant Hirotaka Usui took charge of The Eagles for the inaugural 2018 Singapore Premier League. Geylang International finished a disappointing 8th position that season.

In 2019, Mohd Noor Ali returned to Geylang International after guiding Yamaga's “B” team to a league title. ^[24] The Eagles welcomed new players like former Dutch U-20 Barry Maguire, and retained a strong youthful core in Darren Teh and Zikos Chua, and Azril Suhaili. ^[25] Zikos Chua scored vital late goals during the season, as the resilient Eagles finished a commendable 5th place in the 2019 Singapore Premier League. The Eagles Ultras watched and cheered on the team to 10 wins out of 24 matches. That season, The Eagles also knocked out defending champions Albirex Niigata (S) ^[26] en route to finishing 3rd in the 2019 Singapore Cup. The Eagles beat the 2019 Singapore Premier League champions, Brunei DPMM, in the 3rd/4th placing match 12–11 on penalties, after the match ended 2–2.

In 2022, the season will be remembered for Geylang's resilience to finish the season strong, after a slow start. After beating title favourites Lion City Sailors 1–0 in their opening game, Geylang went on an 11-game winless run despite putting in commendable performances. The newly revamped Geylang squad for 2022, consisting of a new group of foreign players - Vincent Bezecourt, Šime Žužul, Rio Sakuma, Takahiro Tezuka had to find a way to get back to winning ways. When Round 2 and 3 of the 2022 Singapore Premier League came around, Geylang International picked up form, picking up 5 wins in 6 games. By beating the Lion City Sailors 3–1 in the final round of matches (Round 4), and ending the season with a 1–1 draw with eventual champions Albirex Niigata (S), Geylang International finished the season 4th, matching their 4th-place finish in 2020.

Collaboration with City Football Group

In February 2023, Geylang International and City Football Group (CFG), one of world football's richest and most powerful organisations, have formalised a collaboration agreement that is set to contribute to the further development of the Singapore-based club which would make the Eagles the first South-east Asian team to be associated with CFG, which owns English Premier League champions Manchester City. Geylang club adviser Ben Teng, who was also the club's chairman from 2015 to 2020, played a key role in securing the deal. The agreement is set to be an initial, highly targeted collaboration between both entities with the potential to evolve into a broader, more comprehensive strategic partnership in the future. It will enable the club to start tapping into CFG's world class football knowledge, global network, technology, expertise and practices, allowing the club to improve its structure and operations. The partnership has already reaped benefits as CFG's Football Operations department helped Geylang to bring in striker Yushi Yamaya for the 2023 season, a former academy player of Yokohama F. Marinos, J-League champions and part of the CFG family. ^{[27] [28]}

Geylang International started off the 2023 season in a Malaysia tour competing in the Harapan Cup in which they lost 4–0 to Penang and 1–2 to Kedah Darul Aman. The Eagles have a great record against their rivals, Tampines Rovers getting 2 wins and 1 draw in the league match.

In preparation for the inaugural two years league cycle 2024–25 season, Geylang International turned their attention towards Japanese national signing Keito Hariya, Ryoya Taniguchi, 2021 Singapore Premier League 'Player of the Year' winner, Tomoyuki Doi and also loaning in youngster, Sora Tanaka from partnership club, Matsumoto Yamaga. The Eagles also retained Japanese duo, Rio Sakuma and Takahiro Tezuka while Vincent Bezecourt remained the only European foreign in the club. Geylang International started off their season with a brilliant display getting 10 points with 2 wins, 4 draws and 0 lost in their first six matches where the club also ended Lion City Sailors winning streak making them drop points in their first four matches. The club also went on to beat Albirex Niigata (S) in a 6–0 thrashing win on 6 July 2024 where Tomoyuki Doi went on to scored 3 hat-tricks in 7 league matches.

