The Silverfox Hustle Podcast
The hustle beats talent when talent doesn't hustle. The Silverfox Hustle is all about showcasing positive attitudes, great work ethics and consistent quality work. The Silverfox Hustle will be the vehicle that will inspire, motivate and share positive stories through its extraordinary guests. Host and creator, Shasi, is a former professional football player and now a coach developer as well as a commentator and pundit. He shares all the values and beliefs of the Silverfox Hustle. Enjoy the journey and stories! Cheers!
The Silverfox Hustle Podcast
Silverfox Hustle #94 - Kadir Yahaya - Director of Football, Unleash the Roar
Kadir Yahaya returns to Singapore as Director of Football with the Unleash the Roar project after his stint at BG Pathum in Thailand, bringing decades of coaching experience and a passion for youth development to revitalize local football. This is an honest coversation where we spoke about:
• Discipline - it must come from a player's internal psyche
• The state-of-the-art Kallang Football Hub represents a game-changing investment in all-weather facilities
• Coaching quality
• the critical development gap between U17 and U21 teams
• Youth development and its focus on player-centric approaches
• the discord between the various stakeholders in Singapore football
And a lot more!
To all players, parents and football stakeholders, the message is simple - Continue to support the UTR program. It's a long-term initiative that requires patience, but with sustained commitment, we will find the next generation of football talents for Singapore.
This is the Silverfox Hustle podcast.
Speaker 1:I am your host, shashi, and before we start, don't forget to catch the latest episodes all on Spotify, apple Podcasts and, if you want to watch us in action as well, we are out on YouTube Now.
Speaker 1:Today we have a very special guest, and when I say special, every guest is special, but today is extra special because we've got a Malaysia Cup and Tiger Cup winner and he had a couple of coaching positions here in Singapore as well as abroad the YOG 2010 comes to our mind at NFA teams, past NFA teams Pelita Jaya assistant coach, lions 12, assistant coach, sea Games 2015, assistant coach the list goes on. Bg Patum, the reason one, the head of youth there. He was also a Tampines Rovers head coach in 2019, a manager head coach, and we'll talk a little bit about that together with you know I think he had a partnership with Gavin Lee there, st Joseph's Institution coach as well, a couple of years there, and now he is back as the director of football in the UTR, the Unleash the Raw project. That was a mouthful, but welcome to the podcast, mr Kadi.
Speaker 2:Thank you very much, sasi. What a long introduction.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, very long indeed Nice to come back, man. Nice to be back, you know, to listeners and people who are watching this. I always wanted to get Kade on. I think he knows this as well.
Speaker 2:He's been bugging me from the very first day, man. I cannot miss this one man Exactly.
Speaker 1:I've been bugging him since I started episode 1.
Speaker 2:Yes, well done, so I owe you one so I'm here you are back 0-0 you are back.
Speaker 1:How has it been Kade for the past few months in terms of are you catching up with friends? I think you just told me that you are catching up on the prata as well.
Speaker 2:Oh, I was very fit when I'm in Thailand, so I don't eat much. There was no prata, no mee goreng, all this. So when I came back, all the favourite dishes. So I put on a few kilos.
Speaker 1:But I feel okay but seriously, I think those of you who are watching this, as well. Look at him he is as fit as a fiddle. How old are you, by the way? 56? 57, now 57, well done, nice, nice. Now you know, let's talk a little bit about your coaching journey. Right, looking back a little bit before we start talking about the UTR, yes, was coaching and or being a leader, something that you feel is in your DNA, kade?
Speaker 2:Yes, I mean it started off with when I was sitting with Jiang Zhong you know Okay. And then, when I was sitting with him, that one, when I was just finishing my playing career, right at that time it gets on into me after football in the first place. What can I do? I don't have any education background, maybe not any business acumen nowadays, right, so I did venture some businesses. Okay, which I say I'm very poor at it, I fail. Okay, what kind of business? Food business, some partnership with friends, everything.
Speaker 1:I fail.
Speaker 2:I have to be honest and fail. I think the only thing that I can do best is to contribute back to the game that I love. I mean, that's my background. When I came to football, I was not a very well family, not a very well family, have to work hard, right and after that, and then football gave me all these, all these perks that I have Right. So so from there, I think I want to give back to football.
Speaker 1:You spoke about Zhang Zhong and that time that you had assisting him as well when you were playing right did this coach or maybe I can be better than him, or whatever when you were playing.
Speaker 2:You see, if you look at my track record, if you look at my track record, right, I'm not very keen to go on board as a first team coach. Okay, I was being offered right, honestly, right in Singapore yeah.
Speaker 2:I met some of the chairman, yeah, and also abroad I got some chairman who met me said they want to take. So my passion, my desire, is not about the first team. I'm more, more inclined to develop players. So I've I've seen that. I've been in in BG Patum in the first team and then when you're in the first team, it's a totally different atmosphere, concept.
Speaker 2:It's very hard to to develop players, to tell them something, their mistake, how to improve. Because they are professional. They are top professional where they earn millions. You know some of them earn millions 2 million per year, a million per year, 40,000 per month. So when you tell them their mistakes, they don't tell you what they need to improve. They don't give you that vibe. You know that feeling. Yes, can you tell they just play. When you talk to them, sometimes they give you the body language oh okay, then there's no thing. Okay, of course, thank you, there's no. So to me, yes, they are that level. There's nothing much you can input. But development is where you can input a lot of things it's very interesting.
Speaker 1:This is, I feel, very interesting. You said that you know this happens or happened in Thailand in terms of the body language and all do you think it's the same in Singapore as well?
Speaker 2:in Singapore they give me the respect because I'm a player, but that you're talking about the local players right. Yeah, if local players, I think they give me the respect because I'm a player before, so when I talk to them, yes, they give me that understanding. Yes, coach, I want to. Yes, coach.
Speaker 1:You know Okay.
Speaker 2:So there's a gap between.
Speaker 1:So when you're doing head of football in BG Patum, as in the youth sites, do they listen because they're younger.
Speaker 2:Yeah, younger, younger. I've counted a lot of good experience when I'm there. Okay, Number one is language. Number two is culture. Number three is, of course, the food. Okay, of course the food. Okay.
Speaker 2:And then travelling is was very, very far. You know, even when I go for a meeting, it take me two hours to enough hours to go for one meeting. After that I have to travel back. Take into consideration the jam, the traffic, right. But the people are very nice. The people are very nice, very kind.
