Tampines Rovers FC

Tampines Rovers Football Club (currently known as BG Tampines Rovers due to sponsorship reasons) is a professional football club based in Tampines, Singapore, that competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of the Singapore football league system. Founded in 1945, the club has won 5 league titles, 4 Singapore Cups, a record 5 Community Shields and 1 ASEAN Club Championship.

Tampines Rovers is one of the more widely supported football clubs in Singapore, attracting high attendances at both home and away games. Its main rival is Geylang International, with whom they contest in the 'Eastern Derby'. In September 2023, Tampines Rovers signed a three years collaboration with Thai League 1 club, BG Pathum United.

History

Several football enthusiasts from Tampines decided to form a football club in 1945. After many name changes, they finally decided on "Tampines Rovers" as the official club name. The Stags spent the 1950s and 1960s competing in the Singapore Amateur Football Association League, where they were among the top teams, until they were placed in Division II of the newly formed National Football League in 1974.

1975 was a watershed year for Tampines, as they were promoted to Division I after winning all their league matches and reached the President's Cup final, where they lost 0–1 to the Singapore Armed Forces Sports Association in front of a national record crowd of 30,000. They continued to challenge for honours over the next decade, reaching another President's Cup final in 1978, then emerging as national champions in 1979, 1980, and 1984.

The Stags were relegated to the second tier in 1988, but won their league in 1994 under a new management team. They were one of eight clubs selected to compete in the newly formed S.League.Malathi Das and Palakrishnan (1996), "S.League: the kick-off", Singapore Professional Football League Pte Ltd, p. 50

S.League era (1996–2017)

However, Tampines did not finish higher than sixth place in the first six seasons of the S.League. In 2002, the Stags secured the services of Malaysian coach, Chow Kwai Lam, who guided them to the Singapore Cup and two fourth-place finishes.

2000s

The 2000s marked the golden era of Tampines Rovers under Thai head coach Vorawan Chitavanich, during which the club amassed a squad filled with stalwarts like Nazri Nasir, Noh Alam Shah, Sead Muratović, and Rezal Hassan."S.League champs Tampines make it double with Singapore Cup win", Channel NewsAsia, 3 October 2004 Together, they clinched Tampines Rovers's first S.League and Singapore Cup double in 2004. The following season, they successfully defended their S.League title in 2005, were named the 'S.League Team of the Decade' and became the first Singapore team to win the ASEAN Club Championship. The Stags were the 2006 Singapore Cup champions, but finished runners-up to SAFFC in the league.
Atsushi Fujioka,
Singapore – List of Champions
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S.League three-peat (2011–2013)

In 2011, Tampines Rovers appointed Steven Tan as head coach, replacing Chitavanich who was promoted to technical director. On the pitch, club stalwarts like Mustafić Fahrudin and Aliff Shafaein, who were part of the 2004 and 2005 winning sides, were joined by the likes of Aleksandar Đurić, Benoît Croissant, and Jamil Ali.

The Stags won three consecutive S.League titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and 4 consecutive Singapore Community Shield in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Tampines Rovers also went on to win the Plate in the 2014 Singapore League Cup.

On 19 January 2016, Former Arsenal and Liverpool winger, Jermaine Pennant signed a one-year contract which he took a 70% pay cut from his salary earned at Wigan Athletic. It was reported that he would earn a salary of SGD$40,000 (£19,500) per month, which made him the highest-paid player in the history of the domestic professional football league.

For the 2016 season, with the club signing 9 Lions XII players, Tampines Rovers began with 6 unbeaten matches in the S.League. In February, Tampines Rovers started with the 2016 AFC Cup being drawn in Group E with Ceres from Philippines, Selangor F.A from Malaysia and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi from Bangladesh.

