Tampines Rovers is one of the more widely supported football clubs in Singapore, attracting high attendances at both home and away games. Its main rival is Geylang International, with whom they contest in the 'Eastern Derby'.
Several football enthusiasts from Tampines decided to form a football club in 1945. After many name changes, they finally decided on "Tampines Rovers" as the official club name. The Stags spent the 1950s and 1960s competing in the Singapore Amateur Football Association League, where they were among the top teams, until they were placed in Division II of the newly formed National Football League in 1974.
1975 was a watershed year for Tampines, as they were promoted to Division I after winning all their league matches and reached the President's Cup final, where they lost 0–1 to the Singapore Armed Forces Sports Association in front of a national record crowd of 30,000. They continued to challenge for honours for the next decade, reaching another President's Cup final in 1978, then emerging as national champions in 1979, 1980 and 1984.
The Stags were relegated to the second tier in 1988, but under a new management team, won their league in 1994, and were one of eight clubs selected to compete in the newly formed S.League.[1]
S.League era (1996 – 2017)
However, Tampines did not finish higher than sixth place in the first six seasons of the S.League. In 2002, the Stags secured the services of Malaysian coach, Chow Kwai Lam,[2] who guided them to the Singapore Cup and two fourth-place finishes.[3]
Vorawan Chitavanich reign (2004 – 2010)
The 2000s marked the golden era of the Stags as under the management of Thailand coach, Vorawan Chitavanich which the club amassed a squad filled with stalwarts like Nazri Nasir, Noh Alam Shah, Sead Muratović, Rezal Hassan and countless others.[4] Together, they clinched Tampines Rovers's first S.League titles and the Singapore Cup double in 2004.[4] The following season, they successfully defended their S.League title in 2005, were named the 'S.League Team of the Decade' and became the first Singapore team to win the ASEAN Club Championship.[5] The Stags were the 2006 Singapore Cup champions, but finished runners-up to SAFFC in the 2006 S.League.[6][7] In 2011, Tampines Rovers appoointed Steven Tan as coach for the 2011 S.League season replacing Vorawan Chitavanich who moved up to become the club technical director.
Jermaine Pennant was the talk of the town buzzing through the local football which saw an initial spike in interest at Tampines Rovers games that saw crowds of more than 4,000 turning up to see him play.
On 19 January 2016, Former Arsenal and Liverpool winger, Jermaine Pennant signed a one-year contract which he took a 70% pay cut from his salary earned at Wigan Athletic. It was reported that he would earn a salary of SGD$40,000 (£19,500) per month, which made him the highest-paid player in the history of the domestic professional football league.
For the 2016 season, with the club signing 9 Lions XII players, Tampines Rovers began with 6 unbeaten matches in the S.League. In February, Tampines Rovers started with the 2016 AFC Cup being drawn in Group E with Ceres from Philippines, Selangor F.A from Malaysia and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi from Bangladesh.[8] Tampines Rovers finished second place in Group E which will see them through to the Round of 16 with 10 points leaving Selangor F.A behind with 2 points' difference. The Round of 16 was won with 10 men by Tampines Rovers versus Mohun Bagan from India by a late goal from Afiq Yunos in the after extra time which resulted in 1–2 win at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium. This was also V. Sundramoorthy's last match before taking on the Singapore national team job as care taker. V. Sundramoorthy's successor was his Assistant Coach, Akbar Nawas. He was appointed to be the next head coach of Tampines Rovers followed with 8 straight wins and 28 goals. Tampines Rovers started the 2016 Singapore Cup with a double win playing against Global F.C in the quarterfinals before facing another club from same country, Ceres in the semi-finals which will see the Stags as the finalist of the 2016 Singapore Cup. On 14 September 2016, Tampines Rovers continued their 2016 AFC Cup Quarter-finals facing Bengaluru FC from India but was knocked out on a narrow 1-0 aggregate score on a 2 leg basis. The Stags finished the season as runner-ups in the league with 1 points' difference to Albirex Niigata Singapore.
Tampines Rovers vs Selangor F.A during the 2016 AFC Cup group stages on 10 May 2016 at the Singapore National Stadium.