Speaker 2:And the football there, you know, they eat and sleep football okay. So I visited 13 sports schools there and most of the sports schools they have bare minimum as compared to us. So we have sports sign, nutrition, we have good training field and everything. They go overseas. They are barely nothing, but they are player driven. You can see the eyes of the players. They are very young, sometimes start from 10 years old to go into boarding school where they train morning, evening and you see the way they sleep, the way they eat. It's just bare minimum, right, but they are driven. They think that this is the way out for me to become a stardom and everything.
Speaker 2:But when I ask the people and ask the association there. How many make it to the first team, to the professional team? How many make it? The percentage is very, very small, but they have the desire, the burning desire. So I think Singapore also, there's a lot of kids playing. They have a dream and desire. So there must be a platform. Either they make it, don't make it. There must be a platform for them. Maybe they can play football, like the youth league and everything. We have to provide the platform.
Speaker 1:We'll speak a little bit about that, because we are, after all, going to be talking about UTR right now, and we're going to talk about this hunger thing Because I have a question for you, then, right? Yes, when people mention your name, kadir, this word comes up yeah, okay, the big D Discipline. Yes, okay, agree. Yeah, you agree.
Speaker 2:Agree.
Speaker 1:Where did this come from? Was it your upbringing? Yeah, playing football under a coach, or maybe with your fellow players. Where did this come from? Because it's from before, you know, and not many people know this when I was playing in my very last year in Geylang as a professional footballer. When I retired at the end of the year, Kade was the assistant coach to Scott O'Donnell.
Speaker 2:Got it.
Speaker 1:That's where that's hand first hand about the discipline and all. So where did this come from?
Speaker 2:I mean, it's not ingrained or imbued in you to become a disciplined player. You don't have somebody to tell you. It must be inside you. So discipline is about inside you. It's not about, oh, you must be disciplined. You cannot tell the player. You must be disciplined. You cannot tell the player.
Speaker 2:It's just basic thing. Come on time, prepare. If you're a coach, you have to prepare. You cannot come training on time and then you start to do your training. You have to prepare your training plan. You have to come there early, do the setup early. These are basic thing. So it's just small, small thing. But you make look big on you, right? You cannot ask the. You ask the player to come on time, but you come late, correct, you know. And then the way your outlook. You know there's some coaches wear anyhow their hair, some coaches take out shirt. You know it's all about basic things. So please I hope all the coaches please read about what other European coaches are doing. It's something we can learn. We are not there, but there are some things we can learn from them. They are very disciplined, they come on time, they do everything professionally.
Speaker 1:It's a non-negotiable actually. Nobody needs to tell you to be early, to be on time, to be properly attired, to behave properly.
Speaker 2:Of course you have to be in you. If somebody will tell you that means something, keep repeatingly tell you don't do it, that means there's not in you, then there must be punishment gum, then there must be something to do, then they start to learn. Okay.
Speaker 1:NFA Correct, when you were coaching in the NFA and I remember this player, haris Harun, was in your team Under 16 and I think he was playing one year up or something like that First the youngest player who's been called up for the national team, correct?
Speaker 2:And he was playing one year up. Yes, yes, yes, correct.
Speaker 1:Did you imagine at that time that he would be the vice president of FAS? It's it's.
Speaker 2:It's. It's something you cannot believe. No, the moment he's been announced as a vice president, the first thing I text I need to keep my job, please.
Speaker 1:I was laughing, Haris. I need to keep my job.
Speaker 2:I need to pay bills. This is Singapore. You're in Thailand. I got a lot of plantation in my house, so he was laughing. Yeah, yeah, I cannot believe. But you see, haris is one of a kind.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:If, if you ask me how I found him is through a friend which they watched the game and then they told me his name. Yaakob told me, yaakob Hashim said Kade, go and look at this boy.
Speaker 1:San.
Speaker 2:Gabriel, yeah, san Gabriel. And another friend also told me Kade, look at this boy, this boy, indian boy, he like rugby. You know he whack everybody, but he's so young and he's so big. I said, okay lah, I go. And Then I was surprised.
Speaker 1:On this boy. Eh, he play like rugby.
Speaker 2:So I took three of the boys From St Gabriel One of them is Haris so I took him and said Eh, you want to play football? You cannot do like this. It's good, aggressive is good, but you need to learn how to play Eventually.
Speaker 2:Look, I never give him Any magic potion or any magic training. He himself Is about. He's about discipline, determination, and the first one to come training, always Haris. That's the only difference. You see. The best golfers, though, after finish, finish the tournament, they still continue Practice, practice, practice. So Haris is the one.
Speaker 1:It's amazing that we talk about Haris and we are not even talking about ability. Yes, correct, it's the person Correct you know, and that will, together with the talent, and we are not even talking about ability. Yes, correct, it's the person Correct, you know, and that will, together with the talent and, together with it, will make that person.
Speaker 2:Yes, correct, it's just come early for training and do your own practice. You know, and Haris did that. Yeah, he came and said Haris, your left foot not good, you need to train. He just came half an hour count them one hour After finish school. He came early and then just practice, practice, practice.
Speaker 1:That's all. Well, people who are watching this. It's simple as that. It's got to do with talent, correct?
Speaker 2:correct. But it's that extra, yes, extra, it's got to come from you. It's just that extra, one percent extra, amazing. Yog, I remember that I mean the boys man yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:How many of them are now still playing? I think not None none none I think last year was Fasha. That's it Fasha, and then Elias was playing NFL and everything.
Speaker 2:Adam Sondi no, not in the YOG, not in the YOG team. Okay, elias, still playing.
Speaker 1:Jeffrey.
Speaker 2:Jeffrey Lightfoot Coaching.
Speaker 1:Right yeah most of them. What was the experience like at that?
Speaker 2:time the boys have a culture shock. When I came in they were the late coach Siva. He was a bit like a father figure for them. So on my part it's different. I instill on discipline. I instill on coming on time. When you go overseas I make sure they greet the bus driver Right. So I was very angry. One training they remember me. I think if they hear this podcast they know they were still laughing. You were in the bus. You go for morning training and then you went up the bus. I came early.
Speaker 1:I sit on the bus. I sit on the front row.
Speaker 2:So I observe when they come. I want to see the body language everything. I want to see the body language everything. So they keep going up, going up, going up. So okay, they go down After training. You go back to the room. I close the door. I say why don't you greet the bus driver? Door start. No, I say what's done? Nobody answer me. No, I say why. You know why it's important the bus driver? No, he's driving us. There's 30 of us inside the bus. You know. Can you imagine? You know he got 30 life inside the bus. You know it's just a common greed. You cannot. You know, it's the respect. We are from foreign country. Just greet them. Good morning sir. Good morning sir. You know, this is the contact we have, the atmosphere we have. You know we have some this relationship. But you're who? It was a really hair dryer, whatever, I don't know which hair dryer is that. So everybody got taken aback. I think that really struck them.
