Geylang International FC
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| Full name | Geylang International Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Eagles |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Ground | Bedok Stadium |
| Capacity | 4,000 |
| Chairman | Ben Teng |
| Head Coach | Mohd Noor Ali |
| League | S.League |
| 2016 | 6th |
| Website | Club website |
Geylang International Football Club (known as Geylang United from 1996 to 2012) is a professional football club based in Bedok, Singapore. The club is one of the successful teams in the country back in the 1970s and 1980s, winning the most number of titles in the FAS Premier League. Apart from that, the club has also won a number of titles in the National Football League and President Cup. After the S.League was formed in 1996, the club has won the league twice. They have also won the Singapore FA Cup and Singapore Cup once.
The club was founded as International Contract Specialists (ICS) Football Club in 1973 and entered the league system via the National Football League Division Three in 1974. The club used to play their home game at Geylang Field. However, since the club have a huge following from the fans during that period of time, all games had to be played either in Jalan Besar Stadium or Kallang Stadium due to the crowd. The most successful period for the club was between 1988 and 1993 when players such as Malek Awab and Razali Saad helped the club to win six FAS Premier League titles in a row and two President's Cup.
History
1973 – 1995
The club was founded by Colin Ng in 1973 as the International Contract Specialists Football Club.[1][2] They entered the league system via FAS Division Three in 1974, winning both the Division Three title and the President's Cup in their debut season.[3] After a change of name to Geylang International Football Club in 1975, they took part in the newly revamped National Football League and eventually won their first NFL title. To that title they added the 1976 NFL title and President's Cup. They won their third NFL title in 1977 and the President's Cup the following year.
A relegation in 1981 prompted the arrival of a new management committee that guided the club back to the top division in 1983. In 1984, club president Kasim Chik financed the club and businessman Patrick Ang, who joined in 1986, managed to secure sponsors for them. Despite being relegated that year, they returned to Division 1 of the NFL the following season and the golden era began. In 1988, the FAS started a semi-professional league competition called "The FAS Premier League" as the top tier of the Singapore football league structure. Geylang International dominated all eight years of the league, winning six consecutive titles from 1988 — 1993 before finishing third in 1994 and second in 1995.
1996 – 2011
As Geylang United Football Club, they were one of the eight teams in the inaugural season of the S.League in 1996. They won the first stage (the Tiger Beer Series) of the league season and finished fifth in the second stage (the Pioneer Series). They won the league after defeating SAFFC (the Pioneer Series champions) 2–1 in the Championship Play-off.[4] They completed the season with another trophy, beating the same team on penalties in the Singapore FA Cup. As the team was full of international stars such as Fandi Ahmad, Kadir Yahaya, David Lee, Hamid Reza Estili, Mohammad Khakpour, and Chris Riley, Vincent Subramaniam (Head Coach for SAFFC) identified them as the Manchester United of Singapore. As league champions, they qualified for the 1997–98 Asian Club Championship but were eliminated after losing 8–2 on aggregate by Kashima Antlers in the first round.
The 1997 season was a disappointing season for them. They failed to defend the S.League title, finishing fifth. The Eagles also failed to defend the FA Cup, after losing to SAFFC in the finals. They did not win any silverware till 2001, when they won their second league title by a close margin. Both forwards, Aleksandar Đurić and Brian Bothwell scored 57 goals for the team. It was the best performing S.League season for the team; scoring 84 goals and conceding 28 goals. Just days after winning the league title, they suffered their worst defeat in history; losing 8–0 to Home United in the Singapore Cup finals. As league champions, they were guaranteed a slot in the qualifying round of the 2002–03 AFC Champions League but were eliminated after losing to Shanghai Shenhua 5–1 on aggregate in the second round.
The 2002 season saw Geylang United finish third in both the S.League and Singapore Cup. They came close to winning their third S.League title and first Singapore Cup in 2003, only to finish runners-up to Home United for both competitions. As runners-up, they qualified to play in the AFC Cup 2004 due to Home United's double. Their debut in the AFC Cup 2004 was an impressive one. Despite losing their opening match, they managed to stay unbeaten for their next five games in the group stage. They went on to qualify for the quarter-finals, beating Perak FA before losing to Al-Wahda in the semi-final.
Geylang United won their first Singapore Cup in 2009, beating Bangkok Glass FC 1–0 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.[5] The win ensured them a place in the 2010 AFC Cup. However, they failed to qualify for the knockout stages, finishing 3rd in the group stages with four draws and two losses.
2012 – 2015
Weeks before the start of the 2012 season, Patrick Ang announced his retirement as club chairman. Ang, who had been with the club since 1986, moved up the ranks at the club as manager; vice-president; president and eventually chairman.[6] He was given the nickname "Geylang's Godfather" after helping the club to gain main and co-sponsors.[7] Former Singapore international, Leong Kok Fann took over the position. Mike Wong stepped down as coach after their 7–1 thrashing by Home United kept the club at the bottom of the league without a point.[8] Under-21 coach, Vedhamuthu Kanan, swopped roles with Wong.[9] Under the guidance of Kanan, the Eagles made it into the League Cup finals; only to lose in the final to Brunei DPMM.[10][11] In the league itself, Kanan gave the U21 players the chance to be in the first team. It turned out to be a positive effort as some of these players who were given the chance to play in the S.League matches performed better than some of the first team players. They ended the season second from bottom in the nine-team table.