In view of the financial woes faced by the club during the 2016 season, drastic measures were taken before the start of 2017 season. These would include cut in players and technical staff's salaries, shutting down of fruit machines to name a few. Club chairman, Mr Krishna Ramachandra had decided to make sweeping changes within the club to avoid the same issues happening as last season. The 3 foreign imports from last season, Billy Mehmet, Jordan Webb and Jermaine Pennant had been released from the club with them joining Brunei DPMM, Warriors FC and Bury FC respectively. The club had also ended their 15-year association with their long-term sponsor, Hyundai. A significant number of the playing staffs had also left the club as well, notably star player, Hafiz Abu Sujad who left the club for Thai League 2 side, BBCU F.C.
Midway through the season, club chairman, Mr Krishna Ramachandra had announced that he would be stepping down as chairman of the club. Citing commitment issues as the reason. He stayed on as club chairman to assist in FAS in the auditing and settling the accounts of the club prior to the date of his official step down (22 August 2017). On 30 August 2017, Mr Desmond Ong had been confirmed by FAS as the new chairman of the club and had also appointed a totally brand new committee for the club moving forward. The Stags finished the season as runner-ups in the league with 8 points' difference to Albirex Niigata Singapore.
Singapore Premier League era (2018 – present)
The 2018 season marked the beginning of the newly revamped Singapore Premier League era. The club started their 2018 season with an AFC Champions League Play-offs against Bali United but lost 3–1 seeing the Stags dropped to the 2018 AFC Cup. To ensure the job security of the players, Tampines Rovers started the initiative to offer longer-term contracts to their players. They have 3 models of contracts for their players. The first kind of contract is that the players would be able to get a set increment at the end of every year. Second kind of contract (mainly for the U23 players) is that there would be a year-end review at the end of the season to decide on the amount of increment. The last kind of contract is that their salary would be the same for the duration of the contract. Most of their players are securing a 2-3-year deal with the club.
Despite agreeing to a 3-year deal, the club has allowed midfielder, Shahdan Sulaiman, to go on a season-long loan to Melaka United, in view of long-term benefits for both clubs and the player. Some of the national players in the club had also moved on to play in overseas leagues as well. Thus the club had signed quality replacements to fill in the shoes for the players who had departed the club for other clubs. The club had also retained the services of Japanese midfielder, Ryutaro Megumi for the 2018 season. They had also brought back Canadian winger, Jordan Webb from Warriors FC to fill up the foreign quota of the team. The club has also signed quite a number of young players (mainly from the National U20 Squad and Tampines Rovers Prime League) to fill up the minimum quota of U23 players needed in the team for the new season.
The club has signed a 2-year technical sponsorship deal with Danish Sportswear Company, Hummel in a deal worth S$100,000 per season. They would be providing the club with their Home, Away, Third Jerseys, as well as the training and team wear. They would not be having any main jersey sponsor in this upcoming season as the management had decided that the word "Hormat" (Respect in Malay) would be emblazoned across the chest for the upcoming season. They had debuted their new home jersey during the AFC Champions League Play-off against Bali United. The away and third kit would be revealed in Feb 2018. The club would be facing Johor Darul Ta'zim from Malaysia, Persija Jakarta from Indonesia and Sông Lam Nghệ An from Vietnam in the 2018 AFC Cup after failing to advance from the Asian Champions League 2018 Play-off game. Their first game would be on 10 February 2018 against Sông Lam Nghệ An.
The club has also announced partnership with local private football academy JSSL Singapore. JSSL would look into the development of youth players from Under-6 to Under-14 age categories. The best players from the U6 to U14 categories would than be fast tracked to the stags U16 and U19 teams in the club's Center of Excellence and ultimately the first team. JSSL Singapore's general manager, Gavin Lee has also been assisting Head Coach, Jurgen Raab in the first team matters as Assistant Coach.