Sponsors

Period	Kit	Main Sponsor
1996	Diadora	Hitachi
1997		Hewlett-Packard
1998		Akira
1999–2002	Nike	Ponggol Marina
2003		No sponsors
2004–2006	Pan	Akira
2007–2008	Diadora	Five Stars Tours
2009	Lotto
2010–2013		No sponsors
2014		Rotary Engineering
2015	Dreamatron	No sponsors
2016	THORB	Epson
2017–2022	FBT
2023		Rolos [29]
2024–present		Vector Green

Affiliated clubs

• Matsumoto Yamaga (2016–present) ^[30]

On 23 November 2016, Geylang International and Matsumoto Yamaga signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in a press event which was held earlier today at the Marina Bay Floating Platform. This MOU will enable both clubs to establish a platform to exchange expertise and knowledge with the objective of promoting cohesion and development of football between the two clubs. The MOU spells out possible areas of collaboration such as the exchange of players and technical staff for training attachments and loans. Geylang will be looking to select promising players from its Active SG-GIFC Soccer Academy and junior teams to send on short training stints with Matsumoto Yamaga while the Japanese club is also looking into the possibility of sending players from their junior team to Singapore for a pre-season training stints. Amongst the key initiatives of the partnership with Matsumoto Yamaga is the exchange programmes for head coach, Mohd Noor Ali, who had a one-year attachment with the Japanese side in 2018, where he guided their B team to the Japan FA's Under-18 Football League Nagano prefecture title while on 17 August 2018, Anders Aplin become the first Singaporean football player to sign for a J.League team signing on loan until the end of the 2018 J2 League season in November.

On 30 October 2022, both club reaffirmed their close and long-standing relationship as the club officials went to Japan to explore future collaborations going into the seventh year of partnership since 2016. Geylang International has a memorandum of understanding with J.League outfits, Matsumoto Yamaga that was signed in 2016, while Epson's relationship with the club also dates back to the same year when it became the club's platinum sponsor. In the last seven years, Epson has enjoyed premium hospitality access to the club's home matches and has also supported the local football community and youths with the staging of the Epson Youth Cup. ^[30]

• Ho Chi Minh City (2019–present)

Geylang International and V.League, Ho Chi Minh City has higned a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that aims to further the growth of football through the open sharing of technical expertise and knowledge between both clubs. Under this MOU, cooperative efforts between both clubs will be boosted in four key sectors; training, attachments, player transfers, and fan club support. It will also allow the two clubs to send their youth and senior squad to train or participate in short-term tournaments within each other's regions. The agreement will also ensure the priority of players’ transfer for both clubs as well as facilitate the exchange of players and technical staff for training attachments. Additionally, both parties will strive to increase each other's club profile in their own regions and encourage cultural exchanges and interactions between their fan clubs. This includes providing support, privileges, and on-site concierge services for official club tours, visits, or match attendances requested by each other's fan clubs through their respective clubs.

• City Football Group (2023–present)

On 1 February 2023, Geylang International had become the first Southeast Asian club to partner the group. The agreement is set to be an initial, highly targeted collaboration between both entities with the potential to evolve into a broader, more comprehensive strategic partnership in the future. This unprecedented commitment in Geylang International's history will enable the club to start tapping into CFG's football expertise, know-how, technology, and best practices, allowing the club to improve its structure and operations.

Stadiums

Bedok Stadium Entrance

Main article: Bedok Stadium

The Eagles’ home ground is the Bedok Stadium, located in the eastern part of Singapore. It is used both for football matches and community events. Besides that, the pitch is also used by the club for their training sessions. The stadium has a natural grass football pitch, an 8-lane running track and some athletic facilities. The stadium are closed to the public during official events and S.League matches. The stadium can hold up to 3,800 spectators. The stadium is currently managed by the Singapore Sports Council.

