Tampines Rovers FC

Tampines Rovers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Tampines, Singapore, that play in the S.League. Founded in 1945, they have won the national league championship five times, the Singapore Cup thrice and the ASEAN Club Championship once. Their home ground is the Tampines Stadium and their main rivals are Geylang United FC, with whom they contest the Eastern Derby.

History

Several football enthusiasts from Tampines decided to form a football club in 1945. After many name changes, they finally decided on "Tampines Rovers" as the official club name. The Stags spent the 1950s and 1960s competing in the Singapore Amateur Football Association League, where they were among the top teams, until they were placed in Division II of the newly formed National Football League in 1974.^[1] 1975 was a watershed year for Tampines, as they were promoted to Division I after winning all their league matches and reached the President's Cup final, where they lost 0-1 to the Singapore Armed Forces Sports Association in front of a national record crowd of 30,000. They continued to challenge for honours for the next decade, reaching another President's Cup final in 1978,^[2] then emerging as national champions in 1979, 1980 and 1984.^[1]

In 1988, Tampines were relegated to the second tier, where they languished for several years. To arrest the decline, some fans and former players sparked a reorganisation of the club. Under a new management team, Tampines won their league in 1994 and their convincing displays led to their selection as one of eight clubs to compete in the newly formed S.League.^[1] However, in its inaugural season, the Stags finished last in the Tiger Beer Series and seventh in the Pioneer Series.^[3][4] Two sixth-place finishes in 1997 and 1998 were followed by a tenth-place finish in 1999.^[5][6][7] The turn of the millennium saw the Stags undergo an overhaul, which included the signing of 13 new players.^[8] This was not, however, matched by an immediate improvement; they were seventh in 2000 and sixth the year after.^[9][10]

In 2002, Tampines secured the services of Malaysian coach Chow Kwai Lam,^[11] who guided them to the Singapore Cup and two fourth-place finishes.^[12][13][14] Under the next coach, Vorawan Chitanavich, Tampines netted the S.League and Singapore Cup double in 2004.^[15] The following season, they successfully defended their S.League title, were named the 'S.League Team of the Decade' and became the first Singapore team to win the ASEAN Club Championship.^[16] The Stags were Singapore Cup champions in 2006,^[17] but finished runners-up to SAFFC in the S.League.^[18] In 2011, Tampines Rovers won the S-League for the 2011 season. They won by Home United FC with just 1 point.

Crest and colours

The club selected the stag as its animal mascot as the animal is a symbol of wisdom, its antlers are associated with the tree of life and in Chinese culture, it is a symbol of virility.^[19]

Honours

Singapore League Cup Record

• 2007 - Quarter-finals
• 2008 - Quarter-finals
• 2009 - Quarter-finals
• 2010 - Quarter-finals
• 2011 - 3rd Place

Stadium

Tampines Rovers play their home games at the Tampines Stadium, which opened on 1 April 1989 and has a capacity of 3,580.^[20]

Current squad

As of 1 April 2011^[20]

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

Prime League Squad

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

References

External links

• Official club website
• S.League website page on Tampines Rovers FC