 | |||
| Full name | Lion City Sailors Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Sailors | ||
| Short name | LCS | ||
| Founded | 1945; 80 years ago (1945) asPolice SA 1997; 28 years ago (1997) as Home United 2020; 5 years ago (2020) asLion City Sailors | ||
| Ground | Bishan Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 6,000 | ||
| Owner | Sea Limited | ||
| Chairman | Forrest Li | ||
| Head coach | Aleksandar Ranković | ||
| League | Singapore Premier League | ||
| 2023 | Singapore Premier League, 2nd of 8 | ||
| Website | www | ||
 Current season | |||
Lion City Sailors Football Club, commonly referred to asLion City Sailors orLCS, is aSingaporean professional football club based inBishan. It competes in theSingapore Premier League, the top tier of theSingapore football league system. Founded in 1945 as the Police Sports Association, the club renamed itself to Police FC in the inaugural1996 S.League season before rebranding once more asHome United in 1997. In 2020, it became first club in Singapore to be privatised when it adopted its current name.
Lion City Sailors is owned byForrest Li, who also ownsSea Limited, a tech conglomerate that also owns companies such asGarena andShopee. The club has won 3league titles, 7Singapore Cups and 3Community Shields in their history.
ThePolice Sports Association was founded in 1945 to organize football activities for theSingapore Police Force. It sent two teams to compete in the Singapore Amateur Football Association League in the 1950s and 1960s, but neither team won any trophies. Under coachChoo Seng Quee, the club won the inaugural President's Cup in 1968, then reached and lost the next two finals.
When theS.League was formed in 1996, the club was known as thePolice Football Club. The following year, its name was changed toHome United to reflect the fact that the team represented not only the Singapore Police Force, but also other HomeTeam departments of the SingaporeMinistry of Home Affairs such as theSingapore Civil Defence Force and theImmigration and Checkpoints Authority. Home United nickname was the "Protectors" and its mascot, a dragon.
In 1999,Robert Alberts guided the club to secured their first ever piece of silverware guiding them to win the1999 S.League title. Alberts also won the Singapore Cup back-to-back winning the 2000 and 2001 edition.
In 2003, head coach,Steve Darby guided Home United in becoming the first club to achieve theS.League andSingapore Cup double where he also steer the club to won the 2005 edition of the Singapore Cup.[1] Under Korean manager tutelage,Lee Lim-saeng who is also the longest tenure as head coach in the club history, guided Home United to win both the2011 Singapore Cup and the2013 Singapore Cup in his 4 years at the club.
In 2010, Home United hostedEFL Championship clubBurnley as part of their pre-season trip to Singapore.[2]
The club had qualified to theAFC Cup for the tenth time with their best result in the2004 AFC Cup where they reached the semi-final losing to Syrian club,Al-Jaish 6–1 on aggregate. In the2018 AFC Cup group stage, Home United was drawn with Philippines sideCeres–Negros, Cambodia sideBoeung Ket Angkor and Myanmar sideShan United with a tally of 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 lost seeing the Protectors qualifying to theAFC Cup knockout stage as group winners. Home United would go on to face Indonesian club,Persija Jakarta winning the two legged tie in a 6–3 aggregate where they would advanced to thezonal finals facing Ceres–Negros and eventually won 3–1 on aggregate against the Philippines side. Home United then qualified to theinter-zone play-off semi-finals of the AFC Cup facing North Korea side,April 25 where during the second leg of the tie, Home United suffered their worst ever defeat in the club history losing 9–1 at theKim Il Sung Stadium.
On 14 February 2020, the club was privatised for the first time in its history, when Singaporean billionaireForrest Li announcing that he had purchased a 100% stake in the club.[3] The club was officially renamed asLion City Sailors and its signature red colour was replaced with white and blue. The Sailors' main aim following its rebranding was to boost professionalism in Singaporean football, with becoming a Southeast Asian super club its long-term goal.[4] The new name, Sailors, was a homage to the country's maritime heritage. As it sets its sight on success in 2020, Lion City Sailors will be led by Australian head coach,Aurelio Vidmar, the formerSocceroos captain. He joins after a hugely successful stint in Australia where he ledAdelaide United to the2008 AFC Champions League final, becoming the first Australian team to earn this distinction. Vidmar make a couple of stud signings including Singaporean stars,Hassan Sunny,Gabriel Quak andShahdan Sulaiman, Japanese defenderKaishu Yamazaki, as well a prolific Australian striker,Andy Pengelly.