Speaker 1:Was there any complaints about you from parents and whatever I do have From time?
Speaker 2:to time, parents did some anonymous email and complained to the higher authority.
Speaker 1:But they stuck to you right.
Speaker 2:Yes, the players was with me All the way. They stuck to me Because they believe that this is the way they should train.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:This is the way I motivate them. This is the way you need to get results. You know, and we have to go, especially at home, right To play your best and everything are you sad that most of them, or all of them, are not?
Speaker 2:very sad, very, very sad. I think very on my part. I think partly to blame is me. Why? Because I left the team okay, so I decided not to continue. I left the team. I think some of them sad and then after that they keep changing coaches and then when I hear some of them give up football not playing, I feel sad. That is the best generation If you can cap them. They should have done well. I think now they should be a national team. I think it's a lesson learned for me Not only for me, I think. Hope the rest of them also.
Speaker 1:Sea Games 2015? Who was the head coach then? Aidi.
Speaker 2:Iskandar Ah. Okay, Aidi ID Iskandar Ah okay, id Iskandar.
Speaker 1:He's our parachuter To give my support. Where was this? It's not in Singapore, right In Singapore.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's Singapore, singapore yeah, singapore, so we did prepare well. Okay, unfortunately, when Closer to the game there's some injuries, like Shafiq Ghani, the key players Shafiq Ghani and then Faris Ramli Also have some Niggling problems. Right, I think when you have this type of players Out of the game, really big impact On the team, right?
Speaker 1:Are you close With the Tampines Rovers Management and stuff Still now?
Speaker 2:Still in contact, not that close. How did this happen?
Speaker 1:Because it's quite Because okay. Gavin was the yeah Coach right so, and you came in as well to help him out. What was the the arrangement?
Speaker 2:was they need a pro license. Okay, okay. So at that moment Gavin was only have A license about to taking his pro license the following year. Right, so I step in, okay, so I step in and then I just at least I can do some some trainings and I can mentor Gavin. He was I can mentor Gavin, he was still young, he's still my player, you know.
Speaker 1:Oh, at NFA, NFA yeah.
Speaker 2:So Gavin's my player.
Speaker 1:So you know him already.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, we have good relationship with him, so, yeah, part of his. It's ironic, huh. I'm his coach and now he's mentor for when he become a coach.
Speaker 1:This is a good link between me and, and then that first year with Tampines and until now. Can you see the differences, like the how he has grown? Yes, yes.
Speaker 2:Definitely definitely. I follow up the games and everything. Sometimes I watch the games. I don't comment much, okay, sometimes when it's especially when the team not doing well, yeah, and then back-to-back loss and everything. So I just give him teams say, have you done the? Yes, but I know he's sometime.
Speaker 2:He visited me in Bangkok, so off season he went to Bangkok and we have discussion, talk and then I want to see how his work. He's very open. I want to see what's your preseason. What are you going to do this? How you select your players, how you're signing just a coach and play a conversation. It's open, Right right.
Speaker 1:What is his strength? Do you think what is his strength?
Speaker 2:do you think he says he's a very, he has a philosophical coach, he has a very strong, he believes in this way to go. And he will not listen to anything. He will not change. So he got his very own philosophy how to play, how to build up.
Speaker 1:So you all got this little quarters as well, both of you For him die, die.
Speaker 2:He said you must build up, you must play. So, even though you know, one time he played AFC Champions League. He lost 9-0 to Korea team. Of course there's a big gap. There's a huge gap, you know, Among all, he's got the experience.
Speaker 1:Of course now. Yeah, of course, especially in the local scene.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's something that we don't know right and.
Speaker 1:That's his strength. What do you think Is his weakness, if you can point out?
Speaker 2:Yes, I can point out His weakness is he has this Relationship with the players. That's too close, you know, for me I think the players know Pump, I put a line there. Okay, we can talk, but we can talk from a coach, but for him it's like friends After training. It's friends.
Speaker 1:Sometimes it's good.
Speaker 2:Okay, both ways is good For me. I put it as a line that I'm a coach, you're a player Okay, we can talk. Problem, but professional life after that you go from the training ground. I mean his own life, you know. But he comes to training, but for him he will get into the player's personal life sometimes to help them, give them counselling, and then close and then joke with them.
Speaker 1:Which is not really a bad thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, both, yeah, yeah, I understand it's about any, Is it?
Speaker 1:because of the age as well.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's a very important point.
Speaker 1:Some are younger than him, some are younger than him, some are older than him as well. Agree agree.
Speaker 2:That one I fully agree Because that's young. But every coach has his own style of doing things.
Speaker 1:I see Yogan Nagasemana is also very young, same age as Gavin.
Speaker 2:He can coach a national team. I see you're same age.
Speaker 1:I agree with you on this point about being too close with the players.
Speaker 2:Although you are friends, you grew up together, you played with the person, but I think, once you are the head coach, I think maybe there should be a line. Yeah, I agree, and it's very difficult to pull out and to go in.
Speaker 1:And it's a very good point.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's not easy. It's a good point.
Speaker 1:How about SGI? I think. How many years did you take the school team for?
Speaker 2:10 years. Wow, it's a decade. Wow. I started off if the team was not doing the CCA at the time. They don't have any CCA football. They closed for maybe a good 10 or 15 years.
Speaker 1:This is a secondary school right.
Speaker 2:Yes, so I was approached by one of the HOD. That one, mr Tahir, came to see me. Okay, he said HOD. Mr Tahir came to see me. He said are you okay? So he brought me for lunch. So when I said, I remember as Rangan Gop, he got rice, banana leaf, so he know my stomach full.
Speaker 1:I said how you think.
Speaker 2:I said let me think about it immediately. He go and pay for the meal. I pay for you. No, no, let me pay. So when I spoke to my wife, she said I got this offer from this school, but I don't know whether I want to go down or not to this level. Should I go another level? So I told myself, okay, I'll give it a try. And eventually the first year was not the first year. We never achieved anything. But after the second year we start to improve and then we start to make some results and everything. So I think it starts to flow. Up.
Speaker 1:Till now, I think it's amazing because it's come one full circle, because SGI has got a lot of players from the NDC and now right, yes, eight of the players are scholarship are now in. Ndc.
Speaker 2:Now they open up for NDC.
Speaker 1:So it's also the boys from the minority group as well.
Speaker 2:Yes, correct.
Speaker 1:I've been watching academies and all and LCS and all and I see the number of Chinese boys some. Indian boys, but the number of Chinese boys. They are good players.