Our Tampines Hub

The Eagles’ home ground moved to Our Tampines Hub for the 2019 Singapore Premier League season, which they share with Tampines Rovers. ^[31]

Supporters

Wherever The Eagles play, they are well supported by a loyal and vocal set of supporters called The Ultras Eagles. Usually decked in black and green, they come with loud drums and a strong set of lungs, roaring on the team and setting a matchday scene unlike anything most of Singapore have ever seen. The passionate supporters have also formed a close bond with the team. This is especially evident when the Ultras and The Eagles players and coaching staff heartily participate in a post match song together, after every game, whether the team wins, loses, or draws. ^[32]

Official anthem

Geylang International Football Club's Official Anthem, "We Are The Mighty Eagles" was launched on 22 February 2022. The anthem will be played at all home matches, before kick-off, half-time and whenever a goal is scored by the Eagles. The anthem is composed by Evil Singing Pandas a band from Singapore and Bangkok, Thailand. ^[33]

The anthem is also being used in various videos promoting the club, including a behind the scenes pre-season photoshoot and tribute clip to the main sponsor Epson in 2022. ^{[34] [35]}

Players

As of 30 Jun 2024

First team squad

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   SGP Hairul Syirhan 4 MF   JPN Takahiro Tezuka 5 DF   JPN Rio Sakuma (Vice Captain) 6 DF   SGP Akmal Azman 7 MF   SGP Naufal Azman 8 MF   SGP Joshua Pereira (Captain) 9 FW   JPN Tomoyuki Doi 10 MF   FRA Vincent Bezecourt 11 MF   SGP Huzaifah Aziz

No. Pos. Nation Player 13 DF   SGP Faisal Shahril 14 DF   SGP Ahmad Syahir 16 FW   SGP Iqbal Hussain 17 DF   SGP Naqiuddin Eunos 18 DF   JPN Keito Hariya FP U21 19 FW   SGP Zikos Chua U23 22 DF   SGP Shakir Hamzah 23 FW   JPN Ryoya Taniguchi 24 GK   SGP Rudy Khairullah

Under-21s and Academy

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 51 GK   SGP Naufal AffandiU21 52 DF   SGP Nizwan IzzairieU21 53 DF   SGP Sho GamohU21 54 FW   AUS Jake EllenbergerU21 55 DF   SGP Syafi SuhaimiU21 56 MF   SGP Raiyan NoorU21 57 DF   SGP Hud IsmailU21 58 DF   SGP Shafrel ArielU21 59 FW   SGP Abdul Muqsid IzzetU21 60 FW   SGP Syed MuhammadU21 62 FW   SGP Aniq Zulfadli MatinU21 63 MF   SGP Nabil ZikryU21

No. Pos. Nation Player 65 GK   SGP Azakhir AzaliU21 66 MF   SGP Nur Mohamed IkhsanuddinU21 67 MF   SGP Aidil RosliU21 68 MF   SGP Irgy ZulkilfliU21 69 MF   SGP Hafiy IsmatU21 70 FW   SGP Syazwan LatiffU21 71 MF   SGP Kayden NeoU21 72 DF   AUS Barnaby DaviesU21 73 DF   SGP Kyan NeoU21 74 DF   SGP Irfan RifqiU21 75 FW   SGP Tariq ShahidU21 76 FW   BEL Nils VandersmissenU21

Players on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF   SGP Ilhan Noor (National Service till 2025, to Young Lions) 54 DF   SGP Kieran Teo (National Service till 2025, to Young Lions) 53 MF   SGP Muthukumaran Navaretthinam(National Service till 2025)

Club officials

In February 2020, Thomas Gay, co-founder and deputy chairman of Goodrich Global Pte Ltd, and the club's vice-chairman for the last two years, took over from Ben Teng as the chairman of Geylang International. ^[36] Ben Teng will remain as the Eagles' club adviser and will oversee their strategic direction, specifically in the building of alliances with overseas clubs. ^[37]

Management

Position	Name
Chairman	Thomas Gay
Club Advisor	Mohd Fahmi Aliman
	Ben Teng
Honorary Secretary	Andy Wang
Honorary Treasurer	Lim Yiak Tiam
General Manager	Jason Jayden Chua
Team Manager	Leonard Koh
Finance Manager	Adelene Wee
Clubhouse Manager	Maureen Chia
Head of Media	Calvin Koh

