News Singapore Premier League • July 19, 2021
Lion City Sailors partner Borussia Dortmund to develop youth
Lion City Sailors chief executive officer Chew Chun-Liang and Suresh Letchmanan, managing director of BVB Asia Pacific. (Photo: Lion City Sailors)
SINGAPORE, 19 JULY 2021 – The Lion City Sailors’ (LCS) youth development drive is set to receive boost following the announcement of a partnership with Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund (BVB).
The AIA Singapore Premier League (SPL) side announced on Saturday a two-and-a-half year agreement with the eight-time German champions that will see both club exchange ideas and collaborate on a series of youth development programmes, coaching, educational and professional exchanges as well as football training camps in Germany.
Dortmund will also host an annual training camp for the Sailors Football Academy’s elite team and another stint for selected footballers from the Academy’s scholarship programme. A joint statement added that the partnership will also “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”.
Gio and @BellinghamJude take on @lioncitysailors Gabriel Quak and Amirul Adli in an extra special challenge! 🏟
Check it out 👀 pic.twitter.com/mOV3zLyobi
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) July 17, 2021
Sailor Chief Executive Officer, Chew Chun Liang, said: “We are delighted to partner with BVB, a club that has shown a tremendous commitment to youth development, fan engagement and the growth of the sport in general. We are an ambitious club with a vision of becoming one of the best in Asia. To get there, we must learn from the best, and in BVB we have found a partner that is among the best in the world. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with BVB.”
Head of International & New Business and Managing Director of BVB Football Academy, Benedikt Scholz, said: “We are proud to solidify this partnership with LCS, one of the most exciting football clubs in the SPL. Establishing key partners of this scale and ambition has always been a central part of our vision for BVB, enabling us to keep sharing and contributing towards the growth of youth football in Asia. We are looking forward to working with LCS to bring to life our key objectives in youth development and sport education.”
Managing Director of BVB Asia Pacific, Suresh Letchmanan, added: “We are very excited about this partnership; it is an incredible milestone for both BVB and LCS. Both clubs are dynamic and progressive brands with a commitment to developing talented youth players and these common beliefs make the two organisations ideally suited. We will be working closely to implement creative and innovative activities with LCS in the coming months that harness the passion of our clubs and connect with our fantastic fans in and around Asia.”
The Sailors’ Academy was awarded a One-Star Academy status by the Asian Football Confederation last year and is the first in Singapore to hold the mark. The club are also building a training facility that will be home to both the SPL team and the Academy, with works scheduled to be completed in April next year.
