Geylang International announced a sponsorship deal with digital imaging and printing company Epson, and unveiled its squad led by captain Isa Halim for the 2016 S.League campaign.

Expectation is rife for Geylang International Football Club’s (GIFC) 2016 Great Eastern Yeo’s S-League season following the announcement of a strong 24-man squad at Safra Tampines on Wednesday.

Led by captain Isa Halim, the team compromises of a good mix of youth and experience ready to challenge for honours. Following the strong recruitment in the transfer window, the Eagles secured the signatures of five of the recently disbanded Lions XII side in Isa Halim, Gabriel Quak, Faritz Hameed, Al-Qaasimy and Sahil Suhaimi.

Coupled with the signings of the experienced contingent of Daniel Bennett, Shariff Samat and Indra Shahdan, GIFC definitely has the capacity to put up a good challenge this season.

Besides a youthful lineup, the Eagles have also appointed young head coach Hasrin Jailani to take charge of the squad.

Although Hasrin will be taking charge of an S-League team for the very first time, the 40-year-old has had ample experience coaching, having worked at the Chelsea FC Soccer School and Manchester United Soccer Schools in both Singapore and Indonesia, as well as assistant coach at Hougang United Football Club for the 2011 S-League season.

“In naming a young side and coach this season, GIFC is committed in honouring the core values of the club, which are resilience, youth and community. While we have high hopes of the team to get results throughout the course of the S-League season, we hope to also get the fans down to support the boys through thick and thin, like that of a tight-knit family,” Chairman Ben Teng remarked.

In line with the club’s “One team, One community” message for the 2016 season and beyond, the Eagles have also announced the appointment of Member of Parliament for MacPherson SMC Ms. Tin Pei Ling as the club advisor. In this role, Ms. Tin, will work with GIFC on how they can bring the residents of South East CDC District to stand behind the Geylang International team, especially during home matches at the Bedok Stadium.

“I have always believed that young Singaporeans can and should take on greater responsibilities and play an active role in our community and in Singapore. I believe the young Eagles will be able to inspire their peers and be role models for the next succeeding generation of youths.” remarked Ms. Tin.

Furthermore, the club has inked a one-year sponsorship agreement with Epson Singapore, which will see Epson, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of printers and projectors, as the platinum sponsor for GIFC. As part of the agreement, Epson will also provide its printing and imaging equipment and services to support the running operations of the club.

“Youth development has been an important area of focus for our CSR efforts and sponsorships in this region; and football, which builds confidence and teamwork in young people, is an ideal platform for our involvement,” says Mr. Toshimitsu Tanaka, Managing Director of Epson Singapore, which is also the Southeast Asian headquarters of the company.

“We are deeply honoured and grateful for this opportunity to assist in applying our innovations to support Geylang International, in cultivating football excellence within our local community and nurturing Singapore’s next generation of footballers,” he concludes.

Besides this major deal, the Eagles have also secured sponsorship with global athletic footwear and apparel brand New Balance, who have backed both GIFC’s S-League and Prime League teams with boots, while local apparel brand THORB has come in as the official kit sponsor.

The Eagles are also proud to announce a new membership fee structure of $25 for adults and $5 school concession pass holders. All those who sign up from 2nd January 2016 to 31st March 2016 will be eligible to win a 3 Days/2 nights holiday package to Bhutan including 2 return economy air ticket by Druk Air.

GIFC will kick off their S-League season against Tampines Rovers at the Jurong West Stadium on 15 February 2016, 7.30pm.