Singapore Premier League champions Albirex Niigata to 'become local club' in policy shift

SINGAPORE: Singapore Premier League defending champions Albirex Niigata on Wednesday announced a shift in policy from being a club with mainly Japanese professionals to one with predominantly Singaporean players.

A satellite team of Japanese first-division side Albirex Niigata, it joined the SPL - then called the S.League - in 2004 at the invitation of the Football Association of Singapore , in a bid to boost flagging attendance numbers. In a statement released on its website, Albirex noted that it first started acquiring Singaporean players in 2018, with approval from the league."Since then, we have been getting more local players, and we have been creating an environment for the development of youth players by launching an academy," it said.The most prominent Singaporean to feature for AIbirex was Ilhan Fandi - son of football legend Fandi Ahmad - who bagged 17 goals as the club stormed to the 2022 title.

Albirex chairman Daisuke Korenaga described going local as"completely different from previous challenges". "I believe that we have 3 tasks: To help the Singapore national team become stronger, to increase the presence of football in Singapore and to be the top sport that connects communities," he said.CNA has contacted Albirex and FAS for further comment.

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