In 2013, the club announced in a pre-season press conference that it would change its club logo and name back to Geylang International FC.[12][13][14] Their 2013 season saw the squad in a long-term injury crisis, forcing their then-assistant coach, former Singapore international Mohd Noor Ali to come out of retirement.[15] They finished the season in ninth place.
The 2014 season was something to look out for as Kanan flew to Argentina during the pre-season to look for new foreign players. It was later announced that Leonel Felice, Franco Chivilo and Joaquin Lopez had signed a 1-year contract.[16] In addition, Nazareno Velez joined in as assistant coach.[17] However, the season did not start well. One of the Argentinian players failed to get their employment pass before the season kicked off.[18] Kanan eventually got demoted back to coaching the U-21 team after 3 straight losses. Jorg Steinebrunner was appointed as the new coach 24 hours before their next match.[19] Despite their poor league performance, Steinebrunner almost led the team to the finals of League Cup and Singapore Cup; only to lose both domestic competitions on penalty shoot-outs. The team ended the 2014 season in eighth place.
In 2015, Steinebrunner took this opportunity to get his own players ahead of the new season. The team was inconsistent throughout the season, failing to win most of their matches. After their defeat in the semi-finals of the League Cup, they failed to collect any points for six consecutive games, remaining rooted to the bottom of the table for months. An unbeaten run in their last five matches with 3 wins and 2 draws allowed them to finish one place off the bottom.
2016 – Present
Weeks after the 2015 S.League season ended, it was announced that Ben Teng would replace Leong Kok Fann as club chairman.[20][21] Ben Teng and his new management committee (comprising mainly Singaporeans who have worked in Dubai/Abu Dhabi previously) set about to revamp the club by recruiting young players from the disbanded LionsXII and Courts Young Lions, anchored by seasoned players such as Daniel Bennett and Indra Sahdan. Four players, Hairul Syirhan; Yuki Ichikawa; Nor Azli Yusoff and Shawal Anuar) from the 2015 season were retained. In line with the club's philosophy of promoting young players from within, four Prime League players were promoted to the senior team (one was subsequently released to Young Lions at the request of FAS). The new 2016 squad also featured returning former Geylang Prime League players such as Stanely Ng, Amy Recha and Taufiq Ghani. Former Singapore international and championship winner with the 2001 Geylang team, Hasrin Jailani, was appointed as head coach. His team mate from the 2001 winning team, Mohd Noor Ali, was appointed as assistant head coach and Prime League coach. In its first S-League away match of the 2016 season against title favourites Tampines Rovers, the Eagles recovered from an early 2–0 lead by the hosts to lead 2–3 before an 86th-minute equaliser by the hosts.[22]
Sponsors
Main Sponsor : EPSON[23]
Other Sponsors : Yongnam Holdings, Canaan Dental, Goodrich Global, Lesus
Gym Sponsor : Gymmboxx
Footwear Sponsor : New Balance
Kit Supplier: FBT
Seasons
| Season | S.League | Singapore Cup | Singapore League Cup | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |||
| 1996-1 | 1st | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 27 | 14 | 28 | ||
| 1996-2 | 5th | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 20 | 16 | 21 | ||
| 1997 | 5th | 16 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 23 | 18 | 25 | ||
| 1998 | 3rd | 20 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 32 | 18 | 38 | Group Stage | |
| 1999 | 4th | 22 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 33 | 21 | 35 | Quarter-Finals | |
| 2000 | 3rd | 22 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 42 | 29 | 41 | Third Place | |
| 2001 | 1st | 33 | 23 | 7 | 3 | 84 | 28 | 76 | Runners-up | |
| 2002 | 3rd | 33 | 17 | 8 | 8 | 80 | 39 | 59 | Third Place | |
| 2003 | 2nd | 33 | 21 | 3–2 | 7 | 75 | 30 | 71 | Runners-up | |
| 2004 | 7th | 27 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 43 | 43 | 37 | Semi-finals | |
| 2005 | 8th | 27 | 7 | 5 | 15 | 38 | 57 | 26 | Preliminary | |
| 2006 | 10th | 30 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 22 | 62 | 23 | Round of 16 | |
| 2007 | 6th | 33 | 10 | 9 | 14 | 43 | 44 | 39 | Round of 16 | Withdrew |
| 2008 | 6th | 33 | 13 | 6 | 14 | 56 | 57 | 45 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 |
| 2009 | 6th | 30 | 12 | 4 | 14 | 36 | 39 | 40 | Winners | Quarter-finals |
| 2010 | 5th | 33 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 32 | 30 | 47 | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals |
| 2011 | 8th | 33 | 13 | 2 | 18 | 43 | 63 | 41 | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals |
| 2012 | 11th | 24 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 28 | 50 | 21 | Round of 16 | Runners-up |
| 2013 | 9th | 27 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 31 | 38 | 32 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals |
| 2014 | 8th | 27 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 33 | 34 | 32 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals |
| 2015 | 8th | 27 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 36 | 44 | 28 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals |
| 2016 | 5th | 24 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 35 | 29 | 37 | Quarter-finals | Group Stage |
- The 1996 season of the S.League was split into two series. Tiger Beer Series winners Geylang United defeated Pioneer Series winners Singapore Armed Forces in the Championship playoff to clinch the S.League title.
