Lion City Sailors Football Club, commonly referred to as the Sailors or LCS, is a Singaporean professional football club based in Bishan. It competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of the Singapore football league system. Founded in 1945 as the Police Sports Association, the club renamed itself to Police FC in the inaugural 1996 S.League season, before rebranding once more as Home United in 1997. In 2020, it became first club in Singapore to be privatised under its current name.
It was the first privatised football club in the country. Owned by Forrest Li's Sea Limited, which is also a major local tech conglomerate, the club in its own vision aims to elevate the standards of football in Singapore and establish itself as an international powerhouse.[1] The club has signed several high-profile local and foreign players, breaking the league's transfer record numerous times in the process, together with owning its own training facility at MacPherson, and focusing on youth development. They won 3 league titles, a record 7 Singapore Cups and 3 Community Shields in their history.
History
The Police Sports Association was founded in 1945 to organize 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, the club won the inaugural President's Cup in 1968, then reached and lost the next two finals.
Home United (1997–2019)
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 nickname was the "Protectors" and its mascot, a dragon.
In 1999, Robert Alberts guided the club to secured their first ever piece of silverware guiding them to win the 1999 S.League title. Alberts also won the Singapore Cup back-to-back winning the 2000 and 2001 edition.
In 2003, head coach, Steve Darby guided Home United in becoming the first club to achieve the S.League and Singapore Cup double where he also steer the club to won the 2005 edition of the Singapore Cup.[2] Under Korean manager tutelage, Lee Lim-saeng who is also the longest tenure as head coach in the club history, guided Home United to win both the 2011 Singapore Cup and the 2013 Singapore Cup in his 4 years at the club.
In 2010, Home United hosted EFL Championship club Burnley as part of their pre-season trip to Singapore.[3]
The club had qualified to the AFC Cup for the tenth time with their best result in the 2004 AFC Cup where they reached the semi-final losing to Syrian club, Al-Jaish 6–1 on aggregate. In the 2018 AFC Cup group stage, Home United was drawn with Philippines side Ceres–Negros, Cambodia side Boeung Ket Angkor and Myanmar side Shan United with a tally of 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 lost seeing the Protectors qualifying to the AFC Cup knockout stage as group winners. Home United would go on to face Indonesian club, Persija Jakarta winning the two legged tie in a 6–3 aggregate where they would advanced to the zonal finals facing Ceres–Negros and eventually won 3–1 on aggregate against the Philippines side. Home United then qualified to the inter-zone play-off semi-finals of the AFC Cup facing North Korea side, April 25 where during the second leg of the tie, Home United suffered their worst ever defeat in the club history losing 9–1 at the Kim Il Sung Stadium.
Lion City Sailors (2020–present)
On 14 February 2020, the club was privatised for the first time in its history, when Singaporean billionaire Forrest Li announcing that he had purchased a 100% stake in the club.[4] The club was officially renamed as Lion City Sailors and its signature red colour was replaced with white and blue. The Sailors' main aim following its rebranding was to boost professionalism in Singaporean football, with becoming a Southeast Asian super club its long-term goal.[5] The new name, Sailors, was a homage to the country's maritime heritage. As it sets its sight on success in 2020, Lion City Sailors will be led by Australian head coach, Aurelio Vidmar, the former Socceroos captain. He joins after a hugely successful stint in Australia where he led Adelaide United to the 2008 AFC Champions League final, becoming the first Australian team to earn this distinction. Vidmar make a couple of stud signings including Singaporean stars, Hassan Sunny, Gabriel Quak and Shahdan Sulaiman, Japanese defender Kaishu Yamazaki, as well a prolific Australian striker, Andy Pengelly.