Technical Team

Position	Name
Head Coach	Mohd Noor Ali
Assistant Coach	Syed Azmir
Fitness Coach	Sofiyan Hamid
Sports Trainer	Fazly Hasan
Goalkeeper Coach	Yusri Aziz

Honours

Type	Competition	Titles	Seasons
League	Singapore Premier League	2	1996, 2001
	FAS Premier League	6	1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993
	National Football League Division One	3	1975, 1976, 1977
	FAS Division Three	1	1974
Cup	Singapore Cup	1	2009
	Singapore FA Cup	2	1996, 2007
	Singapore League Cup 'Plate Winners'	1	2016
	President's Cup	6	1974, [38] 1976, 1978, 1990, 1991, 1995
Others	Prime League	3	1998, 2006, 2011

Bold is for those competition that are currently active.

Records and statistics

As of 27 November 2024.

Top 10 all-time appearances

Rank	Player	Years	Club appearances
1	Yuki Ichikawa	2014–2021	205
2	Shah Hirul	2008–2015	161
3	Syed Thaha	2004-2005 2007–2011 2015	142
4	Yazid Yasin	2009–2012, 2015–2016	139
5	Amy Recha	2011–2013 2016–2017 2019–2021	132
6	Syed Fadhil	1997–2002 2004–2007 2010–2012	121
7	Hafiz Rahim	2003–2004 2006–2011	112
8	Shawal Anuar	2014–2019	111
9	Yasir Hanapi	2008–2011 2013	101
10	Rastislav Beličák	2008–2010	96

Top 10 all-time scorers

Rank	Player	Club appearances	Total goals
1	Jozef Kapláň	95	54
2	Tomoyuki Doi	20	33
3	Shawal Anuar	111	32
4	Amy Recha	132	30
5	Vincent Bezecourt	66	23
6	Masrezwan Masturi	80	22
7	Šime Žužul	29	19
8	Bruno Suzuki	32	18
9	Kim Jae-hong	66	17
10	Leonel Felice	33	16
	Hafiz Rahim	112

• Biggest Wins: 0–9 vs Sengkang Marine (On 18 July 2002)
• Heaviest Defeats: 0–8 vs Lion City Sailors (On 11 April 2021)
• Youngest Goal scorers: Zikos Chua ~ 16 years 11 months 30 days old (On 14 April 2019 vs Young Lions)
• Oldest Goal scorers: Daniel Bennett ~ 38 years 9 months 18 days old (25 October 2016 vs Home United)
• Youngest ever debutant: Zikos Chua ~ 16 years 2 months 19 days old (On 4 July 2018 vs Young Lions)

Seasons

Season	League	Pos.	P	W	D	L	GS	GA	Pts	Singapore Cup	League Cup
1996-1	S.League	1st	14	9	1	4	27	14	28
1996-2		5th	14	6	3	5	20	16	21
1997		5th	16	6	7	3	23	18	25
1998		3rd	20	11	5	4	32	18	38	Group stage
1999		4th	22	9	8	5	33	21	35	Quarter-finals
2000		3rd	22	13	2	7	42	29	41	Third place
2001		1st	33	23	7	3	84	28	76	Runners-up
2002		3rd	33	17	8	8	80	39	59	Third place
2003		2nd	33	21	3–2	7	75	30	71	Runners-up
2004		7th	27	10	7	10	43	43	37	Semi-finals
2005		8th	27	7	5	15	38	57	26	Preliminary
2006		10th	30	6	5	19	22	62	23	Round of 16
2007		6th	33	10	9	14	43	44	39	Round of 16	Withdrew
2008		6th	33	13	6	14	56	57	45	Round of 16	Round of 16
2009		6th	30	12	4	14	36	39	40	Winners	Quarter-finals
2010		5th	33	12	11	10	32	30	47	Round of 16	Quarter-finals
2011		8th	33	13	2	18	43	63	41	Round of 16	Quarter-finals
2012		11th	24	5	6	13	28	50	21	Round of 16	Runners-up
2013		9th	27	8	8	11	31	38	32	Quarter-finals	Quarter-finals
2014		8th	27	8	8	11	33	34	32	Quarter-finals	Semi-finals
2015		8th	27	7	7	13	36	44	28	Quarter-finals	Semi-finals
2016		5th	24	10	7	7	35	29	37	Quarter-finals	Group stage
2017		4th	24	11	3	10	32	37	36	Preliminary	Semi-finals
2018	Singapore Premier League	8th	24	5	5	14	26	57	20	Quarter-finals
2019		5th	24	10	3	11	41	48	33	Third place
2020		4th	14	6	2	6	18	22	20
2021		6th	21	6	2	13	33	52	20
2022		4th	28	10	9	9	48	46	39	Group stage
2023		5th	24	10	3	11	41	52	33	Group stage

