Singapore National Football League
The National Football League, commonly known as the NFL, is an amateur competition for clubs that are affiliated to the Football Association of Singapore.[1] It makes up the second, third and fourth tier of football in Singapore behind the professional S.League, which was established in 1996.
There are three divisions in the league, with 10 teams making up each division. The league features promotions and relegations for all the teams in all three divisions, where the top two teams of a division will be promoted to the upper division, and the last two of a division will be relegated to the lower division.
The teams play a two-round league format, with a Home-Away format, making the total number of matches played by each team in one season to 18 matches.
Although it is an amateur competition, several former Singapore internationals and S.League players are playing in the NFL such as Azhar Baksin (Admiralty FC), Ishamuddin Baroocha (Jollilads Arsenal), Hilmi Azman (Police Sports Association) and Jasper Chan (Eunos Crescent).
Past champions
In 1975, the FAS revamped the existing league structure involving 118 teams into a three-tier league system with ten teams in each division.[2] The top tier of the football league system was replaced by the FAS Premier League from 1988, and the S.League from 1996.
Division One
Season | Winners | Runners-up |
---|---|---|
1975 | Geylang International | |
1976 | Geylang International | |
1977 | Geylang International | |
1978 | Singapore Armed Forces | |
1979 | Tampines Rovers | |
1980 | Tampines Rovers | |
1981 | Singapore Armed Forces | |
1982 | Farrer Park United | Police |
1983 | Tiong Bahru | Toa Payoh United |
1984 | Tampines Rovers | Farrer Park United |
1985 | Police | Farrer Park United |
1986 | Singapore Armed Forces | Tiong Bahru |
1987 | Tiong Bahru | Tampines Rovers |
2016 | Eunos Crescent |
For the 1987 season, the teams play each other once in a league format. The top eight placed teams in the league progressed to a knock-out stage to determine the champions.[3] League stage winners Tiong Bahru defeated 4th-placed Tampines Rovers 2–1 in the final to clinch the championship.[4][5]
Reference: [6]
NFL 2012 Season
At the end of the 2011 season, Keppel Monaco Football Club and Tiong Bahru Football Club were promoted to Division 1 while Kaki Bukit SC and Prison Sports and Recreation Club were relegated to Division 2.
In addition to that, there was only 1 team promoted to Division 2 (Sporting Westlake Football Club) and 1 team relegated to Division 3 (Summerville Football Club).
In the NFL 2012 season, the Division 1 and Division 3 leagues featured 10 teams each, while the Division 2 league featured 9 teams only.
Division 3 club, Siglap CSC, also made it to the Singapore Pools FA Cup final, where they were defeated by Balestier Khalsa's Prime League team by 2 goals to nil.[7]
The clubs which participated the NFL in the current 2012 season, as well as their final standings in their respective leagues, are as follows:[8]
NFL Division 1 2012 Final Standings
Position | Team | Played | Points | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Singapore Recreation Club | 18 | 44 | Champions |
2 | Singapore Cricket Club | 18 | 37 | Runners-Up |
3 | Tiong Bahru Football Club | 18 | 36 | |
4 | Police Sports Association | 18 | 29 | |
5 | Keppel Monaco Football Club | 18 | 25 | |
6 | Eunos Crescent Football Club | 18 | 24 | |
7 | Sembawang Sports Club | 18 | 21 | |
8 | Ang Mo Kio United Football Club | 18 | 16 | |
9 | Singapore Armed Forces Sports Association | 18 | 14 | Relegated to Division 2 |
10 | Borussia Zamrud Football Club | 18 | 4 | Relegated to Division 2 |
Last updated: 25 October 2012
Source: http://d2dsports.footballopod.com/D2D_Home.aspx?id=127&leagueid=74
NFL Division 2 2014 Final Standings
Position | Team | Played | Points | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Yishun Sentek Mariners | 16 | 43 | Champions (Promoted to Division 1) |
2 | Siglap CSC | 16 | 38 | Runners-Up (Promoted to Division 1) |
3 | Katong Football Club | 16 | 34 | |
4 | Bishan Barx | 16 | 25 | |
5 | Starlight Soccerites | 15 | 17 | |
6 | Prisons Sports and Recreation Club | 16 | 14 | |
7 | Kaki Bukit Sports Club | 16 | 13 | |
8 | Tampines Vipers | 16 | 6 | Relegated to Islandwide League |
9 | Sembawang Sports Club | 15 | 6 | Relegated to Islandwide League |
Last updated: 25 October 2012
Source: http://d2dsports.footballopod.com/D2D_Home.aspx?id=127&leagueid=74
NFL Division 3 2012 Final Standings
Position | Team | Played | Points | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gambas Avenue Sports Club | 18 | 40 | Champions (Promoted to Division 2) |
2 | Summerville Football Club | 18 | 34 | Runners-Up |
3 | Mountbatten Football Club | 18 | 31 | |
4 | Redhill Rangers Football Club | 18 | 30 | |
5 | Starlight Soccerites Football Club | 18 | 28 | |
6 | Siglap Community Sports Club | 18 | 23 | |
7 | Ottawa Serpents Football Club | 18 | 23 | |
8 | Dare to Dream Football Club | 18 | 21 | |
9 | Nanyang Community Sports Club | 18 | 13 | |
10 | Newton Heath Football Club | 18 | 9 | |
Last updated: 25 October 2012
Source: http://d2dsports.footballopod.com/D2D_Home.aspx?id=127&leagueid=74
See also
References
- ↑ "National Football League". Football Association of Singapore.
- ↑ Dorai, Joe (7 February 1975). "'Super' league will bring soccer to doorstep". The Straits Times. p. 31.
- ↑ Dorai, Joe (3 January 1987). "Doorstep, rather than lip, service". The Straits Times. p. 33.
- ↑ Dorai, Joe (24 February 1987). "Bedok now made a top venue". The Straits Times. p. 27.
- ↑ Siow, Peter (26 March 1987). "Tiong Bahru rule in rugged final". The Straits Times. p. 31.
- ↑ "Singapore - List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ↑ "Historic Double for Balestier Khalsa Prime League". Football OPOD.
- ↑ "NFL 2012 Match Reports". Football Association of Singapore.