Warriors FC

Warriors FC
Full name Warriors Football Club
Nickname(s) The Warriors
Founded 1975
Ground Choa Chu Kang Stadium
Choa Chu Kang, Singapore
Ground Capacity 4,600
Chairman Lam Shiu Tong
Head Coach Jorg Steinebrunner
League S.League
2015 5th

Warriors Football Club is a Singaporean professional football club that plays in the top-tier S.League. Before they officially changed their name on 20 January 2013,[1] they were previously known as the Singapore Armed Forces Football Club (SAFFC) since their establishment on 16 February 1996. Despite their name back then, membership of the Armed Forces was not a prerequisite for players representing the team, and several international players have played for them.

Using a rhino as club mascot was their second suggestion after the S.League rejected their initial proposal of having a warrior as being out of line with the policy of clubs having animal mascots.[2]

Warriors F.C. is currently the most successful club in the history of the S.League, having won the title a record nine times: in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014[3] and finishing second in 4 seasons: 1996, 1999, 2001, 2005. In the 15 years since the inception of the S.League, SAFFC have only finished outside the top two in 2003, 2004 and 2010.[4]

The Warriors was based in Jurong Stadium till 2000 before moving to their current home ground Choa Chu Kang Stadium in 2001. In light of the preparation of the 2015 SEA Games, the Warriors had to vacate Choa Chu Kang Stadium and will instead play their home matches at the Woodlands Stadium for the 2015 season instead.

History

1975 – 2006

The Singapore Armed Forces Sports Association (SAFSA) football team was formed in 1975 to provide talented footballers serving National Service with opportunities to play competitive football. That year, they won the President's Cup, a feat they repeated in 1978, when they also captured the National Football League title to complete The Double. Their Under-19 team won the national Under-19 title in 1979, 1980 and 1983, while the 1981 season of the National Football League saw the SAFSA football team emerge as champions without losing a game. The President's Cup was captured again in 1984 and 1986, the latter time as part of a second Double, as they also won the National Football League on goal difference. In 1990, the Pools Cup went to the SAFSA football team and their convincing displays led to their selection as one of eight clubs to compete in the newly formed S.League.[5]

Singapore Armed Forces FC's entry into the S.League in 1996 also resulted in the withdrawal of SAFSA from the NFL. SAFSA would not participate in the local football leagues again till 1999, when they rejoined the National Football League.

SAFFC finished second in 1996, 1999 and won the league in 1997 and 1998.

Former Singapore international Fandi Ahmad took over from Mladen Pralija in 1999.

Three coaches were at the reins during this period, each lasting only one season. SAFFC finished second in 2005 but otherwise outside the top two.

2006 – Present

Richard Bok took over as club head coach in 2006 & led the Warriors to 4 consecutive championship 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009.

In 2008, SAFFC became the first Singapore club to achieve the "double" back-to-back, after winning both the S.League and the Singapore Cup in 2007 and 2008.

In Asian Football Confederation Club competition, he led SAFFC to 2 Quarter Finals in 2007 & 2008. In 2009, SAFFC qualified into the AFC Champions League group stage by defeating Thai Champion PEA FC and PSMS Medan of Indonesia in the East playoff thus SAFFC making Singapore football history by being the first club from Singapore to qualified for the highest club competition in Asia.

Squad 2010

SAFFC were drawn in a group with J.League champions Kashima Antlers, K.League champions Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Chinese Super League runners-up Shanghai Shenhua, and despite being confirmed as the group losers after a 5–0 loss to Kashima Antlers in Japan, they managed to win their first ever point in the competition with a 1–1 draw against Shanghai Shenhua at home.

In 2010, SAFFC qualified for their second consecutive AFC Champions League group stage by defeating Sriwijaya of Indonesia 3–0 at Jalan Besar stadium in Singapore and won on penalty in the East playoff Final with Muangthong United F.C. of Thailand in Singapore. SAFFC were group with former Champion Gamba Osaka of Japan, Henan Jianye of China and again Suwon Samsung Bluewings of Korea. SAFFC got their first ever away points with a draw against Chinese Super League side Henan Jianye in Henan, China. Thus equalling their 1 point in 2009. In the return leg on 13 April 2010 at Jalan Besar stadium in Singapore, SAFFC record their first ever historical AFC Champions League win with a 2–1 victory over Henan Jianye. Eventually finishing 3rd in the group ahead of Chinese Super League team Henan Jianye putting SAFFC and Singapore football on the map in Asia Football.

On 20 January 2013, SAFFC announced that they had changed their name to Warriors Football Club ahead of the 2013 S.League season.[1]

Alex Weaver, in his first full season as coach of Warriors F.C., clinched the 2014 S.League title on the last day of the competition for the Warriors. With Brunei DPMM leading the table until the last day, the Warriors scored a 1–0 win over Albirex Niigata Singapore FC and they received a favour from Tampines Rovers FC, who beat Brunei DPMM 2–1 to hand Warriors F.C. their first title in 5 years and their 9th title in the league's 19 years history.

