2021 Singapore Premier League

The 2021 Singapore Premier League (also known as the AIA Singapore Premier League due to sponsorship reasons) was the 4th season of the Singapore Premier League, the top-flight Singaporean professional league for association football clubs, since its rebranding in 2018.[1]

Singapore Premier League
Season2021
Dates13 March – 10 October 2021
ChampionsLion City Sailors (3rd title)
AFC Champions LeagueLion City Sailors
AFC CupHougang United
Tampines Rovers
Matches played84
Goals scored334 (3.98 per match)
Top goalscorerTomoyuki Doi
(19 goals)
Biggest home winTampines Rovers 7–0 Young Lions (7 April 2021)
Biggest away winGeylang International 0–8 Lion City Sailors (11 April 2021)
Highest scoringHougang United 7–3 Tampines Rovers (11 September 2021)
Longest winning run6 matches
Lion City Sailors
Longest unbeaten run18 matches
Lion City Sailors
Longest winless run12 matches
Young Lions
Longest losing run6 matches
Geylang International
← 2020
2022 →

The champions of the 2021 Singapore Premier League, Lion City Sailors, qualified for the AFC Champions League group stage automatically. The season began on 13 March and ended on 10 October. In the first part of the season, all matches were played behind closed doors in light of the COVID-19 situation.

Format

The following key changes were made to the rules since the 2020 season:[2]

  1. Local SPL clubs are required to have a minimum of six U-23 players for a squad size of 19 to 25 players; this increases to seven (squad size 26), eight (27) and nine (28).

New rules for 2021:

  1. All SPL teams will play each other thrice.
  2. Each team is able to register up to 25 players in their squad, an reduction of 3 players as compared from 2020.
  3. From 2021, Albirex is allowed to sign a maximum of 2 overage Singaporean players.[3] As in 2019 and 2020, Albirex must have two Singaporeans in their starting lineup for each game.
  4. Young Lions and Lion City Sailors Football Club to play their home games at Jalan Besar Stadium while Balestier Khalsa will play at Toa Payoh Stadium. Bishan Stadium is under renovation till end of season. Other stadiums used are: (1) Our Tampines Hub (Tampines Rovers and Geylang International), Hougang Stadium (Hougang United) and (3) Jurong East Stadium (Albirex Niigata and Tanjong Pagar United).
  5. Clubs will be equipped with Global Positioning Systems (GPS) devices – among other performance and tracking gear. Value of this sponsorship is worth around $620,000.[4]
  6. SPL clubs are now allowed to register a maximum of four foreign players with no age restrictions, of whom at least one shall be of the nationality of an AFC Member Association (Asian). A maximum of four foreign players may be named or fielded in any one match.[5]
  7. Local SPL clubs, excluding Albirex Niigata (S) and Young Lions, are required to have a minimum of six local U-23 players (born on or after 1 January 1998) for a squad size of 18 (minimum) to 25 (maximum) players. At least eight local U-30 players (born on or after 1 January 1991) have to be registered as well.
  8. Players shall be allocated jersey numbers 1 to 40. Jersey numbers become available for allocation to new members after a player ceases to play for a club.[6]
  9. 2019 champions, DPMM FC, will continue to sit out of the competition due to the restriction imposed by the Brunei Government.
  10. 2021 Singapore Cup is slated to commence in September 2021. The mandatory fielding of Under-23 local players for participating clubs shall not apply for matches in the 2021 Singapore Cup as to allow the National Under-22 team to have adequate centralised preparations and subsequent participation for this year's AFC Under-23 Qualifiers and the SEA Games.
  11. 1st transfer window: 1 Jan 2021 to 20 March 2021, 2nd transfer window: 17 May 2021 to 13 June 2021

Teams

A total of 8 teams competed in the league. Albirex Niigata (S) from Japan was the only foreign team invited.

Stadiums and locations
Locations of the 2018 Singapore Premier League teams from Singapore
Image Team Stadium Capacity
Albirex Niigata (S)
Tanjong Pagar United		 Jurong East Stadium 2,700
Balestier Khalsa Toa Payoh Stadium 3,800
Hougang United Hougang Stadium 3,800
Lion City Sailors
Young Lions		 Jalan Besar Stadium 6,000
Tampines Rovers
Geylang International		 Our Tampines Hub 5,000

