Young Lions FC

Young Lions Football Club, commonly known as Young Lions, is a developmental football club based in Kallang, Singapore, which competes in the Singapore Premier League. The team is under the control of the Football Association of Singapore.

Young Lions are one of the few football clubs in the world made up of young Singaporean footballers serving their compulsory two-year national service, which places an age restriction on team members while playing in a top-flight professional league. Players are on loan from several local Singapore Premier League clubs, and would spend two years with the side before returning.

Young Lions play their home matches at the Jalan Besar Stadium. Their best league finish was third, which they achieved in 2004 and 2006.

By entering the Young Lions into the S.League, the FAS hopes to expose young players to top-level competition, thus helping to prepare them for international tournaments such as the Southeast Asian Games. While the bulk of the Young Lions squad is made up of members of Singapore's national under-23 team, the club also takes in promising young foreign players (e.g. Luka Savić). However, foreign players are normally only recruited into the Young Lions squad if they could potentially change their nationality to Singaporean and be eligible to play international football for Singapore at some point in the future.

In 2023, Young Lions signed the Japanese duo Jun Kobayashi and Kan Kobayashi from Albirex Niigata (S), the first foreign players since the French Benjamin Bertrand from Tours in 2016. In preparation for the 2024–25 Singapore Premier League season, Young Lions signed additional two Japanese players, Kaisei Ogawa and Itsuki Enomoto, and the Australian Rashid Hayek from Western United, making it the first time the club has five foreigners in the squad. On 28 March 2025, Young Lions recorded their highest ever win during the 2024–25 Singapore Cup fixture against Albirex. Zikos Chua, and later Kaisei Ogawa, became the first players in the club history to score four goals in one match.

In 2011, the Football Association of Singapore and the Football Association of Malaysia reached an agreement that would see greater cooperation between the two nations. One of the intended avenues would see Young Lions play in the Malaysian Super League and Malaysia Cup from 2012. The squad will be permitted up to five local players over the age of 14–16 players, as well as a number of overseas players in accordance with the quota set out by the rules of the Malaysian competitions.^[2] Ultimately, a new team was created, the LionsXII, while the Young Lions remained in the S.League.

Most of the Young Lions players come from the NFA (National Football Academy) and new players (from the NFA) will be promoted to the Young Lions squad every season.

The National Football Academy enters both the Singapore NFA U-17 and Singapore NFA U-18 teams into the Prime League to allow their players to gain more exposure and match experience by playing against older and more established players.^[3]

Young Lions had played at the Jalan Besar Stadium since their inception of participating in the S.League. The stadium can holds up a seating capacity of 8,000. In 2012, As part of the LionsXII's sponsorship by Kingsmen, a local fan club, the King George's Stand was built using a removable stand, increasing the stadium's capacity to 10,000.

On 30 October 2012, an LED scoreboard was implemented at the Gallery stand to provide better quality video to the spectators, allowing replay video highlights of the action on the field during matchdays. Two new screens were also placed at the two ends of the Grandstand, North and South, to enable better match experience for the Gallery fans.

As of 4 May 2025^[6]

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

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

Source:^[7]

• 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.

As of 8 June 2025

Biggest wins

• 7–1 vs Sinchi on 23 September 2004
• 7–1 vs Albirex Niigata (S) on 28 March 2025

Heaviest Defeats

• 1–10 vs Lion City Sailors (13 August 2022)

Youngest goal scorer

• Khairin Nadim, 16 years 6 months and 9 days (On 17 November 2020 vs Tampines Rovers)

Oldest goal scorer

• Khairul Amri, 31 years 6 months and 11 days (On 1 April 2023 vs Geylang International)

Youngest debutant

• Raoul Suhaimi, 15 years 7 months 27 days (15 May 2021 vs Albirex Niigata (S))

• League Young Player of the Year
  • Hariss Harun (2010)

• People's Choice Award
  • Agu Casmir (2004)
  • Khairul Amri (2006)
  • Safuwan Baharudin (2011)

• Singapore FA

• Official website
• S.League website page on Young Lions