Seasons

Season S.League Singapore Cup Singapore League Cup
Pos P W D L F A Pts
1996-1 4th 14 5 3 6 27 25 18
1996-2 1st 14 9 5 0 32 14 32
1997 1st 16 12 1 3 42 11 37
1998 1st 20 14 4 2 46 17 46 Runners-up
1999 2nd 22 14 7 1 63 24 49 Winners
2000 1st 22 16 4 2 53 15 52 Runners-up
2001 2nd 33 24 2 7 101 46 74 2nd Runners-up
2002 1st 33 26 6 1 104 37 84 Quarter-finals
2003 3rd 33 20 2–5 6 68 37 69 Group stage
2004 4th 27 14 3 10 45 48 45 Quarter-finals
2005 2nd 27 15 7 5 54 41 52 Semi-finals
2006 1st 30 20 8 2 71 36 68 Quarter-finals
2007 1st 33 25 4 4 95 38 79 Winners Withdrew
2008 1st 33 24 5 4 85 34 77 Winners Quarter-finals
2009 1st 30 22 1 7 73 31 67 Round of 16 Runners-up
2010 4th 33 16 5 12 56 41 53 Round of 16 Quarter-finals
2011 3rd 33 21 3 9 74 39 66 Quarter-finals Quarter-finals
2012 7th 24 9 5 10 43 41 32 Winners Semi-finals
2013 7th 27 9 8 10 38 38 35 Preliminary Group stage
2014 1st 27 16 5 6 53 35 53 Preliminary Group stage
2015 5th 27 11 4 12 40 51 37 Quarter-finals Group stage

Players

S.League 2016 squad

As of 18 January 2016[6]

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

No. Position Player
1 Singapore GK Yazid Yasin
2 Singapore DF Zulfadli Zainal Abidin
3 Singapore DF Syaqir Sulaiman
4 Singapore DF Ismail Yunos
5 Japan DF Kento Fukuda
6 Singapore DF Madhu Mohana
7 Singapore MF Shaiful Esah
8 Singapore MF Emmeric Ong
9 Singapore MF Poh Yi Feng
10 Croatia MF Nikola Rak
No. Position Player
11 Singapore MF Hafiz Nor
13 Singapore DF Hafiz Osman
14 Singapore MF Ignatius Ang
15 Singapore MF Fazli Jaffar
17 Singapore MF Andy Ahmad
18 Singapore GK Shahul Rayyan Redzuan
19 Singapore MF Hafsyar Farkhan Hashim
20 Singapore GK Zainol Gulam
21 Singapore MF Hafiz Rahim
23 France FW Jonathan Béhé

Prime League Players

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

No. Position Player
Singapore MF Johari Hamdan
Singapore MF Suhairi Sabri
Croatia FW Karlo Ivancic
26 Singapore DF Illyas Lee Si Qin
27 Singapore DF Syazwan Zin
28 Singapore MF Aminshafie Saad
29 Singapore MF Razanoor Hisham
30 Singapore MF Syafil Yusof
31 Singapore DF Firdaus Sham
32 Singapore FW Gerald Gwee
No. Position Player
33 Singapore FW Hazim Faiz Hassan
34 Singapore MF Hariz Zulkefli
35 Singapore MF Fatemy Firdouse
36 Singapore MF Hafiz Sulaiman
37 Singapore DF Al-Afiq Hamzah
38 Singapore DF Aniq Iskandar
39 Singapore MF Sharin Majid
40 Singapore GK Nur Amin Malik
41 Singapore MF Zulhilmi Sokih
42 Singapore GK Abrisam Durrani

Club Officials

Management

Technical staff 2016





Former managers

Honours

Domestic

League

  • 1978, 1981, 1986

Cups

  • 1975, 1984, 1986

Performance in AFC competitions

2009: Group stage
2010: Group stage
2015: Second Qualifying Rounds
1999: First round
2000: Second round
2002: First round
2007: Quarter-finals
2008: Quarter-finals
2013: Group stage
2015: Group stage
1998: Second round
2001: First round

Sponsors

References

  1. 1 2 "SAFFC renamed as Warriors FC". ESPN Star.
  2. ↑ http://www.safwarriors.com.sg/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10&Itemid=11
  3. ↑ http://www.sleague.com/Web/main.aspx?ID=693b0933-5803-4580-a1bf-c0504756b2ee,,&TargetPageID=
  4. ↑ http://www.safwarriors.com.sg/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106&Itemid=38
  5. ↑ Malathi Das and Palakrishnan (1996), "S.League: the kick-off", Singapore Professional Football League Pte Ltd, p. 38
  6. ↑ S.League official website http://www.sleague.com/clubs-profile/warriors/team-profile. Retrieved 18 January 2016. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ "Warriors Football Club". Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "Warriors Special Bundle 2014!". Retrieved 19 October 2014.

External links

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