Personnel and sponsors

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Team Head coach Captain Kit manufacturer Main Shirt sponsor Other shirt sponsors
Albirex Niigata (S) Japan Keiji Shigetomi Japan Kazuki Hashioka
Japan Takahiro Tezuka (VC)
Japan Ryoya Tanigushi (VC)
Fairoz Hasan (VC)		 Mizuno Canon Kirin
Kubota
Reeracoen
EnglishCentral
Lensmode
Gain City
Nippon Medical Care
Fitogether
Namics
Denka
SMBC
ACCEA Singapore
JTB
NSG
JPLUS+
Daiho Group
With You Global Creations
SD Aircon
Balestier Khalsa Croatia Marko Kraljević Singapore Fadli Kamis
Croatia Kristijan Krajcek (VC)		 Adidas Jeep Weston Corporation
Project Vaults
StarBalm
PSB Academy
Geylang International Singapore Mohd Noor Ali Japan Yuki Ichikawa
Singapore Darren Teh (VC)		 FBT Epson[7] Aris Studio 23
Joydom Engineering
My Protein Singapore
Steel Industries
Springleaf Prata Place
Fightzone
TRUE Fitness
Hougang United Singapore Clement Teo Singapore Fabian Kwok
Singapore Lionel Tan (VC)
Singapore Nazrul Nazari (VC)
Singapore Ridhuan Barudin (VC)		 Warrix SportCenter by Zup
Cafe Football (CF)
The Arena
Lion City Sailors South Korea Kim Do-hoon[8] Singapore Hassan Sunny
Singapore Shahdan Sulaiman (VC)		 Puma SEA[9] Shopee
Garena
Tampines Rovers Singapore Gavin Lee[10] Singapore Yasir Hanapi
Singapore Daniel Bennett (VC)
Singapore Syazwan Buhari (VC)		 Mizuno ANA Courier Express [11] StarBalm
The Black Hole Group
My Protein Singapore
Canadian 2 for 1 Pizza
Tanjong Pagar United Singapore Hasrin Jailani Singapore Faritz Abdul Hameed
Singapore Delwinder Singh (VC)		 Ad hoc Apparel Tokyo Century Samtrade Academy
StarBalm
Young Lions Singapore Philippe Aw[12] Singapore Danish Irfan
Singapore Syahrul Sazali (VC)		 Nike Catapult

Coaching changes
Team Outgoing Head Coach Manner of Departure Date of Vacancy Position in table Incoming Head Coach Date of appointment
Young Lions Singapore Nazri Nasir Rested 15 January 2021 Pre-Season Singapore Philippe Aw[13] 15 January 2021
Lion City Sailors Australia Aurelio Vidmar Resigned [14] 30 April 2021 2nd Singapore Robin Chitrakar (interim) [15] 1 May 2021
Lion City Sailors Singapore Robin Chitrakar (interim) [15] NA 18 May 2021 2nd South Korea Kim Do-hoon[16] 18 May 2021

Foreign Players

Singapore Premier League clubs can sign a maximum of four foreign players in the 2021 season, up from three as compared to 2019.[17] However, one of them has to be 21 years old or younger on 1 January 2021 (Or at the age of registration).

Albirex Niigata can sign up unlimited number of Singaporean players for the new season. Only 2 local player above 23 years old is allowed.[18]

Players name in bold indicates the player was registered during the mid-season transfer window.

Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 AFC Player SG U-23 Player 1
U-21 Player		 Former Players
Albirex Niigata (S) Singapore Hyrulnizam Juma'at[19] Singapore Fairoz Hassan[3] Singapore Ong Yu En[20] Singapore Fikri Junaidi[21] Singapore Nicky Singh[22] Singapore Nathanael Chin[23]
Singapore Junki Yoshimura[24] Singapore Sunny Tia[25] Singapore Kenji Austin[26] Singapore Ameer Maricar[26] Singapore Irsyad Azarudin[27]
Singapore Hilman Norhisam [28] Singapore Muhamad Ali Manaf[26]
Balestier Khalsa Croatia Kristijan Krajcek[29] Croatia Šime Žužul[29] Serbia Ensar Brunčević[30] Japan Shuhei Hoshino[31] France Yann Weishaupt[32]
Geylang International Brazil Matheus Moresche[33] Netherlands Barry Maguire[34] Japan Yuki Ichikawa[35] Australia Danny Kim [36] Netherlands Sylvano Comvalius[37][38]
Hougang United Brazil Gilberto Fortunato[39] Kyrgyzstan Maksat Dzhakybaliev[40] Japan Tomoyuki Doi[41] Japan Kaishu Yamazaki[42]
Lion City Sailors Brazil Diego Lopes[43] Brazil Jorge Fellipe[44] Croatia Stipe Plazibat[45] South Korea Song Ui-young[46]
Note 2
Tampines Rovers Serbia Zehrudin Mehmedović[40] Montenegro Boris Kopitović[40] Montenegro Armin Bosnjak[47] Japan Kyoga Nakamura[40]
Tanjong Pagar United Brazil Luiz Júnior[40] Australia Blake Ricciuto[48] Japan Reo Nishiguchi[49] Japan Shodai Nishikawa[50]

Note 1: From 2021, Albirex, a Japanese club, is allowed to sign a maximum of 2 Singaporean players above the age of 23.