Tampines Rovers finished second place in Group E which will see them through to the Round of 16 with 10 points leaving Selangor F.A behind with 2 points' difference. The Round of 16 was won with 10 men by Tampines Rovers versus Mohun Bagan from India by a late goal from Afiq Yunos in the after extra time which resulted in 1–2 win at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium. This was also V. Sundramoorthy's last match before taking on the Singapore national team job as care taker. V. Sundramoorthy's successor was his Assistant Coach, Akbar Nawas. He was appointed to be the next head coach of Tampines Rovers followed with 8 straight wins and 28 goals. Tampines Rovers started the 2016 Singapore Cup with a double win playing against Global F.C. in the quarterfinals before facing another club from same country, Ceres in the semi-finals which will see the Stags as the finalist of the 2016 Singapore Cup. On 14 September 2016, Tampines Rovers continued their 2016 AFC Cup Quarter-finals facing Bengaluru FC from India but was knocked out on a narrow 1-0 aggregate score on a 2 leg basis. The Stags finished the season as runner-ups in the league with 1 points' difference to Albirex Niigata (S).

In view of the financial woes faced by the club during the 2016 season, drastic measures were taken before the start of 2017 season. These would include cut in players and technical staff's salaries, shutting down of fruit machines to name a few. Club chairman, Mr Krishna Ramachandra had decided to make sweeping changes within the club to avoid the same issues happening as last season. The 3 foreign imports from last season, Billy Mehmet, Jordan Webb and Jermaine Pennant had been released from the club with them joining DPMM, Warriors and Bury respectively. The club had also ended their 15-year association with their long-term sponsor, Hyundai. A significant number of the playing staffs had also left the club as well, notably star player, Hafiz Abu Sujad who left the club for Thai League 2 side, BBCU.

The club had signed a trio of foreign young players to replace the 3 that had departed the end of last season. They would include former Ceres utility player, Son Yong Chan, Japanese teenager winger, Ryutaro Megumi and former Croatia U17 International, Ivan Jakov Džoni. They too did sign a couple of local free agents last season. Notable local signings would include Singapore National Team Defensive Pairing, Madhu Mohana and Daniel Bennett from Warriors FC and Geylang International. The most notable one would be the sudden resignation of coach Akbar Nawas who left the club just 1 month before the start of the season and was replaced by former Garena Young Lions Coach, Jürgen Raab. The Stags started off the 2017 campaign losing the 2017 Singapore Community Shield to Albirex Niigata (S).

They took on Global in the AFC Champions League Play-offs this season but lost 2–0, which meant that they would be playing in the 2017 AFC Cup this season which they are drawn in Group G with Ceres–Negros from Philippines, Hà Nội from Vietnam and FELDA United from Malaysia but ended up in third place with 2 wins and 4 losses.

Midway through the season, club chairman, Mr Krishna Ramachandra had announced that he would be stepping down as chairman of the club. Citing commitment issues as the reason. He stayed on as club chairman to assist in FAS in the auditing and settling the accounts of the club prior to the date of his official step down (22 August 2017). On 30 August 2017, Mr Desmond Ong had been confirmed by FAS as the new chairman of the club and had also appointed a totally brand new committee for the club moving forward. The Stags finished the season as runner-ups in the league with 8 points' difference to Albirex Niigata (S).

Singapore Premier League era (2018–''present'')

The 2018 season marked the beginning of the newly revamped Singapore Premier League era. The club started their 2018 season with an AFC Champions League Play-offs against Bali United but lost 3–1 seeing the Stags dropped to the 2018 AFC Cup. To ensure the job security of the players, Tampines Rovers started the initiative to offer longer-term contracts to their players. They have 3 models of contracts for their players. The first kind of contract is that the players would be able to get a set increment at the end of every year. Second kind of contract (mainly for the U23 players) is that there would be a year-end review at the end of the season to decide on the amount of increment. The last kind of contract is that their salary would be the same for the duration of the contract. Most of their players are securing a 2-3-year deal with the club.

Despite agreeing to a 3-year deal, the club has allowed midfielder, Shahdan Sulaiman, to go on a season-long loan to Melaka United, in view of long-term benefits for both clubs and the player. Some of the national players in the club had also moved on to play in overseas leagues as well. Thus the club had signed quality replacements to fill in the shoes for the players who had departed the club for other clubs. The club had also retained the services of Japanese midfielder, Ryutaro Megumi for the 2018 season. They had also brought back Canadian winger, Jordan Webb from Warriors to fill up the foreign quota of the team. The club has also signed quite a number of young players (mainly from the National U20 Squad and Tampines Rovers Prime League) to fill up the minimum quota of U23 players needed in the team for the new season.