• The 1996 season of the S.League was split into two series. Tiger Beer Series winners Geylang United defeated Pioneer Series winners Singapore Armed Forces in the Championship playoff to clinch the S.League title.
• 2003 saw the introduction of penalty shoot-outs if a match ended in a draw in regular time. Winners of penalty shoot-outs gained two points instead of one.

Former managers

Manager	Season	Achievements
Andrew Yap	1973 – 1974
Haji Ahmad Bakri Fahrin	1974 – 1976	– 1974, 1976 President's Cup – 1974 FAS Division Three – 1975, 1976 National Football League Division One
Dennis Bent	1977 – 1978	– 1977 National Football League Division One
Cheng Meng Sak	1979	– 1978 President's Cup
Zayid Ramsay	1980 – 1988	– 1988 FAS Premier League
Ibrahim Awang [39]	1989	– 1989 FAS Premier League
Sulaiman Karim	1989 – 1991	– 1989, 1990, 1991 FAS Premier League – 1991 President's Cup
Subhash Singh	1991 – 1994	– 1992, 1993 FAS Premier League
Vincent Subramaniam	1994 – 1995	– 1995 President's Cup
Jalal Talebi	1 January 1996 – 12 March 1997	– 1996 S.League – 1996 Singapore FA Cup
Robert Lim	13 March 1997 – 14 October 1997
Douglas Moore	15 October 1997 – 31 December 1998
Alan Vest	1 January 1999 – 26 July 2000
Seak Poh Leong	17 July 2000 – 31 December 2000
Jang Jung	1 January 2001 – 31 December 2001	– 2001 S.League
Seak Poh Leong (2)	1 January 2002 – 26 August 2002
Jang Jung (2)	27 August 2002 – 30 November 2002
Scott O'Donell	1 January 2003 – 31 May 2005)
Seak Poh Leong (3)	1 June 2005 – 31 December 2005
Attaphol Buspakom	1 January 2006 – 8 August 2006
Lim Tong Hai	9 August 2006 – 4 October 2007
Joseph Herel	1 January 2008 – 22 October 2008
Lim Tong Hai (2)	23 October 2008 – 31 October 2008
Mike Wong	1 January 2009 – 16 March 2012
Kanan Vedhamuthu	17 March 2012 – 19 March 2014
Jörg Steinebrunner	21 March 2014 – 31 December 2015
Hasrin Jailani	1 January 2016 – 20 June 2017
Mohd Noor Ali	20 June 2017 – 1 February 2018
Hirotaka Usui	1 February 2018 – 29 September 2018
Mohd Noor Ali (2)	21 December 2019 – present

Notable Managers/Players

Coach

• Jalal Talebi (1996–97) [Managed Iran at the 1998 World Cup]

Players

• PJ Roberts ^{[40] [41]}
• Hamid Reza Estili [The former Iranian international left Geylang after two years with the club and would go on to seal his name in world football history when he scored in Iran's 2–1 win over United States in the 1998 FIFA World Cup]
• Mohammad Khakpour [Leaving Singapore after that season, Khakpour went on to captain the Iran national team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup]
• Fandi Ahmad
• Kadir Yahaya
• David Lee
• Chris Riley
• Yuki Ichikawa
• Yushi Yamaya