Note 2: Song Ui-Young is granted Singapore citizenship on 21 August 2021. [51]

Results

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Lion City Sailors 21 14 6 1 59 21 +38 48 Qualification for AFC Champions League group stage
2 Albirex Niigata (S)[lower-alpha 1] 21 13 7 1 50 19 +31 46
3 Hougang United 21 10 4 7 48 40 +8 34 Qualification for AFC Cup group stage
4 Tampines Rovers 21 7 6 8 48 51 −3 27
5 Tanjong Pagar United 21 5 7 9 36 49 −13 22
6 Geylang International 21 6 2 13 33 52 −19 20
7 Balestier Khalsa 21 5 4 12 34 52 −18 19
8 Young Lions[lower-alpha 1] 21 4 4 13 26 50 −24 16
Updated to match(es) played on 3 April 2021. Source: Singapore Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of wins
Notes:
  1. The foreign club – Albirex Niigata (S) – as well as the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) under-21 team, Young Lions, are ineligible for any AFC competition spots.

Fixtures and results

Clubs will play each other three times for 21 matches each.

Statistics

Clean Sheets
As at 3 October 2021
Rank Player Club Clean sheets
1 Japan Takahiro Koga Albirex Niigata (S) 8
2 Singapore Hassan Sunny Lion City Sailors 5
3 Singapore Syazwan Buhari Tampines Rovers 3

Hat-tricks
As of 10 October 2021
PlayerForAgainstResultDateReference
Japan Tomoyuki DoiHougang UnitedTampines Rovers5–13 April 2021 [52]
Montenegro Boris KopitovićTampines RoversYoung Lions7–07 April 2021 [53]
Brazil Diego LopesLion City SailorsGeylang International8–011 April 2021 [54]
Japan Kiyoshiro TsuboiAlbirex Niigata (S)Tanjong Pagar United6–017 April 2021 [55]
Japan Kiyoshiro TsuboiAlbirex Niigata (S)Balestier Khalsa4–125 April 2021 [56]
Croatia Šime ŽužulBalestier KhalsaTampines Rovers5–219 August 2021 [57]
Japan Tomoyuki DoiHougang UnitedTampines Rovers7–311 September 2021 [58]
Japan Kiyoshiro Tsuboi 4Albirex Niigata (S)Tanjong Pagar United4–410 October 2021 [59]

4 Player scored 4 goals


Penalty missed
PlayerForAgainstDate
Croatia Stipe PlazibatLion City SailorsAlbirex Niigata (S)7 April 2021

Awards

Monthly awards
Month Player of the Month Young Player of the Month Coach of the Month Goal of the Month Ref
Player Club Player Club Coach Club Player vs.
March Japan Tomoyuki Doi Hougang United Singapore Khairin Nadim Young Lions Singapore Clement Teo Hougang United South Korea Song Ui-young
vs. Tanjong Pagar (17/3/2021)		 [60]
April Croatia Stipe Plazibat Lion City Sailors FC Japan Kiyoshiro Tsuboi Albirex Niigata (S) Japan Keiji Shigetomi Albirex Niigata (S) Singapore Gabriel Quak
vs. Balestier Khalsa (18/4/2021)		 [61]
May Montenegro Boris Kopitović Tampines Rovers Singapore Idraki Adnan Hougang United Singapore Clement Teo Hougang United Japan Kyoga Nakamura
vs. Young Lions (2/5/2021)		 [62]
August Croatia Šime Žužul Balestier Khalsa Singapore Ilhan Fandi Young Lions Singapore Hasrin Jailani Tanjong Pagar United Brazil Luiz Júnior
vs. Albirex Niigata (S) (6/8/2021)		 [63]
September Brazil Jorge Fellipe Lion City Sailors FC Singapore Nur Adam Abdullah Lion City Sailors FC South Korea Kim Do-hoon Lion City Sailors FC Singapore Fabian Kwok
vs. Tampines Rovers (11/9/2021)		 [64]

Singapore Premier League Awards night winners
Awards Winners Club
Player of the Year Japan Tomoyuki Doi Hougang United
Young Player of the Year Singapore Nur Adam Abdullah Lion City Sailors
Coach of the Year Singapore Clement Teo Hougang United
Top Scorer Award Japan Tomoyuki Doi Hougang United
Golden Glove Japan Takahiro Koga Japan Albirex Niigata (S)
Goal of the Year Singapore Gabriel Quak
vs. Balestier Khalsa (18/4/2021)		 Lion City Sailors
Fair Play Award Japan Albirex Niigata (S)
Referee of the Year Singapore Jansen Foo —
AIA Team of the Year
Goalkeeper Japan Takahiro Koga
(Albirex Niigata (S))
Defence Japan Kazuki Hashioka
(Japan Albirex Niigata (S))		 Japan Shuya Yamashita
(Japan Albirex Niigata (S))		 Brazil Jorge Fellipe
(Lion City Sailors)		 Singapore Nur Adam Abdullah
(Lion City Sailors)
Midfield Japan Kaishu Yamazaki
(Hougang United)		 Japan Ryoya Tanigushi
(Japan Albirex Niigata (S))		 Singapore Shahdan Sulaiman
(Lion City Sailors)
Attack Croatia Šime Žužul
(Balestier Khalsa)		 Croatia Stipe Plazibat
(Lion City Sailors)		 Japan Tomoyuki Doi
(Hougang United)

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