Speaker 2:Especially at SGI. And there's some foreign players also. Yes, I got Australian player, I got British player, I got this. So many nationalities playing football and eventually they are here. For 16 years they born here, they been playing football here and most of them said maybe I want to do NS, maybe I want to continue my studies here instead of going back. So this is another capture for our foreign talent, for the young age. We need this Because why they grew up here, they know our culture, they can sing Majulah.
Speaker 2:Singapura and they can play football. I think we have to look at this seriously.
Speaker 1:Well, Kade, we spoke about a little bit of your coaching experience. Let's get into why we are here, because I think it's your main role here. I want to ask you this the UTR project, obviously, the Unleash, the Raw project, how did this come about? Because you were out in. Thailand and how did this come about? Because the reason why I'm asking you this is because of you know the past of what you said on social media and. I think this was documented in Facebook and whatever.
Speaker 1:I agree, you know, and you were pretty I don't want to say harsh you probably were telling the truth on social media and this and that, and we don't want to get into that. But what made you come back? Because after all that, right, yes. After all that right.
Speaker 2:It started off when I was in BG. Okay, so you know, BG have a lot of facilities. The facilities are fantastic Facilities, their professionalism and everything. So, being a Singaporean, so I think, eh, why not we leverage on this? You know and the president is a very, is a very into explore any MOU partnership they can do with the president. So I, during one of the meeting, I told the president I think, instead of exploring Japan, you know how?
Speaker 2:about Singapore? So he said okay, kadeh, do a presentation for me what you can leverage on both sides. So I did. I said one other thing is to play. Bring your team to Singapore like Alvirex, set up a team and then you play in our local league okay. Second thing you can play like Brunei home and away okay, and then we can talk about the details, the funding budget and everything. So eventually, eventually, we flew in, in and out, we go to Singapore, we met the FA, we met the clubs and everything. We get some information and everything. So we decided to say, okay, let's start slow first.
Speaker 1:Okay, so let's partner with a club, okay.
Speaker 2:So eventually we go into discussion with Tampines and we see the setup and then what we can leverage on the club first and then everything, then after club MOU. I think let's bring another level.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So my CEO and the president, we have a discussion again. He said hey, there's a discolored UTR project. No, to be honest, and to you and to all the listeners, and everything if I want to be selfish, I don't have to do anything. What, yeah, anything but yeah, correct.
Speaker 2:I don't have to recommend. Why should I recommend UTR? Why should I club? No, I got nothing to do. But being a Singaporean, and when you look at the results of a youth team or national team, I mean as a player, you can feel correct, even though I'm not part of UTR, I'm not part of UTS F, our youth team like this, our FAS like this, so I try to bring this level up and then to offer this to UTR. Eventually, sps Eric Chua came to view the plus. Marcus Tan came. After that, mr Edwin came over to view the facilities, to see where we can explore on both sides I have a long conversation with Mr when he arrived when he was at BG and to view the personalities, to see where we can explore on both sides.
Speaker 2:I have a long conversation with the minister when he arrived when he was at BG and then I talk. When I spoke to him, I said hands, glove is off, we can talk open. I said I have to tell you the honestly. He said okay, good, I have to tell the truth about Singapore football. We have a very formal, open conversation, which is very good. I think I said okay, we can contribute. Let me be at BG first, because I can still connect with.
Speaker 2:UTR and FAS and the club everything. So now there's a lot of exchange. Now the girls team are going over, our boys, our UTR boys, are going over. So I think it's part of me where I can connect and to improve Singapore football Because, being a player, I want to. Maybe, at least for me, I put in a stretch time and said it's a sense of duty. Maybe I want to give back to Singapore football in this manner.
Speaker 1:So that MOU and you know it happened. But then how did you get the full-time?
Speaker 2:thing at UTR, so I think I was being scammed by Minister Edwin. I hope we don't share this.
Speaker 2:We had a long conversation at the hotel when we went back and then he said, hey, this is okay. I said so, I told him okay. So we had a long conversation and I said what I can contribute especially to this project. So I think we should not look at only UTR. We should explore what's outside UTR, to have partnership and MOU to get these boys to go out. You know we are so in our comfort zone playing in Singapore and then we don't know what's happening outside the country.
Speaker 2:So youth development is, I think, one of my forte and one of my strength, I think from here maybe I want to contribute back, especially to the youth development where we can bring the players to another level.
Speaker 1:So I think it looks like the minister hijacked you from UTR.
Speaker 2:But that's not Trans-Sofie man. I should ask him when you bring him back. I must have transfer fee, you know Right.
Speaker 1:So your role is the director of football, correct? Okay, what is that about Specifically? What do you do? What is your role, your main?
Speaker 2:role. So it's about the pathway and progression. Okay, it's very important how we select them from the 8 years old. We have this program from 8 to 12 years old. Okay, that's the fundamental 8 years old. After that they progress to another pathway, from 13 to 16. Okay, that's another pathway.
Speaker 2:Okay, so from there we need to scout the players. You know, when we look at the players and then get the coaches involved and then how to them. You know, because we must know that to all the foreign coaches and all local coaches, we must know the context of Singapore football. We cannot copy and paste other country football and then say, oh, we must do this, no, they have to go to school. We must know what time. They wake up early morning, correct, and then after that they have to spend half a day in school. After that they came back and then they got football. When they reach home about 9 o'clock, can you imagine the hours they spend, of course, from school to football? Yeah, so we need to balance, make sure they have they excel in school and also in football. So how we find the balance very important, how the coach now it's not just a coach.
Speaker 2:I told many of the coaches when I came in. Don't just become a coach. If you're just a coach, you're just an ordinary coach. But you must become an extraordinary coach. What is an extraordinary coach? You must know the pathway of the boy. You must know the journey of the boy, what time he wake up, what meal he got, how you go to school. Give me your timetable. Can you cope or you cannot cope? Maybe we can one day or two days, it's no harm, correct? So when school holiday you can increase the training, you can increase intensity, you can bring them up for overseas and everything. So you must understand the context first before you embark on this training. On this, no, must understand that they have spent half a day in school. After that follow your football program it's a tough balance, isn't it?
Speaker 2:it is a tough balance. Singapore is not easy.
Speaker 1:You know and You're right, I've got a 12 year old son as well. Training is 1, 3, 5 and the club Clubs on the other days, and then the game is on a Saturday and Sunday. It's almost like a professional footballer, of course. And then you got PSLE to come to.
Speaker 2:We were not like that before right, yes, now yeah, then they got Sometimes they got remedial class, they got tuition, they got extra class. Take into consideration it's yeah, it's a difficult, you know thing to balance as well. What?
Speaker 1:when you stepped in and obviously you are a Singaporean and you roughly know what's going on what impressed you the most here in the UTR project? Something that you caught your eye and said. I think this is for decades.