On 21 January 2021, the club created history by smashing the Singapore Premier League transfer record with the signing of midfielder Diego Lopes from Portuguese top-flight side Rio Ave for €1.8 million (S$2.89 million) on a three-year deal.[6]
With the motivation to rejuvenate the glory days, On 18 May 2021 Kim Do-hoon who led Korea Republic's Ulsan Hyundai to victory in 2020 AFC Champions League joined the Sailors on a two-and-a-half-year deal. During his first season, Kim led the Sailors to win the 2021 Singapore Premier League and the 2022 Singapore Community Shield. They also went on to qualify for their first ever AFC Champions League tournament. On 18 April 2022, the Sailors defeated the K League 1 club Daegu FC 3–0 in the 2022 AFC Champions League, their first AFC Champions League win since rebranding. They bounced back from an opening 4–1 defeat by the J1 League club Urawa Red Diamonds, before picking up four points in a goalless draw and 3–2 win over the Chinese Super League's Shandong Taishan. Sailors maiden AFC Champions League campaign ended with narrow 2–1 to Daegu in the final group stage fixture. Their tally of seven points is the best showing by a Singaporean side at the AFC Champions League.[7]
In the 2022 Singapore Premier League match against Tampines Rovers on 24 July 2022, as the Sailors was contesting in a draw nearing to the end of the match, around the 87th minute of the match, with the score levelled at 1–1, things became heated as Tampines forward Boris Kopitović confronted Sailors defender Nur Adam Abdullah near the sideline. Other players, as well as coaches and staff from both sides got involved in the tussle. Kim Do-hoon appeared to get involved in a heated argument with Tampines assistant Fahrudin Mustafić. Pedro Henrique went on to score a header in the injury time to secure the three points for the Sailors. The Football Association of Singapore handed a three-match ban with immediate effect, with Kim being fined $2,000 and Fahrudin $3,000, for their violent conduct. In addition, both Sailors and Tampines were fined $5,000. Less than 24 hours after Kim was handed a three-match suspension and fine for violent conduct, Lion City Sailors made the shocking announcement of a "mutual agreement" to part ways with the Korean coach.
On 12 August 2022, Luka Lalić was appointed as the interim coach till the end of the 2022 season. The following day, he guided Lion City Sailors to their biggest ever victory, 1–10 away against Young Lions.
On 8 November 2023, the Sailors defeated two-time AFC Champions League winners Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2–0, with Živković scoring both goals. They then won the 2023 Singapore Cup over defending champions Hougang United on 9 December.
For the 2024–25 Singapore Premier League season, Sailors made additions to their squad. On 26 February 2024, they signed Bart Ramselaar from Utrecht, the second most expensive signing in the league's history for a reported fee of €1.5 million (SGD$2.2 million). Lion City Sailors also signed Toni Datković from Spanish Segunda División side Albacete. On 7 March 2024, the Sailors announced the return of Song Ui-young since he left the club in 2023. On 4 May 2024, they won their third Singapore Community Shield after beating Albirex Niigata (S) 2–0, with Shawal Anuar and Maxime Lestienne scoring to secure the win. The Sailors also competed in both the inaugural 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two and the revived 2024–25 ASEAN Club Championship tournament.
Flying high in the AFC Champions League Two
With a losing streak in the ASEAN Club Championship, the Sailors turned their main focus on the inaugural AFC Champions League Two campaign, hosting Chinese club Zhejiang Professional in September. Club captain Hariss Harun broke the dreadlock in the 44th minute by scoring a volley from outside the box. In the 80th minute, Lestienne secured a 2–0 win with a skillful chip shot. In the next match against Indonesian side Persib Bandung at the Si Jalak Harupat Stadium on 24 October, both teams contested in a 1–1 draw after Maxime Lestienne delivered a cross towards Bailey Wright who scored a header to equalise for the Sailors. In the third fixture against Port at the Pathum Thani Stadium, Shawal Anuar scored a brace in the 14th and 17th minutes before the opponent scored a goal in the 55th minute. Later on, Song Ui-young scored in the 65th minute to secure a 3–1 away win which put the Sailors at the top of the table. After two disappointing results which saw the opponent come back from a two goal deficit to win the match, the Sailors needed to win in the final group stage fixture to successfully qualify for the knockout stage.
At a home game against Port on 5 December, Song Ui-young scored a hat-trick which secured a 5–2 win, seeing Lion City Sailors qualifying to the round of 16 as group leaders. During the round of 16 match against Muangthong United on 18 February 2025, Shawal Anuar set a record for the fastest goal in the competition history (18 seconds, beating the previous record of 26 seconds by Musa Barrow). The Sailors went on to grab a 3–2 win.[8] In the reverse fixture on 20 February, the team went on to beat Muangthong United 4–0, which saw Lion City Sailors advance to the quarter-finals. In the quarter-final first leg against J1 League club Sanfreece Hiroshima, Lion City Sailors were heavily defeated 6–1 at the Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima. However, they were awarded a 3–0 win due to the Japanese side fielding an ineligible player.[9][10] In the home fixture, Lennart Thy opened up the account for the hosts in the 20th minute, before Sanfrece scored in the 34th minute. The game ended up as a draw, with the aggregate score 4–1 for Lion City Sailors. Therefore, against all odds, they qualified to the semi-finals, facing Australian club Sydney FC.