The club has signed a 2-year technical sponsorship deal with Danish Sportswear Company, Hummel in a deal worth S$100,000 per season. They would be providing the club with their Home, Away, Third Jerseys, as well as the training and team wear. They would not be having any main jersey sponsor in this upcoming season as the management had decided that the word "Hormat" (Respect in Malay) would be emblazoned across the chest for the upcoming season. They had debuted their new home jersey during the AFC Champions League Play-off against Bali United. The away and third kit would be revealed in February 2018. The club would be facing Johor Darul Ta'zim from Malaysia, Persija Jakarta from Indonesia and Sông Lam Nghệ An from Vietnam in the 2018 AFC Cup after failing to advance from the 2018 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs. Their first game would be on 10 February 2018 against Sông Lam Nghệ An.

The club has also announced partnership with local private football academy JSSL Singapore. JSSL would look into the development of youth players from Under-6 to Under-14 age categories. The best players from the U6 to U14 categories would than be fast tracked to the stags U16 and U19 teams in the club's Center of Excellence and ultimately the first team. JSSL Singapore's general manager, Gavin Lee has also been assisting Head Coach, Jurgen Raab in the first team matters as Assistant Coach.

Gavin Lee reign (2019–''present'')

Tampines Rovers started the 2019 season making a slew of changes to both the team coaching set up and as well as the playing staff this off season. In view of the undesirable results from the previous season, head coach, Jürgen Raab was relieved from his coaching duties. There was an overhaul of the technical team as Khadir Yahaya was roped in as head coach. While last year's assistant coach, Gavin Lee was promoted to first-team coach while he completes his AFC "A" Coaching License while former club captain, Mustafić Fahrudin stayed on with the club after his retirement to be the assistant coach of the team. Former player, Isa Halim was brought in to be the fitness coach, together with goalkeeper coach, William Phang forms the new technical team. The team had also signed a number of young players to the team from the National Football Academy, they had also signed 2 new Serbian U-21 players, Zehrudin Mehmedović and Mirza Delimeđac. At the same time the team had also signed goalkeeper, Zufairuuz Rudy from Hougang United. Shahdan Sulaiman had also returned from his loan stint at Melaka United. As backup goalkeeper, Haikal Hasnol was loaned to Home United due to National Service Commitments. Irfan Fandi had also been loaned to Young Lions due to National Service Commitments as well. Notable players such as Hafiz Abu Sujad, Afiq Yunos and Fazrul Nawaz had moved to Hougang United. At the same time, Fahrudin Mustafić had also retired from the game and is now working as an assistant coach in the team.

In pre-season, the team had taken on NFL Side, Singapore Cricket Club before traveling to Thailand to participate in the LEO Cup playing against Chiangrai United and Chiangrai City. After coming back from Thailand, they took on NFL Side, Katong FC before facing Johor Darul Ta'zim II and Albirex Niigata (S). Notably in their final friendly game against Albirex Niigata Singapore, they beat Albirex Niigata Singapore 4–0. In the attendance of a healthy crowd watching the friendly game. It was also announced that Hyundai has returned to be the main sponsor of the club since not partnering with the club from 2017. ANA Courier Express and Gatorade has continued their partnership with the club as well. has also come on board as well. Hummel had also released the club's New Jersey and the jersey had been specially designed and made for the club.

Tampines Rovers was drawn in Group F with Hà Nội, Yangon United and Nagaworld. Their first official game of the season would be a trip to Yangon, Myanmar to take on Yangon United in the 2019 AFC Cup. A game in which they came from behind to beat Yangon United 3–1 after trailing at the end of the first half. Thanks to goals from Khairul Amri, Zehrudin Mehmedović and Ryutaro Megumi. The Stags 2019 AFC Cup campaign come to an end when they ended the group stage matches with 13 points together with Hà Nội which will see the Vietnamese club finishing as group leaders with a 18+ goals difference qualifying to the next round.