Speaker 2:We don't have this type of facilities like KFH. Kfh, I tell you, I tell you this I think the ministers and the sports SG have made a very, very good decision for Singapore football. You look at KFH, it's all weather. Yes, yes, yes. So there's no disruption, there's no postponed game, no matter how wet the weather. So I hope, minister Edwin, we need four more. Yeah, I think so. I think we need four more North, south, east, west. I think so. I think we need four more of this investment for Singapore football to go forward, because this is a really game changer for Singapore football. When I see the facilities, the training can go on, the game can go on. And can you imagine, imagine sometimes the game they play at 11 o'clock, at 1 o'clock, so there's continuous game. You know, yeah, there's non-stop.
Speaker 1:I totally agree with you with the facilities because you know I've been doing some coaching courses. Right, Correct, correct. I can put the practical session at 1 o'clock. 1 o'clock.
Speaker 2:At 12 o'clock. I don't like.
Speaker 1:Yeah, something that you don't like. When you came and you think, hmm, this one can be approved.
Speaker 2:Yes, I think there's a cafe. There must be a cafe for the dining, For dining must be there's one room for dining and then have the nutritionist and everything you know and all the food after training, and then Then something like a physio room. It should have a very big physio room, you know, where the players can come in and then do their, their, whatever, and then there must be a big classroom, a video room for the players. You know, but it's, I think it's, it's in process, I think they are still learning.
Speaker 2:I think they have to start the first round, the first phase. I'm sure there'll be second phase. They will improve on it.
Speaker 1:I think if the minister is watching, I think please get this going. Like you said a couple of places, as well.
Speaker 2:I need north, south, east, west, I think.
Speaker 1:If they can have this, I think it will you know, I think one example is the Mata Road. One and again, when, when, when. When LCS first started, they said they're going to take over the whole Mata Road and I was thinking, okay let's see. Correct. Within a year it all came up.
Speaker 2:And I was like okay, this is the power that we need Correct, correct, agree, agree. Not to talk about, but to do yes and yes agree.
Speaker 1:I think that's the most important thing. Now, as the director of football, you are like what? Roughly about three months to look and see. What do you think are the major flaws that we are facing? I know there's a lot.
Speaker 2:Yes, Obviously right. If not, you wouldn't be here, oh I agree.
Speaker 1:So what are the major flaws that we are facing and needs to be changed? Can be, I don't know, can be the coaching. What is it it's about?
Speaker 2:making football decisions For me to convince the people, the administrators, the staff and everything. When we make decisions, it's about making football decisions For me. I'm looking at how to improve the player first, because it's football, how we can make this player to have balance in football and everything. And then what's the career path, Because right now they're playing football. Where do they go from here? Okay, when I'm 16, where do I go? 17? There must be a pathway for them to go and this is a challenge for me because we need to convince the parents that it's viable now, singapore football as compared to my time. So you have the opportunity to travel overseas, abroad to play games and everything, and you'll be selected for the country.
Speaker 2:What happens for those who don't be selected not selected for the country? Where do they go from there? They still got clubs to go. Right, they still can play. You know there's some age group. There are now openings, a lot of coaches now involved in coaching and everything. There's a lot of fitness instructors. There's a lot of things now coming up. You know, when you finish your playing career, you want to accept Maybe your career finished because there's something for you to do, even as a manager. If you don't like coaching, there's something for you. So I think there's a lot of things coming up now, right.
Speaker 1:It's something that you point out as well. It's not? Only the players, but like ex-players you know there's employment as well Correct, agree. Can be administration can be coaching can be fitness coaches.
Speaker 2:Whatever Grassroots coach Grassroots coach so many of them Steven Razali, alex, daniel Bennett all Daniel. Bennett, all there, all there, the grassroots, nice, yeah, to contribute back to football, you know. And then, at the same time, we're giving them awareness of other people.
Speaker 1:So when you finish football, there is something for you, you know, Right. Yeah, have you made any changes so far? It's a very short time, you know three months.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, no, no. Tell us the truth. No, no, no, no. Not yet Off the record. Off the record. Okay, okay, off the mic.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay, okay, yeah, so have you maybe made any one or two changes Like like besides the second game.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, yes, but it's not in the news, don't worry Anybody outside knows it's, don't worry anybody else. I know, but I think there's some coaching, I think the way they coach, you know there must be paradigm and perspective must be changed. You cannot do the old stuff and everything, so they have to adapt to the environment of coaching. There's so many changes on the ground.
Speaker 1:They need to adapt can I ask you, sorry, are you on a contract or what is this like a? Are you on a contract or what is this Like a?
Speaker 2:tenure. It's a contract. It's a contract. It's a contract. I think maybe I just want to see through this contract and then maybe what I can contribute is very important. It's not about the contract, I stay here, it's what I can contribute. What can I give? What can I give to improve Singapore football? Yeah, okay, we have experiencing, especially the girls' football, women's football. There's a low participation. Okay, how can we improve that? At what level? Okay, how can we, you know, to improve this, to make a carnival, or we can do grassroots.
Speaker 1:The reason why I ask you is is there like a short-term, mid-term, long-term plan for this for you?
Speaker 2:in the project Correct. Yes, I already have a plan which I need to discuss and elaborate more with my side, UTR, and then eventually we're going to work with FAS, the new team, and we have to run together. We should be working together. We should not be running parallel and a lot of information will be changing and we need to support each other. That's very vital in Singapore football.
Speaker 1:Okay, what do you think will be the biggest challenge that you will face in your I don't know two, three, four years? If you're here, what do you think Off your head? You think maybe this is a challenge I have to break through.
Speaker 2:Yes, especially especially the coaches. Number one my first thing coaches, I need them to go out, go out from your country, go out and attach, go out and look a job overseas. You know, instead of waiting for a job, go out and then put your CV up, like we have. Utl now have already now five coaches now overseas, attached to the Japanese club. I hope to see more and not just attachment A job, work to go overseas and then you can get the experience. And when you come back, you know, you can get the experience.
Speaker 2:And number two is about the players. Okay, our players. So we must tell them that football, yes, is no more recreation, it's more competitive now, even at a very young age. You see, now other countries are now, they're very competitive now, yeah, they are all moving. And then we must set a target now, especially when one of my plan is to set a target. What is a long-term target? Now, sasi, if you know that World Youth, under-17, it's a yearly thing, okay, okay thing. Now, every year we have World Youth, why FIFA said, eh, they need more younger players to flow, and then from this World Youth, they can.
