Young Lions (Singapore)

The Young Lions are an under-23 football team from Singapore. Most of the members of the squad are players from Singapore's national under-23 team. The team comes under the direct control of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), but is managed as a football club and has competed in Singapore's top club competition – the S.League – since 2003. By entering the Young Lions in 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. As such, the Young Lions are one of the few football clubs in the world which place an age restriction on team members while playing in a top-flight professional league. The Singaporean members of the Young Lions squad also represent the country at under-23 international tournaments.

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. 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.

The aim of creating the club was to give young Singaporean players who had shown talent and a potential the opportunity for further exposure in Singapore's top league. It was also hoped that keeping the bulk of the national under-23 squad together at club level would improve Singapore's chances in the international arena, particularly at the Southeast Asian Games (where only under-23 players are allowed to compete in the football competition).

Young Lions play their league matches at the newly re-turfed Jalan Besar Stadium. Their best S.League finish was third-place in 2004 and 2006.


Competitive Record
S.League Record
2008 - 9th place
2007 - 5th place
2006 - 3rd place
2005 - 6th place
2004 - 3rd place
2003 - 12th place (Wooden Spoonist)

Singapore Cup Record
2009 - First Round
2008 - 4th place
2007 - First Round
2006 - Quarter-finals
2005 - Quarter-finals
2004 - Quarter-finals
2003 - Quarter-finals

Singapore League Cup Record
2009 - First Round
2008 - 4th place
2007 - Did not take part