On 21 January 2021, the club created history by smashing the Singapore Premier League transfer record with the signing of midfielderDiego Lopes from Portuguese top-flight sideRio Ave for €1.8 million (S$2.89 million) on a three-year deal.[5]
With the motivation to rejuvenate the glory days, On 18 May 2021Kim Do-hoon who led Korea Republic'sUlsan Hyundai to victory in2020 AFC Champions League joined the Sailors on a two-and-a-half-year deal. During his first season, Kim led the Sailors to win the2021 Singapore Premier League and the2022 Singapore Community Shield. They also went on to qualify for their first everAFC Champions League tournament. On 18 April 2022, the Sailors defeated theK League 1 clubDaegu FC 3–0 in the2022 AFC Champions League, their first AFC Champions League win since rebranding. They bounced back from an opening 4–1 defeat by theJ1 League clubUrawa Red Diamonds, before picking up four points in a goalless draw and 3–2 win over theChinese Super League'sShandong Taishan. Sailors maiden AFC Champions League campaign ended with narrow 2–1 to Daegu in the final group stage fixture. Their tally of seven points is the best showing by a Singaporean side at the AFC Champions League.[6]
In the2022 Singapore Premier League match againstTampines Rovers on 24 July 2022, as the Sailors was contesting in a draw nearing to the end of the match, around the 87th minute of the match, with the score levelled at 1–1, things became heated as Tampines forwardBoris Kopitović confronted Sailors defenderNur Adam Abdullah near the sideline. Other players, as well as coaches and staff from both sides got involved in the tussle. Kim Do-hoon appeared to get involved in a heated argument with Tampines assistantFahrudin Mustafić.Pedro Henrique went on to score a header in the injury time to secure the three points for the Sailors. The Football Association of Singapore handed a three-match ban with immediate effect, with Kim being fined $2,000 and Fahrudin $3,000, for their violent conduct. In addition, both Sailors and Tampines were fined $5,000. Less than 24 hours after Kim was handed a three-match suspension and fine for violent conduct, Lion City Sailors made the shocking announcement of a "mutual agreement" to part ways with the Korean coach.
On 12 August 2022,Luka Lalić was appointed as the interim coach till the end of the 2022 season. The following day, he guided Lion City Sailors to their biggest ever victory, 1–10 away againstYoung Lions.
On 28 June 2023, the Sailors recruitedAleksandar Ranković on a two years contract. In his first match in charge, Ranković guided the team to a 7–1 away win againstTanjong Pagar United in the2023 Singapore Premier League. On 26 July 2023, they played exhibition match at theSingapore National Stadium againstTottenham Hotspur, in whichShawal Anuar scored first. However, they ultimately lost 1–5 following poor defensive errors in the second half.
The Sailors embarked on their2023–24 campaign withJeonbuk Hyundai Motors,Bangkok United andKitchee. The club hosted most of the AFC Champions League group stage games at theJalan Besar Stadium as its matched the requirement standards. On 4 October 2023, Lion City Sailors recorded their first win against Hong Kong side Kitchee with goals scored byRichairo Živković andMaxime Lestienne for a 2–1 away victory at theHong Kong Stadium.
On 8 November 2023, the Sailors defeated two-time AFC Champions League winners Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2–0, with Živković scoring both goals. They then won the2023 Singapore Cup over defending champions Hougang United on 9 December.
For the2024–25 Singapore Premier League season, Sailors made additions to their squad. On 26 February 2024, they signedBart Ramselaar fromUtrecht, the second most expensive signing in the league's history for a reported fee of €1.5 million (SGD$2.2 million). Lion City Sailors also signedToni Datković from SpanishSegunda División sideAlbacete. On 7 March 2024, the Sailors announced the return of Song Ui-young since he left the club in 2023. On 4 May 2024, they won their third Singapore Community Shield after beating Albirex Niigata (S) 2–0, with Shawal Anuar and Maxime Lestienne scoring to secure the win. The Sailors also competed in both the inaugural2024–25 AFC Champions League Two and the revived2024–25 ASEAN Club Championship tournament.