Club Captains

Year Captain 1974 Gulam Mohammad 1975 TBC 1976 TBC 1977 TBC 1978 TBC 1979 TBC 1980 TBC 1981 TBC 1982 TBC 1983 TBC 1984 TBC 1985 TBC 1986 TBC 1987 TBC 1988–1995 Razali Saad

Year Captain 1996 TBC 1997 TBC 1998 TBC 1999 TBC 2000 TBC 2001 TBC 2002 TBC 2003 TBC 2004 TBC 2005 TBC

Year Captain 2006 TBC 2007 TBC 2008 TBC 2009 TBC 2010 TBC 2011 TBC 2012 Yazid Yasin 2013 Jozef Kaplan 2014 Ridhuan Muhammad 2015 Jozef Kaplan 2016–2017 Isa Halim 2018 Anders Aplin 2019 Darren Teh 2020–2021 Yuki Ichikawa 2022 Zaiful Nizam 2023–present Joshua Pereira

Performance in AFC competitions

• AFC Champions League: 1 appearance

2002–03: Qualifying East – 3rd Round

• Asian Club Championship: 4 appearances

1989: Qualifying Stage

1990: Qualifying Stage

1991: Qualifying Stage

1998: First Round

• AFC Cup: 2 appearances

2004: Semi-finals

2010: Group stage

• Asian Cup Winners Cup: 2 appearances

1990/91: First Round

1991/92: First Round

Continental record

Season	Competition	Round	Opponents	Home	Away	Aggregate
2002-03	AFC Champions League	Qualifying Zone 2 Round 4	Shanghai Shenhua	3–0	2–1	5–1
2004	AFC Cup	Group E	East Bengal	2–3	1–1	2nd out of 4
			Island FC	1–0	0–5
			Negeri Sembilan	2–1	0–1
		Quarter-finals	Perak FA	3–2	1–2	3–5
		Semi-finals	Al-Wahda	0–1	1–1	2–1
2010	AFC Cup	Group H	Tai Po	1–1	1–1	3rd out of 4
			SHB Đà Nẵng	1–1	3–2
			Thai Port	0–1	2–2
2021	AFC Cup	Group I	Terengganu	Cancelled
			Visakha
			Lalenok United

Media controversies

2016 Post-season issues

On 7 November 2016, The Straits Times reported that Geylang International will not pay two of their players' December salaries. Former Singapore national captain Indra Sahdan and Carlos Delgado were affected. It is believed that the club docked Indra's salary as it is displeased that he missed many training sessions while Delgado had some disagreement with the management over money. Club chairman, Ben Teng revealed that as many as 12 players signed two-year full-time contracts at the beginning of this season. The management committee made most of the decisions regarding the handing out of contracts last season, before Teng came on board to replace Leong Kok Fann. Teng added that he has spoken to all the players and will intend to honour their contracts. In addition, some players, who supplemented their income by driving for Uber, have been ordered to stop such off-field activity. Teng revealed his concern and decided to impose a ban on such activities. The players have signed declarations that they do not have other employment outside of football. As professional, players should be focused on raising our playing standards and should not be distracted by off-field activities. ^[42]

2018 Foreign Players Recruitment

On 13 February 2018, Geylang International attempted to recruit foreign players online. The advertisement was swiftly removed once the public took notice of it. ^[43] Despite this, Geylang International continued to boast a crop of talented foreign players. Japanese central defender and fan favourite Yuki Ichikawa played in his 7th season with Geylang International during the 2020 Singapore Premier League season. Yuki will be remembered for scoring the dramatic last minute winner against his former club Albirex Niigata in the first game of the Eagles' 2019 season. Barry Maguire also starred for The Eagles in the 2019 season, scoring a tremendous long range goal against the Young Lions, winning the 2019 Singapore Premier League Goal of the Year award. ^[44]

