How would you react if you wake up one morning and discover that the S-League no longer exists?

The S-League, into its 20th year, is a football competition the vast majority of Singaporeans don't care about. Ironically though, in terms of sports spectatorship or viewership, Singaporeans are most interested in football.

Some may question why, after decades of nationwide apathy, the S-League hasn't been scrapped or at least gone through a major revamp.

Stop avoiding ugly truths

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) would very likely be up in arms over any calls to hit 'Delete' on the S-League.

The FAS has been steadfastly defending its premier league for years, blaming the huge accessibility of foreign leagues on cable TV for dismally low S-League attendances.

It seems the FAS doesn't understand what motivates Singaporean football fans. Does anyone seriously think that if we had limited access to European leagues, we would start flocking to S-League stadiums?

The FAS should admit the S-League is a failed brand that doesn't resonate with Singaporeans.

One may choose to avoid the ugly truths. However, the problem is: You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.

FAS' regressive target

FAS president Zainudin Nordin recently said that a realistic attendance target “should be between 1,000 and 5,000 fans”. Such a range means that even if the average attendance for the upcoming S-League season, which kicks off this Sunday, is 1,000, the FAS could still claim that the average crowd turnout has met its target.

Last year's average attendance was 1,300. So why is the FAS chief taking Singapore football backwards by accepting a lower figure of 1,000 for this year?

It's not about jobs

Some don't want to see the death of the S-League because it will cause job losses.

But the primary purpose of the S-League isn't about providing employment for a small segment of the population – players and club officials.

The objective of any national football league is to create a competitive environment in which a country's elite players can improve and become good enough to compete on the international stage.

Sadly, the S-League appears to be losing its relevance in this regard. Of the 22-man Singapore squad for the 2012 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championship, only 10 were S-League players. This figure dropped to eight for last year's AFF Championship.

A football ecosystem sans S-League

While I'm not advocating the scrapping of the S-League, the FAS should nevertheless consider a possible replacement.

Reviving the Singapore Business Houses Football League, popular during the 1970s and 1980s, and making it a semi-professional competition could be the best way to increase corporate sponsorship of Singapore football. With corporations fielding their own teams, they would be much more likely to invest in the sport.

If you think that replacing a professional league with a semi-professional one isn't the way to go, look at the achievement of New Zealand's semi-professional club, Auckland City FC. The Kiwi part-timers are officially the world's No. 3 club.

Michael Y.P. Ang is a Singaporean freelance journalist. He worked at the former Singapore Sports Council before covering local and international sports for Channel NewsAsia for several years. Follow his Facebook page Michael Ang Sports for commentaries on sports issues that matter to Singaporeans.

Top photo from S League Facebook. 

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