Speaker 2:The pathway is to go to national team, yes, so if we do not start now to prepare our boys for AFC under 16 qualification? When are we going to start? Yeah, at the moment we are still struggling with the minors. This is honestly. This is honest facts. So now we have to prepare. Our first target is AFC under 16 and then to qualify for this and then from there we take on there. So you must give us a target years and everything. So I hope this is a buy-in from all the stakeholders me inside UTR, inside FAS, from the schools and everything from the parents' perspective, from the player perspective. You know, this is the direction we want to go.
Speaker 1:Right, right, Nicely put. Now the last part of our conversation today.
Speaker 2:It's spicy now getting hot right.
Speaker 1:I think so I think so.
Speaker 2:Now my heartbeat also starts pounding.
Speaker 1:It's about hard truths and opinions as well. It's your opinion. It's my opinion as well, and we may be wrong. You may be wrong, but I think it's a conversation to be had, and I think it's not only me, it's our people from the outside. And you spoke just now about the coaches, the number two, and it's right on my list of the first one here. Yeah, okay, it's quality of coaches, correct, you know you think so.
Speaker 2:Fully agree with this statement. Yeah, because when you look at coaches and you make comparison between coaches and teachers, yep. You see, when you look at kindergarten teachers, preschool teachers, primary school teachers and you see the ability they have, yep, they have this niche. They have this kind of niche. They're able to connect with the kids.
Speaker 1:It's special it's they're able to connect with the kids.
Speaker 2:it's special, it's a special kind of yeah, special when they pre-school, how they connect, how they can get together with the kids and everything they play with the kids they get enjoy, they can. And then primary school they can connect with the kids. So this is what I want to be emphasizing on the coaches connect with the kids. Sometimes you need to demo, sometimes you need to yes, to be part of them. You cannot just Hand like this Do, run, push up, push past the ball, past the ball. I mean you have to be One of them. That's why I be Emphasizing on coaches Be part of them. You know, when you Train the ball, you show them, you make some laugh, some joke. You know you cannot do like this, cannot.
Speaker 1:They laugh at you.
Speaker 2:So they want to be connected with you. Yeah, so you cannot be just giving instruction, instruction, and then, oh, this is the coaching point. Ah, this coaching point. The kids don't understand coaching point Only the coach understand. Correct, yes. So if you want to impart your coaching point, there must be a way. They don't understand the jargon, everything, the law jargon. I don't understand Sasi. But in the kids you must bring yourself to that level. So this is what we have seen on coaches Bring yourself to that level. If you're underage, bring yourself to your level, to underage. Don't make it like very like this. You know, like adults, so you must know.
Speaker 1:It's the art of coaching.
Speaker 2:Correct, exactly the art of coaching. Correct, exactly the art of coaching. It's the art of coaching.
Speaker 1:And you know, when I do coaching courses, this is what I always tell them.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:This is not an event organizer job. Correct Event organizers. You put out the markers. Yeah, okay, everybody, this is a passing drill. Go and do it. And then you stand outside and you start talking and doing commentator.
Speaker 2:Yes, you got to go out there and you got to go in and start coaching, right of course, and then you're not. Sometimes you need to be actor. Kids, you know they are kids. You need to joke with them and then make some fun and then make some challenge, you know do you think coaches need to demo?
Speaker 2:of course, for me, you, even for me, even even you're walking sick, I say please, demo right. You know it's very important, because why a coach is a mirror to a player. Sometimes we can say a thousand words, but when you kick one ball, they can see one thing. It's more important, absolutely absolutely.
Speaker 2:I totally agree with this demo thing and also the physical appearance of the coach. I've been telling coaches, please I'm not trying to be a stern coach I say there must be a standard, sasi, honestly, I've been telling the coaches look after yourself. You are a mirror to the player. They see you and then, out of shape, they will laugh at you and then they start talking. You know this. It don't reflect. Well, you know. Please take care of yourself, because why you need to run? You need to be part of the training you need to demo, so keep yourself fit absolutely.
Speaker 1:ladies and gentlemen and coaches out there, when Kade just said that, I just punched the air in because I really, really believe in that, and we are not asking the coaches to be David Beckham and cross the ball into the net or anything like that, we just have a little bit of yes, some form or shape physically, absolutely. Jndc and NDC right? Are we getting the best players at the moment? Kade, Because this is debatable, Because I always think that there's this club versus JNDC and. Ndc battle.
Speaker 2:It's not about getting the best player. If I were to put one boy in front of you now, please, sasi, tell me, is he good or not good? How can you define he's good? How do you know what's the matrix, what's the rubrics? So I've been telling coaches if you say this player is good, how are the rubrics correct or not? If I put one boy who just maybe managed to go to SGI, personally, no good, but eventually when he go into that school he excel Better, right. So we don't talk about the boy is good at this age, but how you develop the boy is more important than how you say this boy is good. Everybody can say, oh, this and shoot Okay, but the next step is to develop. What do you have to develop? Do you have the right facilities? Do you have the right coaches? Do you have the right program, development program, the process and everything? Do you expose him to overseas tournament, overseas game? This is more important.
Speaker 1:So you're saying when they come in they may not be the best, but when they get out there is improvement that you can see.
Speaker 2:So at Junior NDC we say there must be a pathway Four years when they are Junior NDC, another four years when they are NDC and then you can see your end product. So we talk about end product, we don't talk about the process. If you want to talk about the process, win on course. Of course you put your best player and play. But if you develop the players four years, another four years and under 16 and 15 and 16, you can see the final product. Right, and we have seen so many cases in youth football. This boy, when he come in he was ordinary, but after 16, 18, wow, he start to play national team. But nobody say I cannot promise any parents or any boy, you can play national team, you'll be national, national player. Nobody can guarantee right.
Speaker 1:But you have the right mindset, right, the right support from UTR, from the parents, from the boy, I think there's a good development pathway for him to go until 16 right and I'm sure along the way there will be players coming in, going out because the attrition rate of footballers is high everywhere in the world, not only in Singapore, you know. I think that's important.
Speaker 2:But at Junior NDC we make it like a school. Okay, so you don't put your son in a school After primary four. I say you cannot study, you must go out from the school. There's no way. So it's about you continue its development until it reaches its full soul, whether it can, because NDC is elite, you want to. Now the progression is about the intensity get higher, you're going to elite, you're going to go.
Speaker 2:So there must be a two-way communication between the coach and the parents about the development of the players, actually about twice a year, right? So how to improve and everything. So we sometimes I try to input to the coaches make this self-reflection to the players also. Right, you know to take up their own individual training. Right, for example, when they come early, what they can do, you know, instead of just kicking the ball around, maybe they need to kick on the left leg. Just kick on the left leg. Right, spend 10-15 minutes, kick on the left leg or some. So now is when I came, it was coaches, centric coaches get everything to play. Must this, must this? Now? I said okay, now we must go to player centric. We must give them the ownership. You don't good, you need to improve this. What can you do? Okay, good, go. You don't good, what must you do? Good, because every day is different, correct, different skill set, different. You must see okay, what do you need? What's your weakness?
