Albirex Niigata Singapore FC

Albirex Niigata (S) is a professional football club based in Jurong East, Singapore, which plays in the Singapore Premier League. The club is a satellite team of Albirex Niigata of Japan.[1] The club have won 6 league titles (including one unbeaten title), 4 Singapore Cup, 4 Singapore League Cup and 4 Community Shield.

Albirex Niigata (S)
Full nameAlbirex Niigata Singapore
Nickname(s)The Swans
Founded2004 (2004)
GroundJurong East Stadium
Capacity2,700
ChairmanDaisuke Korenaga
ManagerKazuaki Yoshinaga
LeagueSingapore Premier League
2023Singapore Premier League, 1st of 8
WebsiteClub website

Mostly the team is made up of University students from Japan and also academy players from J1 League.

Former Albirex players who have gone on to forge decent J-League careers include former League Players of the Year, Atsushi Kawata (2016) and Tomoyuki Doi (2021), while Issey Nakajima-Farran even went on to play in Major League Soccer in the United States and Ilhan Fandi who goes on to play for the Belgium 2nd division club, K.M.S.K. Deinze in Europe.

Notably, the club also implement a professional code of conduct to instill discipline, good behaviour and team spirit. This includes a ban on hair dye, a punctuality clause where players are fined if they are late for training with no valid reason, and scrubbing footballs together after training.

The club then improved its league performance finishing 7th in the 2008 season, 3rd in the 2012 season and as champions in the 2016 season. The club did not lose a match in their 2018 season.[2]

History

2004 – 2011

Albirex Niigata Singapore, a satellite team of Japanese club Albirex Niigata, joined the S. League in 2004. It was in that year the Football Association of Singapore decided to invite foreign teams in the league in a bid to deal with poor attendance issues. For the first years of the club's participation in the league it has settled in the mid-table in the standings.[2]

In 2008, Daisuke Korenaga became chairman of the club who introduced reforms in the club in order to improve its standing in the league. Among these was to secure sponsorship from Japanese companies with presence in Singapore, with the club having as many as 50 sponsors and improved fan engagement by setting up a Cheer Dance School and an academy.

Koichi Sugiyama as Albirex Niigata Singapore head coach from 2010–2013

First silverware in club history.

2011 was a great start for Albirex Niigata Singapore as midway throughout 2011, head coach, Koichi Sugiyama leads them to all the way to final of the 2011 Singapore League Cup and guiding the White Swans to their first ever piece of silverware in the club history. Sugiyama also guided them to the 2011 Singapore Cup also known as the foremost prestigious cup competition in the country but eventually conceded a goal in the very last minute of extra time against Home United. In August 2014, he left Albirex to signed with Thai club, Ayutthaya.

Cup double's

Tatsuyuki Okuyama who had spent his entire career in hometown club, Albirex Niigata who once coached youth teams of Albirex after his playing career ended and also the Albirex Niigata Ladies, has decided to signed as the head coach for Albirex Niigata Singapore. Okuyama was Sugiyama's assistant coach during the 2013 season, which will see Okuyama succeeding him in being the head coach for the White Swans for the upcoming 2014 season. The following season, he guided the team to win the 2015 Singapore League Cup and the 2015 Singapore Cup.

Naoki Naruo 2nd spell in charge of the White Swans by achieving historical feats (2016)

After 6 years since his first charge of the club in 2009, Naoki Naruo re-joined Albirex Niigata Singapore, replacing Tatsuyuki Okuyama as head coach. Naruo led the White Swans to being the first club in Singapore football history to achieved all the unprecedented sweep of all four of the possible league's major trophies, the 2016 S.League, 2016 Singapore Cup, 2016 Singapore League Cup and the 2016 Singapore Community Shield which led to him being named the 2016 S.League Coach of the Year. During his time his fruitful year, It was apparent that the target was to win the league title which has been elusive to the club. 2 days after winning the award, On 3 November 2016, Naruo announced that he is leaving the newly crowned champions.

Kazuaki Yoshinaga era (2017 – present)

On 2 December 2016, Kazuaki Yoshinaga was appointed head coach of Albirex Niigata Singapore. In his first year, Yoshinaga guided them to retained the 2017 S.League title and also and also winning the 2017 S.League Coach of the Year. He also extended his contract with the White Swans for another year coaching them for the upcoming newly revamp 2018 Singapore Premier League season which saw Yoshinaga guiding them to an invincible 2018 Singapore Premier League title without defeat and also all of the possible titles in Singapore professional football: 2018 Singapore Cup and 2018 Singapore Community Shield, while he also won the league's 2018 Coach of the Year award for the second successive year. Due to Yoshinaga impressive work with Albirex Niigata Singapore, he returned to Japan in 2019 as the parent club, Albirex Niigata appointed him initially as their academy manager before being appointed as a team manager in April the same year. Yoshinaga served as Albirex Niigata's manager till January 2020, following which he took charge of the U18 side, before returning to his post of academy manager.