In August 2024, the Sailors began their ASEAN Club Championship being placed alongside Thai clubBuriram United, VietnameseCông An Hà Nội, MalaysianKuala Lumpur City, PhilippinesKaya—Iloilo and IndonesianBorneo Samarinda. With a losing streak in the ASEAN Club Championship, the Sailors turned their main focus on the inaugural AFC Champions League Two campaign, hosting Chinese clubZhejiang Professional in September. Club captain Hariss Harun broke the dreadlock in the 44th minute by scoring a volley from outside the box. In the 80th minute, Lestienne secured a 2–0 win with a skillful chip shot. In the next match against Indonesian sidePersib Bandung at theSi Jalak Harupat Stadium on 24 October, both teams contested in a 1–1 draw after Maxime Lestienne delivered a cross towardsBailey Wright who scored a header to equalise for the Sailors. In the third fixture against Port at thePathum Thani Stadium, Shawal Anuar scored a brace in the 14th and 17th minutes before the opponent scored a goal in the 55th minute. Later on, Song Ui-young scored in the 65th minute to secure a 3–1 away win which put the Sailors at the top of the table. After two disappointing results which saw the opponent come back from a two goal deficit to win the match, the Sailors needed to win in the final group stage fixture to successfully qualify for the knockout stage. At a home game against Port on 5 December, Song Ui-young scored a hat-trick which secured a 5–2 win, seeing Lion City Sailors qualifying to the round of 16 as group leaders. On 9 January 20245, the Sailors started off the year with a win during the ASEAN Club Championship match against Malaysian side Kuala Lumpur City with Bailey Wright and Maxime Lestienne scoring. During the round of 16 AFC Champions League Two againstMuangthong United on 18 February 2025, Shawal Anuar set a record for the fastest goal in the competition history (18 seconds, beating the previous record of 26 seconds byMusa Barrow). The Sailors went on to grab a 3–2 win.[7] In the reverse fixtures on 20 February, the team went on to beat Muangthong United 4–0 (7–2 on aggregate) which saw Lion City Sailors advance to the quarter-finals. In the quarter-final first leg match on 5 March againstJ1 League clubSanfreece Hiroshima, Lion City Sailors were heavily defeated 6–1 at theEdion Peace Wing Hiroshima. However, on 8 March they were awarded a 3–0 win due to the Japanese side fielding an ineligible player.[8][9] In the home fixture on 12 March,Lennart Thy opened up the account for the hosts in the 20th minute, before Sanfrece scored in the 34th minute. The game ended up as a draw, with the aggregate score 4–1 for Lion City Sailors. Therefore, against all odds, they qualified to the semi-finals.
In February 2013, the club opened and operated a football academy named 'Home United Youth Football Academy' which comprises ten futsal courts, two full-size football pitches, an events plaza, staff offices, meeting rooms and a Sports Performance Centre.[10][11]
In June 2020, the launch of the new Lion City Sailors Football Academy was announced, along with further plans on youth development and its investments.[12] It was given a One-Star rating by theAsian Football Confederation.[13]
On 24 April 2021, Lion City Sailors announced the construction of a new training facility along Mattar Road that will be the home to the Sailors and as well as the club academy's scholars and trainees. The facility will, when completed, become Singapore's first fully-integrated football training centre.[14]
On 29 July 2022, Lion City Sailors officially opened its new S$10 million training centre boasting the finest facilities in the football ecosystem in Singapore.[15] Spanning 28,000 square meters, the training centre features five football pitches, one hybrid 11-a-side pitch, one artificial turf 11-a-side pitch, and three 7-a-side pitches which caters to the needs of grassroots, youth and senior team players. Besides the football pitches, the centre will also feature a fully equipped gym, physiotherapy rooms, a video analytics room, team locker rooms, a recreation room, as well as study rooms for academy trainees.[16]
On 4 June 2024, the academy was elevated to a Two-Star academy status by the AFC where they were particularly impressed by the high level of professionalism among the managerial staff, coupled with the concerted efforts towards aligning the youth academy’s goals with the first team's objectives.[17] LFSFA are one of only four academies in Southeast Asia to be conferred a Two-Star academy status alongsideJohor Darul Ta'zim Academy,NFDP Mokhtar Dahari Academy in Malaysia andChonburi Academy in Thailand.
