Written by: Khalis Rifhan

Main sponsor Courts Singapore, the leading electrical, IT and furniture retailer in Singapore, will be renewing their sponsorship of Courts Young Lions for the fourth consecutive season.

The announcement was made in conjunction with the Courts Young Lions (CYL) squad for the 2014 Great Eastern Yeo’s S.League season being officially unveiled at a press conference on Friday afternoon at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

The press conference was graced by Football Association of Singapore (FAS) President Mr Zainudin Nordin, FAS General Secretary Mr Winston Lee, S.League CEO Mr Lim Chin and CYL Head Coach Mr. Aide Iskandar, as well as Courts Singapore CEO Mr Tim Luce.

At the ceremony, Coach Aide presented four Courts Young Lions players in their new 2014 jerseys. In addition, Mr Tim Luce was presented with the 2014 CYL jersey by Mr. Zainudin.

“Youth development remains a key objective for the FAS, and the Courts Young Lions continues to be an important platform where budding youth internationals compete against much older and more experienced players on a professional level,” expressed Mr Zainudin

Former Canadian Under-23 international Sherif El-Masri has extended his stay with the developmental side and providing added leadership on the field is former Home United wing wizard Jordan Webb.

Former Geylang International defender Delwinder Singh Also has also made the switch to Aide’s squad who will lead the backline this season alongside Al-Qaasimy Abdul Rahman. They have also included Shannon Stephen, son of former Sembawang Rangers player Stephen Rajah, in their roster for the new season.

Further up the pitch, Sahil Suhaimi and Iqbal Hussain will spearhead the attack while M. Anumanthan will hope to continue his solid performance in the engine room as they look to avoid finishing as wooden spoonists for the second year running.

Stakes are also high for the boys this season as they will be forming the core of Singapore’s Under-23 team participating in the 2015 SEA Games.

“It is worth noting that our young players in this Courts Young Lions team will be eligible to represent Singapore at the 2015 SEA Games. They have done very well in their training camp in Turkey, where they faced tough top-level opposition and emerged with encouraging results, and I for one am excited at watching these players develop further playing in our S.League,” added the FAS President.

“I would like to express my deepest appreciation to Courts for their years of unwavering and staunch support in the development of local young talent.”

Mr Luce was also delighted that Courts Singapore were able to continue their partnership with Young Lions.

“Our renewal of the title sponsorship of Courts Young Lions sees us taking this partnership into its fourth year, underscoring our commitment to the development of local football and nurturing budding footballers,” explained Mr Luce.

“This year is particularly significant for us as we celebrate 40 years of being in Singapore homes and bringing fans and customers unique football experiences.

“We will continue using the common love of football to unite Singaporeans, especially in support of the Courts Young Lions team in the S.League and their 2015 SEA Games journey, and I look forward to seeing how the team will up their game this season.”