2nd spell with the White Swans

In April 2021, Yoshinaga returned to Albirex Niigata Singapore as the Technical Director, before becoming the Manager once again in 2022 guiding them to win the 2022 Singapore Premier League title and also winning the league's 2022 Coach of the Year award for the third time.

On 28 December 2021, Albirex Niigata Singapore announced the signing of former Southampton forward and Japanese legend, Tadanari Lee who famously comes on as a substitute in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup Final held in Qatar and scoring his first international goal to secure a 1–0 win over Australia which gives Japan their fourth Asian Cup success. Lee had also won the 2017 AFC Champions League with Urawa Red Diamonds and the J1 League title with Yokohama F. Marinos in 2019. It was reported that the one-year contract will see him earn about $12,000 per month.

On 1 December 2022, Yoshinaga extended his contract and will continue to lead the team for the upcoming 2023 season. The following season, he help them to win the 2023 Singapore Premier League title and the 2023 Singapore Community Shield

20th anniversary and club revamp (2024 – present)

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the club, on 13 September 2023, Albirex Niigata Singapore announced that from the 2024 season, the club, which has historically featured mainly Japanese players in its senior team, is shifting its focus towards a players mainly composed of predominantly Singaporean players roster which in line with this change, It aims to participate in AFC tournaments such as the AFC Cup, depending on the club league performances.[3][4]

Affiliated clubs

The following clubs are affiliated with Albirex Niigata Singapore:

Former affiliated club:

Sponsors

Kit Supplier Main Sponsors
Mizuno Denka[5]
Black Clover

Stadium

Home of the Swans since their inception in 2004

The Swan’s home ground is the Jurong East Stadium, located in the West side of Singapore. It is used both for football matches and community events.

The stadium holds 2,700 people and It is one of only three stadiums in Singapore that does not have a running track, and was built to serve only as a football stadium.

VAR

Video assistant referee (VAR) technology will be used for the first time in the 2023 Singapore Premier League season and also at the Jurong East Stadium.

Players

First-team squad

As of 31 Jan 2023[6]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF Japan JPN Ryo Takahashi
3 DF Japan JPN Keito Hariya
4 DF Japan JPN Koki Kawachi
5 DF Japan JPN Shunsaku Kishimoto (vice captain)
6 MF Japan JPN Asahi Yokokawa (captain)
7 MF Japan JPN Shuto Komaki
8 MF Japan JPN Kaisei Ogawa
9 MF Japan JPN Riku Fukashiro
10 FW Japan JPN Seia Kunori
11 FW Japan JPN Keito Komatsu (vice captain)
13 MF Japan JPN Masaya Watanabe
14 MF Japan JPN Shodai Yokoyama
17 DF Japan JPN Sho Fuwa
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 GK Singapore SGP Hassan Sunny
19 FW Japan JPN Tadanari Lee
21 GK Singapore SGP Hyrulnizam Juma'at
22 FW Singapore SGP Nicky Melvin Singh (vice captain)
24 MF Singapore SGP Zamani Zamri
26 MF Singapore SGP Jarrel Ong
27 FW Singapore SGP Shakthi Vinayagavijayan
31 GK Japan JPN Yoshihiko Kobayashi
51 GK Singapore SGP Kai Yamamoto
52 DF Singapore SGP Junki Kenn Yoshimura
53 MF Singapore SGP Hilman Norhisam
54 DF Singapore SGP Kenji Austin
56 GK Singapore SGP Firman Nabil

Club officials

Position Name
Head Coach Japan Kazuaki Yoshinaga[7]
Assistant Coach Japan Keiji Shigetomi

Singapore Jaswinder Singh

Fitness Coach Japan Masayuki Kato
Interpreter
Goalkeeper Coach Singapore Fadhil Salim
Sports Trainer Japan Tomoya Ueta
Team Manager Singapore Dominic Wong
Physiotherapist Singapore Karen Koh

Singapore Alison Soh

Kitman Singapore Roy Krishnan

Singapore Muhammad Taufik

Notable players

This section contains a list of former players who have either played 100 league games for the club, gone on to represent their nation, or played in the J.League at a professional level.