Bishan Stadium served as the home ground of Lion City Sailors where it has a seating capacity of 6,254. It was the home base for the football club (initially known as Home United) from its inception all the way to 2020. Following the conclusion of the2020 Singapore Premier League season, the Bishan Stadium pitch was closed for play as it underwent returfing, causing the club to seek a temporary move toJalan Besar Stadium for the time being. After two years and two Singapore Premier League seasons, Lion City Sailors headed back to Bishan Stadium for the2023 Singapore Premier League season, fitted with theVideo Assistant Referee (VAR) technology. However the Sailors host their2023–24 AFC Champions League home matches at the Jalan Besar Stadium as it match the specific requirements standard of the tournament.
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Main sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–2005 |  Diadora |  Super Coffee |
| 2006–2008 |  Coca-Cola | |
| 2009–2014 | Kappa | |
| 2015 |  Puma | AVEC |
| 2016 | No sponsors | |
| 2017–2019 | Linco Investments | |
| 2020–present | Sea Limited
|
Borussia Dortmund (2021–2023)Between 2021 and 2023, Lion City Sailors and eight-timeBundesliga champions, Borussia Dortmund had a partnership focused on youth development and knowledge sharing.[18] The commitment saw a series of youth development programmes, coaching, educational and professional exchanges as well as football training camps in Germany. This partnership was intended to harness the growing commitment to build a strong infrastructure for Singapore's youth football development and overall support the growth in areas of sports science, sports medicine, analytics and talent scouting.[19]
Feyenoord (2022–present)In 2022, Lion City Sailors and 16-timeEredivisie champions, Feyenoord Rotterdam forged a 3-year partnership focused on youth development and education.[20] The commitment will see a series of youth development programmes, coaching, educational and professional exchanges as well as football training camps in the Netherlands, with Sailors supporting Feyenoord's brand exposure in Singapore.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Forrest Li |
| Sporting director | Badri Ghent |
| Technical director |  Luka Lalić |
| Head coach | Aleksandar Ranković |
| Assistant coach | Marko Perović |
| Goalkeeper coach | Chua Lye-Heng |
| Fitness coach |  Dževad Šarić |
| Head of rehabilitation | Mike Kerklaan |
| Physiologist | Niels Van Sundert David Conde |
| Video analyst | Nigel Goh |
| Performance analyst | He Qixiang |
| Team manager |  Hương Trần |
| Logistics officers | Zulkifli Ibrahim |
| Under-21s head coach | Firdaus Kassim |
| Type | Competition | Titles | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| League | Singapore Premier League | 3 | 1999,2003,2021 |
| Cup | Singapore Cup | 7 | 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005,2011,2013,2023 |
| Singapore Community Shield | 3 | 2019,2022,2024 | |
| Singapore FA Cup | 3 | 2013, 2015, 2016 |
Bold is for those competition that are currently active.
Zsolt Bücs (1999)
Peres de Oliveira (2003)
Surachai Jaturapattarapong (2004)
Valery Hiek (2009)Shahril Ishak (2010)
Lee Kwan-Woo (2013)Gabriel Quak (2020)
Maxime Lestienne (2023)
Sirina Camara (2013)Hami Syahin (2019)Saifullah Akbar (2019)Nur Adam Abdullah (2021)Robert Alberts (1999)Lee Lim-Saeng (2013)
Stuart Young (1998)Peres de Oliveira (2003)Egmar Gonçalves (2004)
Frédéric Mendy (2012)
Stipe Plazibat (2020)Maxime Lestienne (2023)Gabriel Quak againstBalestier Khalsa (18 April 2021)Lionel Lewis (2011)Shahril Jantan (2013)Faris Ramli (2017)Irfan Fandi (2017)Stipe Plazibat (2017, 2020, 2021)Song Ui-young (2018, 2020)Hafiz Nor (2018)Shahril Ishak (2018)Tajeli Salamat (2020)Gabriel Quak (2020)
Kaishu Yamazaki (2020)Jorge Fellipe (2021)Nur Adam Abdullah (2021)Shahdan Sulaiman (2021)Pedro Henrique (2022)Diego Lopes (2022, 2023)Maxime Lestienne (2022, 2023)Shawal Anuar (2023)Kengne Ludovick (2008)The following table provides a summary of the coach appointed by the club.
