Singapore Armed Forces Football Club

Football club infobox
clubname = SAFFC


fullname = Singapore Armed Forces Football Club
nickname = The Warriors
founded = 1995
ground = Choa Chu Kang Stadium
Choa Chu Kang, Singapore
capacity = 4,000
chairman =
mgrtitle = Head Coach
manager = Richard Bok
league = S.League
season = 2007
position = 1
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pattern_la2=_redlower|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=_redlower|leftarm2=FFFFFF|body2=FFFFFF|rightarm2=FFFFFF|shorts2=FFFFFF|socks2=FFFFFF

The Singapore Armed Forces Football Club (SAFFC) is a professional soccer club which is currently the defending champion in Singapore's S.League. The club represents the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

SAFFC has won the S.League title a record six times – in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2007.

The team's nickname is the "Warriors", and their mascot is a rhino. Their home ground is the Choa Chu Kang Stadium.

Record

S.League Record

* 2007 - Champions
* 2006 - Champions
* 2005 - Runners-up
* 2004 - 4th place
* 2003 - 3rd place
* 2002 - Champions
* 2001 - Runners-up
* 2000 - Champions
* 1999 - Runners-up
* 1998 - Champions
* 1997 - Champions
* 1996 - Runners-up ("Series 1:" 4th place; "Series 2:" 1st place; lost 2-1 to Geylang United in the championship final)

Singapore Cup Record

* 2008 - TBD
* 2007 - Champions
* 2006 - Quarter-finals
* 2005 - Semi-finals
* 2004 - Quarter-finals
* 2003 - First Round
* 2002 - Quarter-finals
* 2001 - 3rd-place
* 2000 - Runners-up
* 1999 - Champions
* 1998 - Runners-up
* 1997 - Champions

Singapore League Cup Record

* 2008 - Quarter-finals
* 2007 - Did not take part

Other Cup Wins

* Singapore FA Cup - 1997

Performance in AFC Competitions

* Asian Club Championship: 3 appearances::1999: First Round::2000: Second Round::2002: First Round
*AFC Cup: 2 appearances::2007: Quarter-Finals::2008: Quarter-Finals
*AFC Cup Winners Cup: 2 appearances::1997/98: Second Round::2000/01: First Round

History

Prior to the formation of SAFFC for the S.League's inaugural season in 1996, the Singapore Armed Forces Sports Association (SAFSA) soccer team represented the SAF in top-level local football competitions from 1975-95. SAFSA won Singapore's National Football League (NFL) in 1978, 1981 and 1986, and the President's Cup in 1975, 1984 and 1986. Over the years, SAFSA's team included many outstanding players such as Hussein Aljunied, Dollah Kassim, Quah Kim Song, Lim Tien Jit, Muniandy Kumar, Seak Poh Leong, Lim Chiew Peng, Leong Kok Fann, Au-Yeong Pak Kuan, Malek Awab, V. Selvaraj, Salim Moin and Terry Pathmanathan. The objective of the SAFSA team was to provide opportunities for full-time National Servicemen and regular military personnel to contribute to the development of football in Singapore.

When S.League was formed in 1996, SAFSA withdrew from the NFL and SAFFC was formed to represent the SAF in the new professional league, with a team comprising a mix of foreign players, local professionals and full-time National Servicemen. The club was officially established on 16 February 1996. From 1996-2000, SAFFC played its home games at the Jurong Stadium. In 1999, SAFSA's football team resumed participation in the NFL (which became Singapore's second-tier league after the launch of the S.League). This enabled more talented football players enlisted in national service to play in a competive league competition even if they were not selected to play for SAFFC's S.League team.

In 2001, SAFFC moved into a new home stadium – the Choa Chu Kang Stadium.

SAFFC's mascot is a rhinoceros. Initially the club had wanted its mascot to be a warrior, however the S.League decided that all its clubs should have an animal mascot. The S.League proposed that SAFFC's mascot should be a wolf. However the club decided that the characteristics of the wolf did not reflect the image and character of the SAF, and instead opted for a rhino. The club's nickname, however, has always been the "Warriors".

Managers

*1995-1996: Ivan Raznevich
*1996-1998: flagicon|Singapore Vincent Subramaniam
*1998-1999: flagicon|CRO Mladen Pralija
*1999-2004: flagicon|Singapore Fandi Ahmad
*2004-2005: flagicon|ENG Jim Shoulder
*2005: flagicon|DEN Kim Poulsen
*2005- : flagicon|Singapore Richard Bok

Sponsors

* Main Sponsor: none
* Kit Supplier: Umbro

Current squad

"As of May 21, 2008"

Confirmed 2008 transfers

In

Out

External links

* [http://www.safwarriors.com.sg Official club website]
* [http://www.sleague.com/Web/main.aspx?ID=c3f63c48-d08a-40a3-bc42-f5497bfaabb0 S.League website page on SAFFC]