Young Lions FC
Association football club from Singapore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Young Lions Football Club, commonly known as Young Lions, is a developmental football club based in Kallang, Singapore, which competes in the Singapore Premier League. The team is under the control of the Football Association of Singapore.
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| Full name | Young Lions Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Merlion Cubs | ||
| Founded | 2002 | ||
| Ground | Jalan Besar Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 7,100[1] | ||
| Owner | Football Association of Singapore | ||
| Chairman | Farehan Hussein | ||
| Head coach | Firdaus Kassim | ||
| League | Singapore Premier League | ||
| 2025–26 | Singapore Premier League, 7th of 9 | ||
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Young Lions are one of the few football clubs in the world made up of young Singaporean footballers serving their compulsory two-year national service, which places an age restriction on team members while playing in a top-flight professional league. Players are on loan from several local Singapore Premier League clubs, and would spend two years with the side before returning.
Young Lions play their home matches at the Jalan Besar Stadium. Their best league finish was third, which they achieved in 2004 and 2006.
History
By entering the Young Lions into the S.League, the FAS hopes to expose young players to top-level competition, thus helping to prepare them for international tournaments such as the Southeast Asian Games. While the bulk of the Young Lions squad is made up of members of Singapore's national under-23 team, the club also takes in promising young foreign players (e.g. Luka Savić). However, foreign players are normally only recruited into the Young Lions squad if they could potentially change their nationality to Singaporean and be eligible to play international football for Singapore at some point in the future.
Malaysian domestic competition
In 2011, the Football Association of Singapore and the Football Association of Malaysia reached an agreement that would see greater cooperation between the two nations. One of the intended avenues would see Young Lions play in the Malaysian Super League and Malaysia Cup from 2012. The squad will be permitted up to five local players over the age of 14–16 players, as well as a number of overseas players in accordance with the quota set out by the rules of the Malaysian competitions.[2] Ultimately, a new team was created, the LionsXII, while the Young Lions remained in the S.League.
National Football Academy
Most of the Young Lions players come from the NFA (National Football Academy) and new players (from the NFA) will be promoted to the Young Lions squad every season.
The National Football Academy enters both the Singapore NFA U-17 and Singapore NFA U-18 teams into the Prime League to allow their players to gain more exposure and match experience by playing against older and more established players.[3]
Foreign players
In 2023, Young Lions signed the Japanese duo Jun Kobayashi and Kan Kobayashi from Albirex Niigata (S) becoming the first foreign players since France's Benjamin Bertrand from Tours in 2016. In preparation for the 2024–25 Singapore Premier League season, Young Lions signed two additional Japanese players, Kaisei Ogawa and Itsuki Enomoto, and the Australian Rashid Hayek from Western United, making it the first time the club had five foreigners in the squad. On 28 March 2025, Young Lions recorded their highest ever win during the 2024–25 Singapore Cup fixtures against Albirex Niigata (S) where Kaisei Ogawa became the second players in the club history to score four goals in one match since Zikos Chua against Tanjong Pagar United on 7 August 2022. After a reshuffle in the Football Association of Singapore seeing Forrest Li as the FAS new president in 2025, Young Lions saw a major overhaul in the club during the 2025–26 season where they signed a new partnership with Denmark manufacturing company Select, ending a deal with Nike after 17 years. The club also got a main sponsor for the front of their jersey with Chinese state-owned automobile company, Dongfeng. Young Lions also went on to sign a few youngsters from Brazil, including Abner Vinicius, Joilson, Lucas Agueiro and Sérgio Mendonça while they loaned a few under-21 foreign players from Lion City Sailors, such as Enrico Walmrath, Harry Spence and Benjamin Žerak.
Stadium
Young Lions have played at the Jalan Besar Stadium since their inception of participating in the S.League. The stadium can hold a seating capacity of 8,000. In 2012, As part of the LionsXII's sponsorship by Kingsmen, a local fan club, the King George's Stand was built using a removable stand, increasing the stadium's capacity to 10,000.
On 30 October 2012, an LED scoreboard was implemented at the Gallery stand to provide better quality video to the spectators, allowing replay video highlights of the action on the field during matchdays. Two new screens were also placed at the two ends of the Grandstand, North and South, to enable better match experience for the Gallery fans.
Kit suppliers and naming history
Young Lions kit was manufactured by local brand Tiger who than collaborate with Italian sportswear Diadora. The club was than sponsor by Japanese brand Maxell. In 2008, Young Lions alongside the Singapore national team kit was than manufactured by Nike. From 2011, Young Lions was sponsored by Courts where the club began to change it name to Courts Young Lions until 2015 where they was than sponsored by Garena thus changing the name to Garena Young Lions until 2017.