Gavin Lee reign (2019 – present)
Tampines Rovers started the 2019 season making a slew of changes to both the team coaching set up and as well as the playing staff this off season. In view of the undesirable results from the previous season, head coach, Jürgen Raab was relieved from his coaching duties. There was an overhaul of the technical team as Khadir Yahaya was roped in as head coach. While last year's assistant coach, Gavin Lee was promoted to first-team coach while he completes his AFC "A" Coaching License while former club captain, Mustafić Fahrudin stayed on with the club after his retirement to be the assistant coach of the team. Former player, Isa Halim was brought in to be the fitness coach, together with goalkeeper coach, William Phang forms the new technical team. The team had also signed a number of young players to the team from the National Football Academy, they had also signed 2 new Serbian U-21 players, Zehrudin Mehmedović and Mirza Delimeđac. At the same time the team had also signed goalkeeper, Zufairuuz Rudy from Hougang United. Shahdan Sulaiman had also returned from his loan stint at Melaka United. As backup goalkeeper, Haikal Hasnol was loaned to Home United due to National Service Commitments. Irfan Fandi had also been loaned to Young Lions due to National Service Commitments as well. Notable players such as Hafiz Abu Sujad, Afiq Yunos and Fazrul Nawaz had moved to Hougang United. At the same time, Fahrudin Mustafić had also retired from the game and is now working as an assistant coach in the team.
In pre-season, the team had taken on NFL Side, Singapore Cricket Club before traveling to Thailand to participate in the LEO Cup playing against Chiangrai United and Chiangrai City. After coming back from Thailand, they took on NFL Side, Katong FC before facing Johor Darul Ta'zim II and Albirex Niigata Singapore. Notably in their final friendly game against Albirex Niigata Singapore, they beat Albirex Niigata Singapore 4–0. In the attendance of a healthy crowd watching the friendly game. It was also announced that Hyundai has returned to be the main sponsor of the club since not partnering with the club from 2017. ANA Courier Express and Gatorade has continued their partnership with the club as well. ecoWise has also come on board as well. Hummel had also released the club's New Jersey and the jersey had been specially designed and made for the club.
Tampines Rovers was drawn in Group F with Hà Nội, Yangon United and Nagaworld. Their first official game of the season would be a trip to Yangon, Myanmar to take on Yangon United in the 2019 AFC Cup. A game in which they came from behind to beat Yangon United 3-1 after trailing at the end of the first half. Thanks to goals from Khairul Amri, Zehrudin Mehmedović and Ryutaro Megumi. The Stags 2019 AFC Cup campaign come to an end when they ended the group stage matches with 13 points together with Hà Nội which will see the Vietnamese club finishing as group leaders with a 18+ goals difference qualifying to the next round.
The 2020 season marked the 75 years since the club's founding. On 14 January 2020, the club kicks off its 2020 campaign against Bali United in an AFC Champions League play off.[9] The game ended in a thrilling 5–3, with Bali United winning the tie with 2 goals in extra-time. This meant that Tampines Rovers would play in the 2020 AFC Cup instead ending up in Group H of the competition with Kaya–Iloilo, PSM Makassar and Shan United. On 22 February 2020, Tampines Rovers won their record 5th time Singapore Community Shield against Hougang United. The Stags goes on to start the league magnificently, winning 3 out of their 3 opening fixtures without conceding a goal and scoring 7 along the way, putting 4 past recently acquired Lion City Sailors. On the other hand, The 2020 AFC Cup was no different, winning 2 and drawing 1 of their 3 games. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the league was halted from 27 March 2020.
The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth approved the season recommencement on 17 October 2020. Competition rule changes included the provision for two water breaks during a match, and clubs will be able to use up to five substitutions (in defined windows after half-time). In addition only 11 more matches per team were to be played over 49 days. With the season ending on 5 December 2020. Tampines began their return with their first loss of the season to Hougang United. However they recovered with a superb win over favourites, Albirex Niigata Singapore. They went on to finish the season unbeaten in their next 9 games but ultimately finished 2nd, 3 points off Albirex Niigata Singapore at top spot. It was their draws at Geylang International, Balestier Khalsa and Hougang United that cost them. However, they qualified for the 2021 AFC Champions League due to Albirex Niigata's inability to qualify for Continental competitions as they were a satellite team of Albirex Niigata of Japan.
The 2021 season marked Tampines debut in the 2021 AFC Champions League who were drawn in Group H and take on two-time AFC Champions League winners Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of Korea Republic, J-League runners up and 2008 AFC Champions League winners Gamba Osaka and Thailand outfits, Chiangrai United.While it was a tough debut for Gavin Lee's charges, veteran defender Daniel Bennett did create a slice of history when he scored their only goal during their fifth group encounter against Gamba Osaka in an 8–1 defeat at the Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. At 43 years and 181 days, Bennett also eclipsed Dejan Damjanović (39y 341d) as the oldest ever scorer in the tournament's history. The 2021 Singapore Premier League season ended with Tampines Rovers finishing in 4th place which will see them qualified for the 2022 AFC Cup.