External links

• Official website

References

1. "Matsumoto Yamaga Fans Chant For Geylang International | 🗣 Pre-Game chants of "Geylang, Geylang" by Matsumoto Yamaga supporters. The bond between the 2 clubs growing year on year. 🤝 Geylang International FC... | By Duncan Elias | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
2. "League tournaments to be resumed". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
3. "Surprise win by ICS". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
4. "Singapore - List of Cup Winners". RSSSF . Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
5. "Geylang wins S-League's Championship match". The Straits Times.
6. "Geylang United won their first Singapore Cup". xinmsn. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
7. "Patrick Ang to retire as Eagles chairman". TNP. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014.
8. "Why he was called Geylang's godfather". TNP. Archived from the original on 17 February 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
9. "Coach Mike Wong replaced as Geylang goes through internal reshuffling". Football OPOD. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016.
10. "Mike Out, Kanan In". TNP. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
11. "Mission Possible for Geylang". TNP. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014.
12. "Brunei DPMM are the Starhub League Cup 2012 Champions". Kallang Roar. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014.
13. "Geylang back to the golden days". GOAL. Archived from the original on 8 June 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
14. "Geylang set for 2013 season". TODAYonline Sports. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013.
15. "2013 Pre-Season Press Conference". gifcsg. Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
16. "Noor Ali to come out of retirement for geylang". Goal SG. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
17. "Geylang go gaucho". TNP. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014.
18. "Nazareno as new Eagles assistant coach". Goal SG. Archived from the original on 28 January 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
19. "Geylang in chaos". Goal SG. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
20. "Steinebrunner to replace Kanan as Eagles new coach". Yahoo. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014.
21. "Message from former Chairman – Mr Leong Kok Fann". GIFC. Archived from the original on 19 February 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
22. "Chairman Ben Teng's Message". GIFC. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
23. "S.League.com – Tampines Rovers FC". sleague.com. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
24. "Geylang boy Noor Ali returns to Eagles nest with sharp vision". Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
25. "Geylang midfielder Azri Suhaili, 16, is third youngest to play in SPL". 24 May 2019. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
26. "Football: Defending champions Albirex Niigata dumped out of the Komoco Motors Singapore Cup". The Straits Times. 23 October 2019. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
27. "Geylang International FC and City Football Group sign collaboration agreement - Geylang International FC". 1 February 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
28. cue (1 February 2023). "Football: Geylang are City Football Group's first Asean partner | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
29. cue (20 February 2023). "Football: Geylang International in $500k sponsorship deal with AI firm Rolos | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
30. "Geylang International and Matsumoto Yamaga FC reaffirm strong ties - Geylang International FC". 30 October 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
31. "Eight clubs to share four stadiums for 2019 Singapore Premier League season, move 'not permanent': FAS". Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
32. "Geylang International's 12th man; the Ultras Eagles | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
33. "We are the mighty eagles! - Geylang International FC". 22 February 2022. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
34. "Behind the Scenes- Photoshoot | 🦅 Behind the scenes of our team photoshoot and a preview to GIFC's inaugural anthem by Remy Fan … turn up your volume! 🔊 Evil Singing Pandas #geylangboleh | By Geylang International FC | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
35. "A big thank you to our sponsor #EPSON for your continuous support of GIFC. It is great to have you as part of our family #geylangboleh 🦅 | By Geylang International FC | Facebook". hi-in.facebook.com (in Hindi). Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
36. "Geylang International FC chairman Ben Teng hands over reins to Thomas Gay - Football Association of Singapore". Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
37. "New man at the helm of Geylang International". The New Paper. 13 February 2020. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
38. "President's Cup to ICS in first try". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
39. Joe Dorai (1 February 1989). "FAS consider four for national coach". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
40. "Kicking testicular cancer: Former footballer PJ Roberts' story". expatliving.sg. 13 May 2020. Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
41. "The game of his life". asiaone.com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
42. "Football: Cloud over Eagles amid lean times". The Straits Times. 7 November 2016. Archived from the original on 1 September 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
43. "S.League side Geylang International woos players online". Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
44. "Flashback Friday: Barry Maguire's thunderbolt | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.