SINGAPORE (18 Jan 2021) – Putri Nur Syaliza Sazali will turn out for Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee in the United States after accepting a four-year scholarship.
She made history by becoming the first Singapore female footballer to be offered an overseas athletic scholarship.
“To be honest, I didn’t rate my chances at all, and I just wanted to try my luck,” Putri told FAS.org.sg.
“I hope that this (athletic scholarship) will spur and motivate other girls to pursue their passion in football since they now know that it is actually possible to achieve something like this.
“We just need to work hard and have faith in ourselves, and eventually everything will work out well.”
Putri will enroll in a course to major in Sports Management and also turn out for the university’s team, known as the Cumberland Phoenix.
The team participates in the Mid-South Conference Tournament of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and is preparing for the new season, which begins in mid-February 2021.
Putri is already a full international for Singapore following her debut in March 2018 – coming on as a substitute, Putri scored the opener in a 2-0 friendly against the Maldives at the National Stadium.
At 14 years and 353 days old, she became Singapore’s youngest-ever debutant and scorer at the international level.
Those marks have since been eclipsed by Danelle Tan, another promising young Lioness.
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