Speaker 2:So, it's like a tuition. No, yeah, so you give them this. Okay, you come early or after training. You must 10 minutes go and kick left foot.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Kick against the wall. Left foot, left foot, left foot. You control the ball.
Speaker 1:Okay, see it's just that 10 minutes, you know.
Speaker 2:So spare that time, 10 minutes for them to improve, improve, improve. When you go to tuition, do you improve, yes. So when I give extra time, do you improve? Yes, correct.
Speaker 1:I want to ask you this as well you know Players today, right, yeah, do we have what it takes? I think, ability right At SPL, or no? No, no, no, I'm talking about youth in terms of ability. I think it's always been there you know, from before until now. The ability as they're growing up. I think it's there, but I'm talking about other qualities. We spoke about the one in Thailand, right?
Speaker 2:the hunger, the desire do we have that?
Speaker 1:I don't know it's my personal opinion it could be a very, very difficult one, especially with it's my personal opinion Correct. It could be a very, very difficult one, especially with the upbringing part parents. Part the lifestyle the food the Netflix, the distractions Correct. Do you think what?
Speaker 2:I think some of the I don't think some. I think some of the places they're being sheltered Okay as compared to other countries. I just want to say I think some of the places they're being sheltered Okay as compared to other countries, right, I just want to say, okay, maybe in Thailand, maybe they're being sheltered because everything. Oh, they got family to fall back on. Yeah, they can turn the family and then the family will come over to the coach and demand this, demand that it can be one of the factors, but we should not be distracted with all these factors.
Speaker 2:Despite that, we see the coaching and the training must go on. Yeah, okay, so the training part is very important. We need to challenge the boys. You need to turn the boys and girls every day. Okay, to challenge them. Like if you lose you have to do this, if you know, you know the intensity must go up. So that challenge give imbuing them, you ingrain in them that every game, even in training, you have that challenge and then it will transfer to the game. So this is very important, right?
Speaker 1:let's talk about this thing the gap between the under 17s and under 21s in the SPL because they've got the COEs until under 17 and then the next one is under 21.
Speaker 2:I feel that the gap is huge, huge Agree, agree. I agree with this.
Speaker 1:Is there a way to do something?
Speaker 2:about this. I'm surprised because I heard that some of the 16 years old playing at under 21 list yes, young at 16. Yes, so you miss that part of development?
Speaker 2:Yes, because you jump Right, so you miss that part of development and also have a very big impact when they represent the country. Because if you miss that age group, when you come to you think because you give the impression the place, oh, you are ready, but in actual fact international game is totally different from your local league. There's some talks about having under 19. And then there's some talks about have a reserve league. I think let's make this our conversation. It cannot be one side say yes and then it should be conversation between all Right, the clubs, FA, the UTR, the paddlers and everything. How can we go about this one? Because, Sasi, from your time and my time same, we have prime league. Remember, Correct, Then 1990, we have Prime League. And then you see what happened in Prime League One player on the bench, no sexual barrier. Players become sexual barriers and everything.
Speaker 2:And then they are paying only $300. So my take is that should we go back to that era? Like I said, we have to be honest and say if you want to go, make it a very competitive league, make it a professional league, because why, sasi? Nowadays kids are not say kids, adults are distracted this younger generation. If I play football, I get 300, I work delivery, I can get 1000. What correct or not? And I work here part time, I can get something. There's a lot of part time. Opening the platform, absolutely the platform, absolutely yes. So where do we go from here, correct or not? If you want to retain them, where do you go from here? Because at this age they want to have, maybe they go NS, maybe they finish.
Speaker 2:NS they start to work. You know they need more money because my spending is getting higher. So where do you go from here? Should we offer them a Because?
Speaker 1:the reason. After under-17s, the next one is 21. So the so-called better ones will go to under-21 and register there. And then there's a bulk who?
Speaker 2:just stop football, correct?
Speaker 1:They either go to NS early I don't know what they do. Like you said, grab and whatever.
Speaker 2:They earn more money there, yeah, more.
Speaker 1:So I think that is a problem that I think we need to bridge Because, as you said, just because you are in the some playing in the under 21, you think that you are good enough, but actually, 16 years old or 7 years old, they are playing under 21 league.
Speaker 2:I think under 21 league must be a very competitive league because that is the only one more gap to the first team, correct? And we might get very competitive and very professional. You know, it's like a very professional under 21 league because there's one more step to the first team, right? But I think this should be communicated with all, especially those coaches.
Speaker 2:They're on the ground most of the time they know what's what needs to be done, what needs to be fixed. Do we have the training feel for them struggling? Yes, even under 21 struggling, combined with the first team, if you put under 19, where do they train, correct or not?
Speaker 1:there's another issues of all this, it's been going on right yes, that's what I say. We need to be communicated, and then we need to be planned properly, and you know, before we end this again, this is not the there's 5 points that I brought up.
Speaker 2:I think there's five points that I brought up.
Speaker 1:I think there's more than we can talk for two hours, three hours, four hours, but I think, just for time sake, right, I feel for Singapore, football and anything to succeed, there is a goal and everyone, every stakeholder, everyone should be pulling and pushing in the same direction. I feel that's most important. But at the moment I feel that there's a discord, like maybe this party is doing this because you think that that's right and then this party is doing this because they think it's right. I think they are pulling in different directions. Do you agree that that's happening at the moment?
Speaker 2:If you ask me now to be honest, I think with the new leadership we have a very, very good conversation with all the stakeholders.
Speaker 1:Have you had a discussion? Yes, we had a discussion before that, I think.
Speaker 2:Right now, I think we should be pulling on the same direction. That was a very clear message, nice, whichever stakeholders you're coming from, all for the sake of Singapore football, correct? If we put Singapore football first instead of oh, my association, I am Singapore football first Instead of oh, my association, I'm doing this, and then we have problems. We put Singapore football first, all for the pride of Singapore football, right? So everything have this mindset. I think we should go in the same direction, nice. Okay, of course, bound to happen, such as disagreement, discord. You disagree, I agree, oh, you should give funding. There'll be all behind closed door. We have a meeting and if everybody put Singapore football first, this direction, we can achieve things.