They would kick start their campaign in the 2019 Singapore Premier League season on 3 March 2019 against Hougang United at the Jalan Besar Stadium. After a streak of impressive wins, the team had a slight dip of form drawing the next 4 games, winning 2 and losing 2. At the same time top striker, Khairul Amri had left to sign for FELDA United in the Malaysia Super League. Tampines Rovers went on to win the 2019 Singapore Cup in the final against Warriors.

The 2020 season marked the 75 years since the club's founding. On 14 January 2020, the club kicks off its 2020 campaign against Bali United in an AFC Champions League play off. The game ended in a thrilling 5–3, with Bali United winning the tie with 2 goals in extra-time. This meant that Tampines Rovers would play in the 2020 AFC Cup instead ending up in Group H of the competition with Kaya–Iloilo, PSM Makassar and Shan United. On 22 February 2020, Tampines Rovers won their record 5th time Singapore Community Shield against Hougang United. The Stags goes on to start the league magnificently, winning 3 out of their 3 opening fixtures without conceding a goal and scoring 7 along the way, putting 4 past recently acquired Lion City Sailors. On the other hand, The 2020 AFC Cup was no different, winning 2 and drawing 1 of their 3 games. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the league was halted from 27 March 2020.

The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth approved the season recommencement on 17 October 2020. Competition rule changes included the provision for two water breaks during a match, and clubs will be able to use up to five substitutions (in defined windows after half-time). In addition only 11 more matches per team were to be played over 49 days. With the season ending on 5 December 2020. Tampines began their return with their first loss of the season to Hougang United. However they recovered with a superb win over favourites, Albirex Niigata Singapore. They went on to finish the season unbeaten in their next 9 games but ultimately finished 2nd, 3 points off Albirex Niigata Singapore at top spot. It was their draws at Geylang International, Balestier Khalsa and Hougang United that cost them. However, they qualified for the 2021 AFC Champions League due to Albirex Niigata's inability to qualify for Continental competitions as they were a satellite team of Albirex Niigata of Japan.

AFC Champions League debut

The 2021 season marked Tampines debut in the 2021 AFC Champions League who were drawn in Group H taking on two-time AFC Champions League winners Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of Korea Republic, 2020 J1 League runners-up and 2008 AFC Champions League winners Gamba Osaka of Japan and Thailand outfits, Chiangrai United. While it was a tough debut for Gavin Lee's charges, veteran defender Daniel Bennett did create a slice of history when he scored their only goal during their fifth group encounter against Gamba Osaka in an 8–1 defeat at the Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. At 43 years and 181 days, Bennett also eclipsed Dejan Damjanović (39y 341d) as the oldest ever scorer in the tournament's history. The 2021 Singapore Premier League season ended with Tampines Rovers finishing in 4th place which will see them qualified for the 2022 AFC Cup.

Five Years contract extension

Kyoga Nakamura being handed a new five-year lengthy deal by the Stags in an unprecedented move in Singaporean football, making it the longest contract extension in Singaporean league history reaffirming his commitment to the club. The lengthy deal would see Kyoga remaining as a Stag till December 2026 and could also pave the way for another naturalized footballer and also being a Singaporean citizenship. Tampines Rovers also announced a five-year contract for promising star, Shah Shahiran and Joel Chew committing their future to the club.

The Stags started off the 2022 season with in a 2–2 draw against Balestier Khalsa on 26 February 2022. Tampines Rovers started off the 2022 AFC Cup group stage in late June playing at the Kuala Lumpur Stadium as a centralised venue to face Kuala Lumpur City and PSM Makassar however they lost both matches. The 2022 Singapore Cup returns after a 2-years hiatus due to the competition being cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore which saw the Stags having a great run to the Cup Final before losing to 3–2 to Hougang United.

The 2023 season saw star player, Zehrudin Mehmedović leaving the club after staying with the club for 4 years. Tampines Rovers than replace the last foreigner slot bringing in Miloš Zlatković, Lion City Sailors stars, Faris Ramli and Saifullah Akbar also joined the club. Faris started the first 4 league games scoring a goal in each of the consecutive four matches. The Stags see themselves as host of the 2023–24 AFC Cup qualifying ASEAN play-offs zone against Cambodian side, Phnom Penh Crown at the Jalan Besar Stadium on 23 August 2023.