Football academy
In February 2013, the club opened and operated a football academy named 'Home United Youth Football Academy' which comprises ten futsal courts, two full-size football pitches, an events plaza, staff offices, meeting rooms and a Sports Performance Centre.[11][12]
In June 2020, the launch of the new Lion City Sailors Football Academy was announced, along with further plans on youth development and its investments.[13] It was given a One-Star rating by the Asian Football Confederation.[14]
On 24 April 2021, Lion City Sailors announced the construction of a new training facility along Mattar Road that will be the home to the Sailors and as well as the club academy's scholars and trainees. The facility will, when completed, become Singapore's first fully-integrated football training centre.[15]
On 29 July 2022, Lion City Sailors officially opened its new S$10 million training centre boasting the finest facilities in the football ecosystem in Singapore.[1] Spanning 28,000 square meters, the training centre features five football pitches, one hybrid 11-a-side pitch, one artificial turf 11-a-side pitch, and three 7-a-side pitches which caters to the needs of grassroots, youth and senior team players. Besides the football pitches, the centre will also feature a fully equipped gym, physiotherapy rooms, a video analytics room, team locker rooms, a recreation room, as well as study rooms for academy trainees.[16]
On 4 June 2024, the academy was elevated to a Two-Star academy status by the AFC where they were particularly impressed by the high level of professionalism among the managerial staff, coupled with the concerted efforts towards aligning the youth academy’s goals with the first team's objectives. [17] LFSFA are one of only four academies in Southeast Asia to be conferred a Two-Star academy status alongside Johor Darul Ta'zim Academy, NFDP Mokhtar Dahari Academy in Malaysia and Chonburi Academy in Thailand.
Stadium
Bishan Stadium has been the home ground for the club since 1998
Bishan Stadium served as the home ground of Lion City Sailors where it has a seating capacity of 6,254. It was the home base for the football club (initially known as Home United) from its inception all the way to 2020. Following the conclusion of the 2020 Singapore Premier League season, the Bishan Stadium pitch was closed for play as it underwent returfing, causing the club to seek a temporary move to Jalan Besar Stadium for the time being. After two years and two Singapore Premier League seasons, Lion City Sailors headed back to Bishan Stadium for the 2023 Singapore Premier League season, fitted with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology. However the Sailors host their 2023–24 AFC Champions League home matches at the Jalan Besar Stadium as it match the specific requirements standard of the tournament.
In 2022, Lion City Sailors and 16-time Eredivisie champions, Feyenoord forged a 3-year partnership focused on youth development and education.[18] The commitment will see a series of youth development programmes, coaching, educational and professional exchanges as well as football training camps in the Netherlands, with Sailors supporting Feyenoord's brand exposure in Singapore.
On 24 March 2025, Lion City Sailors and V. League 1 club Công An Hà Nội announce a collaboration to commemorate significant milestones in both Vietnam and Singapore in connection with the visit of Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in Hanoi. The highlight of this partnership where both team will play a friendly match in 2025 where further details regarding the match, including the venue and date, will be announced at a later stage, bringing together two of the region’s top clubs in a celebration of sports and friendship, further underscoring the deep and expanding ties between Singapore and Vietnam at all levels where it honours Singapore’s 60th year of independence and Vietnam’s 80th year of independence. [19][20]
From 2021 until 2023, Lion City Sailors and eight-time Bundesliga champions, Borussia Dortmund had a partnership focused on youth development and knowledge sharing.[21] The commitment saw a series of youth development programmes, coaching, educational and professional exchanges as well as football training camps in Germany. This partnership was intended to harness the growing commitment to build a strong infrastructure for Singapore's youth football development and overall support the growth in areas of sports science, sports medicine, analytics and talent scouting.[22] Both club also played a friendly match at the Jalan Besar Stadium on 24 November 2022.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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