| Coach | Season | Achievements |
|---|---|---|
| Carlos Roberto Pereira | 1 January 1996 – 5 June 1997 | |
| Ibrahim Awang | 6 June 1997 – 14 August 1998 | |
| Robert Alberts | 15 August 1998 – 31 December 2001 | –1999 S.League |
| Jason Withe | 1 January 2002 – 7 August 2002 | |
| Yakob Hashim | 8 August 2002 – 31 August 2002 | |
| Steve Darby | 1 September 2002 – 7 November 2005 | –2003 S.League |
| Zsolt Bűcs | 13 January 2006 – 30 August 2006 | |
| Vincent Subramaniam | 1 September 2006 – 31 December 2007 | |
| P. N. Sivaji | 1 January 2008 – 31 December 2009 | |
| Lee Lim-saeng | 1 January 2010 – 5 December 2014 | –2011 Singapore Cup |
| Philippe Aw | 1 January 2015 – 30 July 2016 | |
| Aidil Sharin Sahak | 4 August 2016 – 7 October 2018 | |
| Saswadimata Dasuki | 3 December 2018 – 19 April 2019 | –2019 Singapore Community Shield |
| Noh Rahman (interim) | 19 April 2019 – 1 July 2019 | |
| Radojko Avramović | 2 July 2019 – 18 August 2019 | |
| Noh Rahman (interim) | 18 August 2019 – 18 December 2019 | |
As Lion City Sailors[edit] | ||
 Aurelio Vidmar | 18 December 2019 – 29 April 2021 | |
| Robin Chitrakar (interim) | 30 April 2021 – 22 May 2021 | |
| Kim Do-hoon | 18 May 2021 – 11 August 2022 | –2021 Singapore Premier League |
| Luka Lalić (interim) | 12 August 2022 – 31 December 2022 | |
| Risto Vidaković | 1 January 2022 – 18 June 2023 | |
| Daan van Oudheusden (interim) | 19 June 2023 | |
| Aleksandar Ranković | 30 June 2023 –present | –2023 Singapore Cup |
Domestic league[edit]The following table provides a summary of the result by season.
AFC competitions[edit]The following table provides a summary of the result by season.
|
As of 18 March 2025.
| Rank | Player | Years | Club appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juma'at Jantan | 2007–2011, 2013–2019 | 307 |
| 2 | Song Ui-young | 2011–2023, 2024–present | 261 |
| 3 | Egmar Gonçalves | 1996–1998, 2000–2006 | 255 |
| 4 | Hafiz Nor | 2012, 2018–present | 196 |
| 5 | Peres De Oliveira | 2001–2015, 2008–2010 | 180 |
| 6 | Lionel Lewis | 2005–2012 | 164 |
| Abdil Qaiyyim | 2011, 2015–2019 | ||
| 8 | Sirina Camara | 2013–2018 | 163 |
| 9 | Rosman Sulaiman | 2004–2005, 2006–2012 | 161 |
| 10 | Shahril Ishak | 2007–2010, 2018–2021 | 158 |
| Rank | Player | Club appearances | Total goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egmar Gonçalves | 255 | 239 |
| 2 | Peres De Oliveira | 180 | 107 |
| 3 | Song Ui-young | 261 | 90 |
| 4 | Stipe Plazibat | 64 | 60 |
| Maxime Lestienne | 107 | ||
| 6 | Shahril Ishak | 158 | 56 |
| 7 | Frédéric Mendy | 65 | 47 |
| 8 | Ludovick Takam | 71 | 45 |
| 9 | Shawal Anuar | 72 | 40 |
| 10 | Qiu Li | 84 | 37 |