Renamed as BG Tampines Rovers

On 23 September 2023, Tampines Rovers inked a three-year collaboration with Thailand club, BG Pathum United. As part of the agreement, the Singaporean outfit will be temporarily renamed as BG Tampines Rovers from 2024 onwards. Kadir Yahaya who was the former Tampines Rovers head coach and the current head of youth football for BG Pathum, played a pivotal role in securing the deal. As part of the collaboration, The club loaned in two new Thailand nationals, 19-year-old forward Thitipat Ekarunpong and 18-year-old defender Thanet Suknate. Thitipat and Thanet will be the first Thai players in the league since 2013, when Theerawekin Seehawong turned out for Woodlands Wellington. Tampines Rovers also qualified for the AFC Champions League Two as the 2nd best placed local team in the previous season. On 18 July 2024, Tampines Rovers maintain their seven unbeaten streak (6 wins, 1 draw) where the club defeated league rivals Lion City Sailors 5–0 at the Bishan Stadium to stay on top of the league table. Tampines Rovers then participated in the inaugural 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two group stage alongside Thailand club Bangkok United, Vietnamese club Nam Định and Hong Kong club Lee Man. On 18 September 2024, the club then played their first match against Bangkok United at the Thammasat Stadium where Seia Kunori scored a brace for the club but it wasn't enough as the Stags lost 4–2 to the host. On 22 September in the away fixture against DPMM, Boris Kopitović overtake Aleksandar Đurić to become Tampines Rovers all-time leading goalscorer in the club history. During the second round of the AFC Champions League Two match against Lee Man at home soil on 2 October, after conceding an early goal from the visitors, Boris Kopitović equalised the match at 1–1 right before half time from the penalty spot. In the second half, Faris Ramli and Seia Kunori both scored a goal to secured a 3–1 win against Lee Man. On 27 November, Seia Kunori scored the only goal in the match to end Bangkok United winning streak in the group stage at home. On the final day fixtures against Lee Man at the Mong Kok Stadium desperately needing a win, Tampines Rovers felled to a goalless draw which sees the team finishing in third place in the group thus missing out on qualifying to the round of 16.

Affiliated clubs

* BG Pathum United (2023–''present'')

On 23 September 2023, Tampines Rovers inked a three-year collaboration with BG Pathum United.

Team image

Crest and colours

The club selected the Stag as its animal mascot as the animal is a symbol of wisdom, its antlers are associated with the tree of life and in Chinese culture, it is a symbol of virility. The club's colours are predominantly yellow for its Home kit, with a mixture of black, blue and white for its away colours.

Supporters

The Yellow Brigade

Formed in 2012, The Yellow Brigade (TYB) was the very first unofficial supporters’ group for Tampines Rovers FC. The group composed mainly of members of the Singapore national team supporters’ group, Lions All The Way (LATW). Members of TYB were staunch supporters of the club and greatly contributed to the overall match-day experience.

The Yellow Knights

Formed in 2019, The Yellow Knights (TYK) is the second unofficial supporters’ group. TYK was formed by a small group of passionate fans with the shared goal of improving the match-day atmosphere at games. The group have been described and been recognised as Ultras, although the group has never formerly regarded themselves as such. TYK is well known in the country for their passionate support at every game.

The Stand

The general Tampines Rover's fanbase has been collectively referred to as “The Stand” – the name likely derived from its similarity to “The Stags”.

Since the move back to Tampines, the club's average attendance per match is one of the highest in the league. As of June 2023, the club is second only to the Lion City Sailors in average attendance in the league.

Stadium

The Stags initially played their home games at the Tampines Stadium. In 2011, the stadium was demolished to build an integrated community and lifestyle building Our Tampines Hub (OTH) which includes a football stadium. Never before in Singapore sports history has a football match played within 'Our Tampines Hub', the first-ever integrated community and lifestyle hub that brings together multiple agencies to offer a comprehensive and diverse range of services, programmes and facilities.

During the construction of OTH, the Stags used Clementi Stadium as their homeground from 2012 to 2014 and then Jurong West Stadium from 2015 till the first half of 2017.

