Singapore, 2 March 2021 – The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) today announced that it has renewed its title sponsorship of the Singapore Premier League (SPL) with leading life insurer AIA Singapore.

 

Under this new agreement, AIA Singapore will continue to support the nation's only professional sports league through to the 2022 season, with the option to extend for an additional three years thereafter.

 

The renewal, which officially took place this afternoon at the Jalan Besar Stadium, reflects the continued growth of the SPL and commitment of both FAS and AIA to developing local football talents.

 

 

In addition to the sponsorship, both parties will collaborate on several initiatives to be rolled out over the course of the partnership, including rewarding the AIA Player of the Month and AIA Young Player of the Month during the SPL season. This will complement the AIA Player of the Year accolade, which is bestowed at the end of every season.

 

To engage fans and the wider community, the FAS and AIA Singapore are exploring opportunities to involve SPL stars and leverage AIA's global ambassadors and partnership with Tottenham Hotspur. Other activities include specific match-viewing events for fans and community football clinics for youth players in schools conducted by SPL footballers, FAS coaching staff and Tottenham Hotspur coaches. AIA Singapore will also continue to collaborate with SPL clubs and players to roll out interactive initiatives online to further drive and enhance fan participation.

 

Additionally, local coaches will have the opportunity to attend coaching education seminars conducted by Tottenham Hotspur's Global Development coaches, which will facilitate the exchange of best practices in technical training, as well as share insights into the training methodologies of a top football club.

 

FAS President, Mr Lim Kia Tong, said: "We are delighted to be able to continue working with AIA Singapore, who have displayed steadfast commitment to lifting local football standards since becoming the title sponsor of the SPL two years ago. This partnership has certainly helped to improve the vibrancy of the Singapore football scene not just from the perspective of our professional league but also in various other aspects such as coaching. It is heartening to be able to strengthen our relationship with AIA Singapore and have their continued unwavering support, particularly in these challenging times in an uncertain economic climate. I look forward to forging closer ties with AIA Singapore as a valued stakeholder of local football and am certain that there will be many more fruitful collaborations to come."

 

Ms Wong Sze Keed, Chief Executive Officer of AIA Singapore, said, "AIA's strong ties with football through our global partnership with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (Spurs) makes supporting local football a natural choice and, we are pleased to extend our existing partnership with the Football Association of Singapore (FAS). Through this collaboration with FAS, we are committed to actively supporting our nation of developing local football talents while also, engaging and bringing football even closer to the community, helping us to deliver on our brand promise of enabling healthier, longer and better lives in Singapore."

 

The 26th season of Singapore's professional football league is scheduled to get underway on 13 March 2021. The opening day will see defending champions Albirex Niigata FC (S) take on Hougang United and Lion City Sailors FC host Tampines Rovers FC.

 

With Covid-19, the AIA Community Shield has been rescheduled to 19 June 2021, where Albirex Niigata (S) will face Tampines Rovers at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

 

 

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The Football Association of Singapore is responsible for developing and advancing the game at all levels. Providing a structure for the game to flourish and governing the running of football in Singapore, the FAS also ensures that the Laws of the Game are adhered to, from the professional league to amateur leagues.

 

The FAS also manages the organisation and running of league and cup competitions, the stewardship of international teams, the establishment of youth development, women's football, refereeing and coaching frameworks.

 

The mission of the FAS is to enhance lives by leading innovative development of competitive and recreational football in Singapore together with all our partners.

 

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AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively "AIA" or the "Group") comprise the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. It has a presence in 18 markets in Asia-Pacific – wholly-owned branches and subsidiaries in Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan (China), Vietnam, Brunei, Macau SAR, New Zealand, and a 49 per cent joint venture in India.

 

The business that is now AIA was first established in Shanghai more than a century ago in 1919. It is a market leader in the Asia-Pacific region (ex-Japan) based on life insurance premiums and holds leading positions across the majority of its markets. It had total assets of US$291 billion as of 30 June 2020.

 

AIA meets the long-term savings and protection needs of individuals by offering a range of products and services including life insurance, accident and health insurance and savings plans. The Group also provides employee benefits, credit life and pension services to corporate clients. Through an extensive network of agents, partners and employees across Asia-Pacific, AIA serves the holders of more than 36 million individual policies and over 16 million participating members of group insurance schemes.

 

AIA Group Limited is listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the stock code "1299" with American Depositary Receipts (Level 1) traded on the over-the-counter market (ticker symbol: "AAGIY").