The Singapore Democrats have adopted a team of young footballers. Named FC Fushan Warriors, the boys came to us during our futsal tournament that we organised last year.
Since then the SDP’s Young Democrats have been in touch with the participants and the Fushan Warriors have responded enthusiastically.
At a dinner organised for the players earlier this year team manager Mr Ibrahim Rahman, or Coach Eddy as the boys call him, brought up the subject of the boys playing for the Democrats.
As he explained, Coach Eddy’s objectives of taking care of the team goes beyond football. “I want to encourage young students to play soccer.” he said, “and enjoy good company so that they do not get involved in any undesirable and delinquent activities.”
This dovetails into the SDP’s objectives of organising our futsal tournament. We wanted to reach out to our youths through sports and, along the way, interest them in current affairs.
Singapore’s youths are alienated from society because of our educational and political systems. Many of our youths, as a result, resort to engaging in gangs and other anti-social behaviour.
Through this outreach programme, the Singapore Democrats look forward to giving hope to our young Singaporeans and rekindling the sense of community and nationhood in them. When people are involved in society and in the public process they feel a greater sense of belongingness and loyalty.
FC Fushan Warriors is named after the Fushan neighbourhood in Woodlands where some of the boys came together to have a kick around on weekends and holidays.
The group began to grow and very soon Coach Eddy became their manager and mentor. Since then the team has grown to nearly 40 players with most of them studying at the polytechnics and ITEs.
Coach Eddy has been using his own money to pay for the team’s football kit and fees for the games. But with a growing outfit, supporting the boys is tough.
“It’s getting harder and harder to pay for the expenses because the team is expanding,” he told the SDP. “My resources are limited.”
The SDP agreed to help out by shouldering some of the expenses that the team incurs in playing games and tournaments.
Young Democrat Clarence Zeng has been in touch with the Warriors and the SDP youth wing has been working hard to facilitate the coming together between the party and the boys.
In fact, Danny the Democracy Bear went all the way to Planet Sports at East Coast Park over the weekend to support our team, now official known as SDP Fushan Warriors, in a competition organised by the NTUC Club. They came in very credible fourth.
The SDP is proud of the boys and we look forward to working with them and to helping them develop their talent and realise their aspirations.