Speaker 1:I think you're right about disagreements, because it is bound to happen and for you to succeed you need disagreements, so that we you know. But after all the discussion, decisions have been made. I think everybody should be sticking together, not suddenly. Then this guy will be saying I think I wanted this, but they're doing this.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, but you agreed to it. Yes, agreed, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:But it's all about leadership, yeah, okay. And then leadership. And then sit down there must be a clear and defined pathway and communicated all the stakeholders, exactly Okay. And and then this way to go, and this what need to do? You're going to do this. The orchestra, okay. He said okay, you want to do this, you play this. Eventually, whatever you do for Singapore football, you're going to come together. You cannot be going on your own parallel and I'm going left, you go right. That's a big problem. So, whatever decision make, we are coming in together. At the end of the day, you're going to join for Singapore football. Not about oh, I'm doing well, I give you funding. Oh, you don't have this, I'm doing no, actually, you're not doing.
Speaker 2:No, there'll be, disagreement bound to have, because Singapore, we have so many challenges and we got NS, we got field, we got our field playing ground so scars and then we got so many kids going to play now. Now it's bound to happen, but if we sit down and we manage everything, you know we have a clear pathway. Yeah, so the message is very clear Once decided whether you're on board or not on board, we are going this way, if you like it or not like it. If you don't like it, you please leave the game, or if you like it, we have to go. Yeah, it's very clear. It's the most popular game, it's the most in the world. In the world and in Singapore especially, you got all these people there's emotion in it right, absolutely yeah that was a very good ending actually and.
Speaker 1:I usually do this with my guests. Kade, yes, what do you do? 10 quick questions. Answer quickly all 10 questions, very easy. Okay, the first one is the easiest one. Okay, very fast one Ready. If I cannot make answer 10, how Can can? Can I do push up Discipline? Is it First question? What is your favourite food?
Speaker 2:Prata.
Speaker 1:Coaching or playing. Which one you prefer? Playing, playing why ah?
Speaker 2:no stress, just think of myself.
Speaker 1:You're right next question will we win another SEA Games ever? Or actually, will we win any SEA Games?
Speaker 2:in future. Yes, yes, in future, yes you sure?
Speaker 1:yes, yes, yes, ok, great, right wing back or right back right wing back, really right wing. I can do both ok but lots of work to be done, but you're fine, you can run up and down Most difficult opponent you have played as a player against, abdul Rahimov.
Speaker 2:From Pahang, pahang. Yeah, really Very difficult.
Speaker 1:Skillful or.
Speaker 2:Very smart, very nippy. I cannot think, I cannot think.
Speaker 1:He's the shorter one, right.
Speaker 2:The shorter one. Yeah, he's very smart.
Speaker 1:Three things you think that makes a good coach. Just three things, the main three things that you think makes a good coach. Good coach.
Speaker 2:You must have sacrifice, okay, and you must plan. Plan, yeah, alright. And you must continue learning Brilliant.
Speaker 1:Most talented player you have ever coached Most talented player you have ever coached Most talented.
Speaker 2:ah, oh, this is very difficult man, this one Most talented player you have coached.
Speaker 1:It can be talented, but you know has gone haywire or whatever, it doesn't matter, but the most talented.
Speaker 2:Most talented. Ah, hanafi Akbar. Oh, oh, that fellow Really talented man, he's. He's another Sundaram. I tell you, he's magic, he got magic.
Speaker 1:Do you know where he is?
Speaker 2:now, I don't know man, best friend in football. Best friend in football? Yeah, fact, none man, no Kadeyaya my best friend Lovely.
Speaker 1:Leaders Are they born or nurtured? Nurtured Last one? Your mentor in football, my mentor, yeah, born or nurtured, nurtured Last one.
Speaker 2:Your mentor in football, my mentor, don't say Karyaya. No, no, no, I don't have mentor man.
Speaker 1:You learn from different people.
Speaker 2:I learn from a lot of. I read a lot Okay About coaches and everything Right and how they do things and everything.
Speaker 1:As in their autobiography.
Speaker 2:Yeah, autobiography, yeah, autobiography news, especially news yeah especially news I just read lovely.
Speaker 1:Karey, thank you so much for being on the podcast.
Speaker 2:I know we can go on and talk about other things and it's because of time factor.
Speaker 1:Right, your final thoughts and message maybe to the coaches out there, to parents, to family, because you are director of coaching for UTR, I think. Do you have any messages for them?
Speaker 2:To all the players and to all the parents here. I think if you compare during generation me and before me and now, it's totally different perspective and concept about football. No, and it's heartening to see Sasi when I see kids. No, every Saturday, saturday, sunday morning, play in the Singapore Youth League, parents coming to support the kids are playing. We don't have that during that time. And then it's about 310 teams now playing in the Youth League. Can you imagine the platform? 300 over teams are participating and more are coming. It shows that there is a talent out there. Don't tell me there's no talent 310 teams. You don't tell me. They have one or two or three, another Spark or another Bright, or another Messi or Ronaldo or another Fandi or Sundaram or Malik. They're bound to happen. So please continue to support your child. Please continue to support your child, please continue to support the program, utr program. It's a long-term program, it's not a short-term program. And eventually, if we keep continuing, continue, you know, and then we will succeed in forward. Because remember to all the football stakeholders, this is a frank opinion from me and I have to be very honest to all of you. We have done so many blueprint. Can you imagine last time we have the Milo scheme, we have the specs 2000, remember, yeah. And then they go to Czechoslovakia. After that we have Asia top 10. After that we have a goal 2010, we have a strategic plan and now we have goal.
Speaker 2:I know, I agree, that some of them are very skeptical and then making fun or agree, but to all those stakeholders, to all those parents, all the players, look at this generation. Now it's totally different and you can see a lot of kids are playing over the weekend. Just go down to any of the venue. There are boys, there are girls who are playing. You know and, yes, we have not reached our success, but on the ground level, you see the base. There's so many teams are playing. You know kids are playing, parents are coming, so it's a ground out team. It's a ground out team. So eventually, during this tournament platform, about 5000 kids are playing every weekend. We can find a gem, we can find the next best player there, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So there's hope, please. Well, I think it's a good way to end there's hope, because I think hope is very important. Without hope, then there's nothing to work on.
Speaker 2:Correct.
Speaker 1:From ground zero especially. And again, kade, thank you, thank you for being here, Thank you Sasi for having me Looking forward to working with you, maybe in the near future, you know, in whatever you know, capacity yes, and this has been a quite wonderful episode of the Silver Fox Hustle podcast. Don't forget to follow us on Apple Podcasts, youtube and Spotify. You can catch us and, of course, we are out on IG TikTok is the latest one as well and just follow us there as well. Till the next episode. We see you again, cheers.
Speaker 2:Thank you, bye, bye.