In August 2025, Young Lions signed a deal with Danish sportswear Select ending a 17 years contract with Nike. The club also partners with Chinese state-owned automobile company, Dongfeng as the club main sponsor.
Players
First-team squad
- As of 13 January 2026[6]
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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'B' squad
- As of 26 September 2025
The Young Lions B squad that is representing the team in the Singapore Premier League 2
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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Management and staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Team manager |  Sakthi Vel Ganesan |
| Head coach | Firdaus Kassim |
| Assistant coach | Fadzuhasny Juraimi Afiq Yahya |
| Goalkeeper coach | Ahmadulhaq Che Omar |
| Fitness coach | Donald Wan |
| Physiotherapist | Alex Poon |
| Sports trainer | Ryan Wang Jasmori Rasip |
| Equipment officer | Omar Mohamed |
Source:[7]
Notable foreign players
Craig Foster (1991)
Kazeem Babatunde (2003–2004)
Vladan Seric (2004)- Greg Nwokolo (2005)
Moudourou Moise (2006–2008)
Daniel Hammond (2008)- Obadin Aikhena (2008–2009)
- Luka Savić (2010)
Sirina Camara (2012)- Jonathan Toto (2012–2013)
Sherif El-Masri (2012–2015)
Benjamin Lee (2013)- Jordan Webb (2014–2016)
- Benjamin Bertrand (2016)
Armin Maier (2017)
Jun Kobayashi (2023–2025)- Kan Kobayashi (2023–2025)
- Itsuki Enomoto (2024)
- Kaisei Ogawa (2024–2025)
Coaching history
| No. | Head coach | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | P. N. Sivaji |
1 January 2003 – 31 December 2003 |
| 2 |  Kim Poulsen |
1 January 2004 – 31 December 2004 |
| 3 | Fandi Ahmad |
1 January 2005 – 31 December 2006 |
| 4 | V. Sundramoorthy |
1 January 2007 – 31 December 2008 |
| 5 | Terry Pathmanathan |
1 January 2009 – 13 January 2010 |
| 6 | V. Sundramoorthy (2) |
14 January 2010 – 31 December 2010 |
| 7 | Robin Chitrakar |
1 January 2011 – 13 January 2013 |
| 8 | Aide Iskandar |
14 January 2013 – 11 June 2015 |
| 9 |  Jürgen Raab |
1 July 2015 – 13 January 2016 |
| 10 |  Richard Tardy |
1 January 2016 – 15 February 2016 |
| 11 | Patrick Hesse |
15 February 2016 – 9 November 2016 |
| 12 | V. Selvaraj |
9 November 2016 – 17 May 2017 |
| 13 | Richard Tardy (2) |
17 May 2017 – 27 July 2017 |
| 14 | Vincent Subramaniam |
5 August 2017 – 14 December 2017 |
| 15 | Fandi Ahmad (2) |
14 December 2017 – 31 December 2019 |
| 16 | Nazri Nasir |
1 January 2020 – 10 March 2021 |
| 17 | Philippe Aw |
11 March 2021 – 31 December 2021 |
| 18 | Nazri Nasir (2) |
1 January 2022 – 31 December 2022 |
| 19 | Philippe Aw (2) |
1 January 2023 – 18 May 2023 |
| 20 | Fadzuhasny Juraimi (interim) |
18 May 2023 – 12 July 2023 |
| 21 | Nazri Nasir (3) |
13 July 2023 – 16 January 2025 |
| 22 | Fadzuhasny Juraimi (interim) (2) |
16 January 2025 – 25 June 2025 |
| 23 | Firdaus Kassim |
25 June 2025–present |
Records and statistics
As of 26 May 2026 after the 2025–26 season conclude.