Five Years contract extension
Kyoga Nakamura being handed a new five-year lengthy deal by the Stags in an unprecedented move in Singaporean football, making it the longest contract extension in Singaporean league history reaffirming his commitment to the club. The lengthy deal would see Kyoga remaining as a Stag till December 2026 and could also pave the way for another naturalized footballer and also being a Singaporean citizenship. Tampines Rovers also announced a five-year contract for promising star, Shah Shahiran and Joel Chew committing their future to the club.
On 23 September 2023, Tampines Rovers have inked a three-year collaboration with Thailand club, BG Pathum United. As part of the agreement, the Singaporean outfit will be renamed as BG Tampines Rovers from 2024 onwards. Kadir Yahaya who was the former Tampines Rovers head coach and the current head of youth football for BG Pathum, played a pivotal role in securing the deal. As part of the collaboration, The club loaned in two new Thailand national, 19-year-old forward Thitipat Ekarunpong and 18-year-old defender Thanet Suknate. Thitipat and Thanet will be the first Thai players in the league since 2013, when Theerawekin Seehawong turned out for Woodlands Wellington.
On 23 September 2023, Tampines Rovers have inked a three-year collaboration with BG Pathum United. As part of the agreement, the Singaporean outfit will be renamed BG Tampines Rovers from 2024. Kadir Yahaya who is the former Tampines Rovers head coach and current head of youth football for BG Pathum, played a pivotal role in securing the deal. It also understands that after the three years, the Thai club will take over operations of Tampines Rovers to help raise the standards of the league. Under the arrangement, Tampines can gain access to BG Pathum's top-notch facilities for pre-season and mid-season preparations, as well as tap on BG Pathum resources related to modern football technology and cutting-edge sports science, as well as marketing, social media and fan engagement. Thai manufacturer, Bangkok Glass or BG will also become the team's shirt-front sponsor.[12]
Crest and colours
The club selected the stag as its animal mascot as the animal is a symbol of wisdom, its antlers are associated with the tree of life and in Chinese culture, it is a symbol of virility. The club's colours are predominantly yellow for its Home kit, with a mixture of black, blue and white for its away colours.[13]
Stadium
Our Tampines Hub, home ground for the Stags since July 2017
The Stags initially played their home games at the Tampines Stadium. In 2011, the stadium was demolished to build an integrated community and lifestyle building Our Tampines Hub (OTH) which includes a football stadium. Never before in Singapore sports history has a football match played within 'Our Tampines Hub', the first-ever integrated community and lifestyle hub that brings together multiple agencies to offer a comprehensive and diverse range of services, programmes and facilities.
During the construction of OTH, the Stags used Clementi Stadium as their homeground from 2012 to 2014[14] and then Jurong West Stadium from 2015 till the first half of 2017.[15]
In 2017, the Stags moved back to OTH, utilising OTH's Town Square, which has a seating capacity of 5,000, to play their home games.[14] On 28 July 2017, Tampines Rovers had their first match at their newly opened stadium against Brunei DPMM FC and won 2–0.[16] That match saw a crowd of 4,676 fans.
In 2019, in view of the shared stadium initiative by Football Association Singapore, Geylang International will share OTH as their home ground. It caused a lot of unrest within the local football community, stating that without its spiritual home, the clubs are losing its identity.
Supporters
The Yellow Brigade
Formed in 2012, The Yellow Brigade (TYB) was the very first unofficial supporters’ group for Tampines Rovers FC. The group comprised mainly of members from the Singapore national team supporters’ group, Lions All The Way (LATW). Members of TYB were staunch supporters of the club and greatly contributed to the overall match-day experience.
The Yellow Knights
Formed in 2019, The Yellow Knights (TYK) is the second unofficial supporters’ group. TYK was formed by a small group of passionate fans with the shared goal of improving the match-day atmosphere at games. They have been described as Ultras, although the group has never formerly regarded themselves as such.[17] TYK is well-known in the country for their passionate support at every game.
The Stand
The general Tampines Rover’s fanbase has been collectively referred to as “The Stand”[18] – the name likely derived from its similarity to “The Stags”.
Since the move back to Tampines, the club’s average attendance per match is one of the highest in the league. As of June 2023, the club is second only to the Lion City Sailors in average attendance in the SPL.[19]
