SINGAPORE (8 Fab 2017) – The FA of Singapore (FAS) and the S. League are pleased to announce that Great Eastern has extended their co-title sponsorship of Singapore’s only professional sports league for another two years, bringing the partnership to a decade.
To celebrate Singapore football and involve the wider community, the season-opening Great Eastern Community Shield will be played at the Singapore Sports Hub, making it the first S.League match to be played at the iconic venue.
Albirex Niigata FC (S) will face Tampines Rovers FC on Sunday 26 February 2017 at 6.00pm. Tickets for the match will go on sale from Wednesday 8 February onwards.
Commented Khor Hock Seng, Group CEO, Great Eastern Holdings: “Great Eastern is pleased to continue our co-title sponsorship of the Great Eastern-Yeo’s S.League for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. As a LIFE company, our focus is to promote health and wellness to the community at large. Football is the ultimate team sport. While it encourages individual skills and abilities, it requires great team collaboration anchored on hard work and commitment – values which we champion at Great Eastern.
“We look forward to partnering S.League to bring football closer to the community and we are excited that this year’s Great Eastern Community Shield, the curtain-raiser for the 2017 season, will be held at the iconic National Stadium for the first time.
“At Great Eastern, we believe in making a meaningful difference. Towards this end, we are once again leveraging the Great Eastern Community Shield to raise funds for needy school children through the generous contributions from our employees, distribution force and business partners.
“On and off the field, everyone, including our 400 beneficiaries, can expect a memorable time.”
Lim Kia Tong, President of the Football Association of Singapore’s Provisional Council, hailed the twin developments, saying: “The S.League is the apex of our football pyramid, and is hugely important to Singapore. While we have been working hard to expand the base of the pyramid, it is also essential for us to keep the top healthy – we believe this sponsorship extension is a solid testament of our stakeholders’ faith in what we are doing, and in the upward trajectory of Singapore football. Great Eastern has been a true friend of local football, and we are delighted to celebrate this relationship by having the Great Eastern Community Shield as the first-ever S.League match at the new National Stadium.”
Added Manu Sawhney, Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Sports Hub: “As an ardent supporter of local football, we are delighted to host the 2017 Great Eastern Community Shield and kick off this year’s local football season for the first time at the National Stadium. With this, and our hosting of Singapore’s female footballers in December 2016, we look forward to more such opportunities to present local football at the Sports Hub in close collaboration with the FAS.”
There will be activities at the Football Fanzone located at the OCBC Square from 2.00-6.00pm. The Fanzone will not only feature activity booths organised by the S.League clubs and appearances by their mascots and S.League players, but also the Community Shield Kids’ Football Tournament contested by 12 teams from 3.00-5.00pm.
The teams – eight from the S.League clubs and four teams consisting of 40 beneficiaries of The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund – will comprise Under-12 players.
There will also be performances by cheer dancers from Albirex Niigata FC (S), as well as a performance by Soul Percussion Club from ITE College East from 4.00pm onwards at the Fanzone.
Tickets for the match are priced at $4 (excluding $1 booking fee). They will be available from 9.00am on Wednesday 8 February via www.sportshubtix.com, and from 10.00am via the Sports Hub Box Office, SingPost outlets and the Sports Hub hotline (+65 3158 7888). Entry is complimentary for children aged 12 and below, and senior citizens aged 60 and above.
The Great Eastern Community Shield match will also serve as a S.League fixture. The result after 90 minutes of regulation time will be taken into account for the league table, but should there be a tie, the match will then go to penalties to decide which team wins the first silverware on offer this season. There will be no extra-time. Click here for the full list of 2017 S.League fixtures.
Please see below for the details of the Great Eastern Community Shield 2017:
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