Most appearances
| Rank | Player | Years | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afiq Yunos |
2008–2013 | 132 |
| 2 | Syahrul Sazali |
2016–2019
2021–2022 |
101 |
| Shahril Ishak |
2003–2006 | ||
| 4 | Hariss Harun |
2007–2011 | 90 |
| 5 | Amir Syafiz |
2021–present | 88 |
| 6 | Syazwan Buhari |
2010–2015 | 87 |
| Amirul Adli |
2011–2017 | ||
 Sherif El-Masri |
2012–2015 | ||
| 9 | Izwan Mahbud |
2008–2011
2026–present |
85 |
| 9 | Faritz Abdul Hameed |
2009–2012 | 83 |
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khairul Amri |
79 | 49 |
| 2 | Agu Casmir |
34 | 31 |
| 3 | Shahril Ishak |
101 | 20 |
| 4 | Sherif El-Masri |
87 | 18 |
| Qiu Li |
27 | ||
| 6 | Khairul Nizam |
57 | 15 |
| 7 | Jordan Webb |
39 | 14 |
| Shi Jiayi |
66 | ||
| 9 | Ilhan Fandi |
33 | 13 |
 Itsuki Enomoto |
19 | ||
| 10 | Sahil Suhaimi |
38 | 12 |
Team records
- Biggest wins
- 7–1 vs Sinchi on 23 September 2004
- 7–1 vs Albirex Niigata (S) on 28 March 2025
- Heaviest Defeats
- 1–10 vs Lion City Sailors (13 August 2022)
- Youngest goal scorer
- Khairin Nadim, 16 years 6 months and 9 days (On 17 November 2020 vs Tampines Rovers)
- Oldest goal scorer
- Khairul Amri, 31 years 6 months and 11 days (On 1 April 2023 vs Geylang International)
- Youngest debutant
- Raoul Suhaimi, 15 years 7 months 27 days (15 May 2021 vs Albirex Niigata (S))
Notable Hat-tricks
| Key | |
|---|---|
| 4 | Player scored four goals |
| * | Opponent was the home team |
| Player | Score | Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agu Casmir |
7–1 | Sinchi | 23 September 2004 |
| Qiu Li |
5–0 | Geylang United | 22 March 2006 |
| Khairul Amri |
4–2 | Woodlands Wellington | 19 May 2006 |
| Qiu Li (2) |
0–5 | Balestier Khalsa* | 7 June 2006 |
| Khairul Amri (2) |
0–3 | Sporting Afrique* | 6 July 2006 |
| Zikos Chua4 |
4–2 | Tanjong Pagar United | 8 July 2022 |
| Kaisei Ogawa4 |
7–1 | Albirex Niigata (S) | 28 March 2025 |
Club captains
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| 2004–2013 | TBC |
| 2014–2015 | Al-Qaasimy Rahman |
| 2016 | Khairul Amri |
| 2017 | Shahrin Saberin |
| 2018 | Taufiq Muqminin |
| 2019–2022 | Jacob Mahler |
| 2023 | Harhys Stewart |
| 2024–2025 | Ryaan Sanizal |
| 2025–present | Amir Syafiz |
Personal awards
Domestic
- League Young Player of the Year
Hariss Harun (2010)
Others
- People's Choice Award
- Agu Casmir (2004)
- Khairul Amri (2006)
- Safuwan Baharudin (2011)
Season by season record
| Season | League | Pos. | Pld | W | D | L | GS | GA | Pts | Singapore Cup | League Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | S.League | 12th | 33 | 6 | 1–5 | 21 | 33 | 77 | 25 | Quarter-finals | |
| 2004 | 3rd | 27 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 74 | 52 | 47 | Quarter-finals | ||
| 2005 | 6th | 27 | 12 | 6 | 9 | 44 | 37 | 42 | Quarter-finals | ||
| 2006 | 3rd | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 67 | 43 | 52 | Quarter-finals | ||
| 2007 | 5th | 33 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 45 | 54 | 47 | Preliminary | Withdrew | |
| 2008 | 9th | 33 | 7 | 10 | 16 | 30 | 46 | 31 | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | |
| 2009 | 8th | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 33 | 48 | 34 | Preliminary | Group stage | |
| 2010 | 9th | 33 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 37 | 45 | 34 | Semi-finals | Preliminary | |
| 2011 | 9th | 33 | 7 | 6 | 20 | 33 | 54 | 27 | Withdrew | Withdrew | |
| 2012 | 10th | 24 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 25 | 37 | 23 | Withdrew | Group stage | |
| 2013 | 12th | 27 | 5 | 3 | 19 | 20 | 52 | 18 | Preliminary | Group stage | |
| 2014 | 10th | 27 | 7 | 5 | 15 | 38 | 54 | 26 | Did not participate | Did not participate | |
| 2015 | 9th | 27 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 30 | 43 | 27 | Did not participate | Did not participate | |
| 2016 | 9th | 24 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 23 | 70 | 9 | Preliminary | Did not participate | |
| 2017 | 9th | 24 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 10 | 62 | 6 | Did not participate | Did not participate | |
| 2018 | Singapore Premier League | 7th | 24 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 25 | 46 | 21 | Did not participate | |
| 2019 | 8th | 24 | 6 | 4 | 14 | 21 | 38 | 22 | Did not participate | ||
| 2020 | 7th | 14 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 12 | 38 | 9 | Not Held | ||
| 2021 | 7th | 21 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 26 | 50 | 16 | Not Held | ||
| 2022 | 8th | 28 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 34 | 103 | 8 | Group Stage | ||
| 2023 | 9th | 24 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 24 | 76 | 5 | Group Stage |
- 2003 saw the introduction of penalty shoot-outs if a match ended in a draw in regular time. Winners of penalty shoot-outs gained two points instead of one.