Notable coach

Head coaches

Manager Career Pld W D L Achievements
Japan Hiroshi Ohashi[10] 2004 27 12 8 7
Japan Ichiro Otsuka 2005–2006 54 24 17 16
Japan Hiroaki Hiraoka 2007–2008 71 20 19 32
Japan Naoki Naruo 2009 37 13 6 18
Japan Koichi Sugiyama[11] 2010–2013 140 63 39 40 2011 Singapore League Cup
Japan Tatsuyuki Okuyama[12] 2014–2015 70 38 11 21 2015 Singapore Cup

2015 Singapore League Cup

Japan Naoki Naruo[13] (2) 2016 34 25 3 7 2016 S.League

2016 Singapore Cup

2016 Singapore League Cup

2016 Singapore Community Shield

Japan Kazuaki Yoshinaga 2017–2018 65 56 7 2 2017 S.League

2018 Singapore Premier League

2017, 2018 Singapore Cup

2017 Singapore League Cup

2017, 2018 Singapore Community Shield

Japan Keiji Shigetomi 2019–2021 63 36 15 12
Japan Kazuaki Yoshinaga (2) 2022–present 35 21 9 5 2022, 2023 Singapore Premier League

2023 Singapore Community Shield

Honours

League

Cup

Records and statistics

Kento Nagasaki is both the club all time highest appearances and top scorer in which he was the longest serving players in the history of the club from 2013 to 2017.

As of 30 September 2023.

Top 10 all-time appearances

Rank Player Years Club appearances
1 Japan Kento Nagasaki 2013–2017 164
2 Japan Hiroyoshi Kamata 2016–2020 138
3 Japan Atsushi Shimono 2009–2012 128
4 Japan Yōsuke Nozawa 2015–2018 125
5 Japan Shuhei Hotta 2011–2014 106
6 Japan Tatsuro Inui 2010–2011

2016

103
7 Japan Itsuki Yamada 2013–2015 100
8 Japan Kento Fujihara 2014–2016 98
9 Japan Yoshito Matsushita 2008–2011 95
10 Japan Rui Kumada 2015–2017 91

Top 10 all-time scorers

Rank Player Club appearances Total goals
1 Japan Kento Nagasaki 164 41
2 Japan Kazuki Sakamoto 65 40
3 Japan Kodai Tanaka 32 39
4 Japan Tatsuro Inui 103 32
5 Japan Atsushi Kawata 60 31
Japan Tsubasa Sano 29
7 Japan Shotaro Ihata 67 27
8 Japan Bruno Suzuki 90 25
9 Japan Hiroyoshi Kamata 138 24
10 Japan Seia Kunori 25 23
  • Biggest Wins: 13-0 vs Police SA (10 July 2014)
  • Heaviest Defeats: 6-0 vs SAFFC (26 March 2009)
  • Youngest Goal scorers: Ong Yu En ~ 17 years 1 month 22 days old (On 25 November 2020 vs Young Lions)
  • Oldest Goal scorers: Tadanari Lee ~ 37 years 8 months 28 days (On 16 September 2023 vs Hougang United)
  • Youngest ever debutant: Ong Yu En ~ 17 years 15 days old (On 18 October 2020 vs Young Lions)

References

  1. "Albirex Niigata (S) - Profile". worldfootball.net. Archived from the original on 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  2. Kor, Justin (27 May 2019). "How Japanese club Albirex Niigata scored big in Singapore soccer". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  3. Lin, Tianbao (13 September 2023). "Six-time champions Albirex Niigata to become local Singapore Premier League side from 2024". The Straits Times. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  4. Ng, Hong Siang (13 September 2023). "Singapore Premier League champions Albirex Niigata to 'become local club' in policy shift". Channel News Asia. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  5. "New Main Partner is Denka Chemicals Holdings Asia Pacific Pte Ltd!". Albirex Niigata Singapore Official website.
  6. "2022 Season Squad (Updated on 7th January)". Albirex Niigata Singapore FC. 7 January 2022. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  7. "Yoshinaga Kazuaki will be coming back to Singapore as a our Technical Director".
  8. NDTV, Indo-Asian News Service (29 January 2013). "Arata Izumi becomes first foreign national to be selected for Indian football team". sports.ndtv.com. NDTV Sport. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  9. "Arata Izumi". Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  10. "Newspaper Article – Albirex coach leaves for Japanese women's team". Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  11. "Sugiyama's Leaving Club upon Completion of Contract". Albirex Niigata Singapore Official website (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  12. "Contract with Coach Tatsuyuki Okuyama". Albirex Niigata Singapore Official website (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  13. "Albirex Niigata Singapore アルビレックス新潟シンガポール 公式サイト » Contract with Head Coach Naoki Naruo". Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
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