In 2017, the Stags moved back to OTH, utilising OTH's Town Square, which has a seating capacity of 5,000, to play their home games. On 28 July 2017, Tampines Rovers had their first match at their newly opened stadium against Brunei DPMM FC and won 2–0.

That match saw a crowd of 4,676 fans.

In 2019, in view of the shared stadium initiative by Football Association Singapore, Geylang International will share OTH as their home ground. It caused a lot of unrest within the local football community, stating that without its spiritual home, the clubs are losing its identity.

Sponsors

Players

First-team squad

(''on loan from Albirex Niigata FC (S))^{FP U21}

Tampines Rovers U21

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U21
U21
U21
U21
U21
FP U21
U21
U21
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^{U21
FP U21
U21
U21
U21
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On loan

(to Balestier Khalsa)
(to Geylang International)
(to Albirex Niigata (S))
(to Albirex Niigata (S))
(to Tanjong Pagar United)
(NS till 2024)
(NS till 2025, to Young Lions)
(NS till 2025, to Young Lions)
(NS till 2025, to Young Lions)
(NS till 2026, to Young Lions)

Club officials

Management

Technical staff

Reference:

Honours

''Bold is for those competition that are currently active.''

Personal awards

Domestic

* League Player of the Year
** Noh Alam Shah (2005)
** Aleksandar Đurić (2012)

* League Young Player of the Year
** Fahrudin Mustafić (2004)
** Shariff Abdul Samat (2007)
** Khairul Amri (2008)

* League Coach of the Year
** Vorawan Chitavanich (2004, 2005, 2010)

* League Top Scorer
** Mirko Grabovac (2005)
** Aleksandar Đurić (2013)
** Boris Kopitović (2022)

* League Goal of the Year
** Zulfadhmi Suzliman against Albirex Niigata (S) on 20 May 2018.

* League Golden Gloves
** Hassan Sunny (2009)
** Syazwan Buhari (2023, 2024–25)

* League Team of the Year
** Ryutaro Megumi (2017)
** Shahdan Sulaiman (2019)
** Irwan Shah (2019)
** Syazwan Buhari (2020, 2023, 2024–25)
** Daniel Bennett (2020)
** Kyoga Nakamura (2020, 2022, 2023)
** Boris Kopitović (2022)
** Miloš Zlatković (2023, 2024–25)
** Seia Kunori (2024–25)

Others

* People's Choice Award
** Sead Muratović (2002)
** Zulkarnaen Zainal (2005)

Records and statistics

As of 8 June 2025.

Top 10 all-time appearances

Top 10 all-time scorers

* Biggest Wins: 9–0 vs Police SA (''On 19 July 2014'')
* Heaviest Defeats: 9–0 vs Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (''On 1 July 2021'')
* Youngest Goal scorers: Saifullah Akbar ~ 17 years 5 months 12 days old (''On 13 July 2016 vs Hougang United'')
* Oldest Goal scorers: Aleksandar Đurić ~ 43 years 9 months 11 days old (''On 23 May 2014 vs Young Lions'')
* Youngest ever debutant: Caelen Chong ~ 16 years 7 months 12 days old (''On 3 September 2022 vs Balestier Khalsa'')

Former managers

Performance in AFC competition

* AFC Champions League/AFC Champions League Elite: 1 appearances

:: 2021: Group stage
::

* AFC Cup/AFC Champions League Two: 15 appearances

:: 2005: Quarter-final
:: 2006: Quarter-final
:: 2007: Quarter-final
:: 2011: Round of 16
:: 2012: Group stage
:: 2013: Group stage
:: 2014: Group stage
:: 2016: Quarter-final
:: 2017: Group stage
:: 2018: Group stage
:: 2019: Group stage
:: 2020: Cancelled
:: 2022: Group stage
:: 2023–24: Play-off round
:: 2024–25: Group stage
:: 2025–26:

References

External links

*
* (archived 21 September 2013)

{{S-League

Football clubs in Singapore
Association football clubs established in 1945
Tampines
1945 establishments in Singapore
Singapore Premier League clubs