It was 1994 when it happened — Singapore won the Malaysia Cup with a stunning 4-0 victory against Pahang.

The win was written into the history books and Singaporeans from then on always remembered and celebrated our 1994 football team as the "Dream Team".

Fast forward two decades: a book titled The Year It All Made Sense was released in conjunction with SG50, recounting the stories and current lives of the footballers in the 20 years after the monumental event.

So, what are they up to now?

According to the book, by Singaporean photographer Lim Weixiang, many of those in the Dream Team remained in the sports industry even though they no longer played professionally.

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A good number went into football coaching, while some entered a football-related field.

Ex-defender Lim Tong Hai works as a sports and wellness lecturer at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), while former midfielder Malek Awab is a sales representative in a sports equipment company.

A rare few ventured into completely different industries, such as winger Zakaria Awang, who is now a senior financial services consultant with AIA.

But apart from getting Singaporeans up to speed with what the Dream Team is up to currently, the interviews also captured their views on the current football scene in Singapore and how they feel it can be improved.

Which we feel are pertinent enough to share with you at this time.

Glorious old days

Speaking to Mothership about why he took on this project, Lim shared some of his fondest childhood memories about football matches.

“For me, going to the National Stadium experiencing the Kallang Roar and watching my heroes — Fandi Ahmad, Malek Awab, David Lee, play, they were some of the best moments of my growing up years. I think it was the proudest I have ever felt as a Singaporean — when we defeated Pahang in the semi finals at the National Stadium to reach the Malaysia Cup Final."

However, as he learnt through his interviews with the 1994 football legends, the football scene in Singapore is no longer what it used to be.

Here are some of the points the former footballers raised:

#1: Culture around love for football has changed

As Singapore developed economically, the culture surrounding football also evolved.

In their accounts, winger/striker Steven Tan and defender/midfielder Rafi Ali recounted memories of how children in their time grew up with a profound dedication to football.

They would kick a ball around the void deck and whatever available spaces they could find. And those who could not afford to buy a proper ball would make their own balls with tape and newspaper.

Tan also fondly recalls that the fields at Farrer Park "would be full of teams" every day at five o’clock.

Things are different now, Rafi said.

And as Singapore grows more affluent, our "children have other things to spend their time on."

"We have lost some of that culture where every young boy was crazy about football."

#2: Lacking in youth development

When asked how the local football scene can improve, plenty of them are in agreement that developing young talent is the way forward.

According to Lim Tong Hai, a broad and solid "pyramid base" needs to be cultivated. There is the apex, consisting of National Team players, as well as a strong base consisting of youth players.

But now, there just aren't enough youths playing football, let alone those who are willing to continue honing their talent as professional players.

Former striker V. Selvaraj pointed out that many Singaporeans are under the impression that "sports cannot be a career."

As a result, a lot of them don’t continue with football practice and choose to focus on their studies instead.

This was also observed by Tan, who noted that most of the players on the pitches today are older working adults.

"Today, we have better pitches, artificial pitches everywhere, but the players are mostly older working adults. The youngsters are all at home studying for their exams. We need to get them out onto the pitches. But it’s a big challenge.”

#3: Importance of paper qualifications

Selvaraj also explained that "the Singaporean academic system has become more competitive".

During his time, he "played so much football", but he was still able to pass his exams.

Now, however, he says youngsters face "so much more pressure" as they are all "striving to get the top marks".

And given the importance of qualifications, it is no wonder that academic qualifications take priority over sporting goals.

Former defender Saswadimata Dasuki, who is now an assistant head coach at Home United Football Club, also observed that many of his students "miss their trainings" or "pull out of the team" to focus on important exams.

Some of them also turn up at practices late because of extra lessons, but he is understanding:

"I cannot fault them, because I know how important it is in Singapore to have paper qualifications."

This sentiment is echoed by Wang, whose advice to the younger generation is to study hard and have "something to fall back on".

"Chase your football dream, but study hard as well, so that you have something to fall back on. Don’t spend all your pay packet. Save for a rainy day. Remember, a footballer’s career is very short. In your free time, go for courses to upgrade yourself.”

We now live in a different era

Clearly, the circumstances back then were rather different from the Singapore we now know.

And while the past makes for great memories, Lim shared with Mothership his personal view that celebrating the achievements of those before us notwithstanding, we should always "move forward":

"Today we have a new more expensive stadium, but we have never managed to fill it. Our football has hit rock bottom, but I don't think going back to the past and going back to the Malaysian league is the answer. I mean it's a great memory, but we should move forward, focus on building our own league, and figure out how to make Singaporeans care about the National Football Team again.”

Top photo from here & Lim Weixiang