- 2003 saw the introduction of penalty shoot-outs if a match ended in a draw in regular time. Winners of penalty shoot-outs gained two points instead of one.
Performance in AFC competitions
- AFC Champions League: 1 appearance
- 2002–03: Qualifying East – 3rd Round
- Asian Club Championship: 4 appearances
- AFC Cup: 2 appearances
- Asian Cup Winners Cup: 2 appearances
Club officials
Management
- Chairman: Ben Teng
- Vice-Chairman: Vacant
- Honorary Secretary: Vacant
- Honorary Treasurer: Lim Yiak Tiam
- Club Advisor: Tin Pei Ling
- Club Member: Bambang Sugeng & Aide Iskandar
Technical staff
- Head Coach: Mohd Noor Ali
- Assistant Coach: Hirotaka Usui
- Team Manager: Aizat Ramli
- Sports Trainer: Daniel, Nithiya
- Equipment Officer: Leonard Koh
- Goalkeeper Coach: Narong Saiket
Coach
Haji Ahmad Bakri Fahrin (1974–76)
Dennis Bent (1977–78)- Cheng Meng Sak (1979)
Zayid Ramsay (1980–88)- Ibrahim Awang (1989)[24]
- Sulaiman Karim (1989–91)
- Subhash Singh (1991–94)
- Amri Khaizan (1995–99)
- Jakbir Khalil (2000–01)
- Dhalil Hainan Ibrahim (2002–06)
Attaphol Buspakom (2006)
Jozef Herel (2008)- Mike Wong (2009–12)
- Kanan Vedhamuthu (2012–14)
Jorg Steinebrunner (2014–15)- Hasrin Jailani (2016–2017)
- Mohd Noor Ali (2017-Present)
Honours
Domestic
League
- S.League: 2
- 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993
- National Football League Division One: 3
- 1975, 1976, 1977
- FAS Division Three: 1
- 1974
Cup
- 2016 (Plate Winners)
- 1996
- 1974,[3] 1976, 1978, 1990, 1991, 1995
Reserves
- Prime League: 3
- 1998, 2006, 2011
- 2007
Ground
Bedok Stadium, located in the eastern part of Singapore is the home ground for the Eagles. It is used both for football matches and community events. Besides that, the pitch is also used by the club for their training sessions. The stadium has a natural grass football pitch, an 8-lane running track and some athletic facilities. The stadium are closed to the public during official events and S.League matches. The stadium can hold up to 3,900 spectators. The stadium is currently managed by the Singapore Sports Council.
Players
S.League Players
- As of 2 January 2017 [25][needs update]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Prime League Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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External links
Template:.Geylang International FC Players
References
- ^ "League tournaments to be resumed". The Straits Times.
- ^ "Surprise win by ICS". The Straits Times.
- ^ a b "President's Cup to ICS in first try". The Straits Times.
- ^ "Geylang wins S-League's Championship match". The Straits Times.
- ^ "Geylang United won their first Singapore Cup". xinmsn.
- ^ "Patrick Ang to retire as Eagles chairman". TNP. Archived from the original on 2014-02-21.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Why he was called Geylang's godfather". TNP.
- ^ "Coach Mike Wong replaced as Geylang goes through internal reshuffling". Football OPOD. Archived from the original on 2016-02-04.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Mike Out, Kanan In". TNP.
- ^ "Mission Possible for Geylang". TNP. Archived from the original on 2014-02-21.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Brunei DPMM are the Starhub League Cup 2012 Champions". Kallang Roar. Archived from the original on 2014-03-23.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Geylang back to the golden days". GOAL.
- ^ "Geylang set for 2013 season". TODAYonline Sports. Archived from the original on 2013-01-03.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "2013 Pre-Season Press Conference". gifcsg.
- ^ "Noor Ali to come out of retirement for geylang". Goal SG.
- ^ "Geylang go gaucho". TNP. Archived from the original on 2014-03-11.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Nazareno as new Eagles assistant coach". Goal SG.
- ^ "Geylang in chaos". Goal SG.
- ^ "Steinebrunner to replace Kanan as Eagles new coach". Yahoo.
- ^ "Message from former Chairman – Mr Leong Kok Fann". GIFC.
- ^ "Chairman Ben Teng's Message". GIFC.
- ^ "S.League.com – Tampines Rovers FC". www.sleague.com. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
- ^ "OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – GEYLANG INTERNATIONAL FC APPAREL SPONSOR 2015 - Geylang International FC". gifc.org.sg. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- ^ Joe Dorai (1 February 1989). "FAS consider four for national coach". The Strait Times. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ^ http://www.sleague.com/clubs-profile/geylang/team-profile