Singapore Premier League to resume on 17 October 2020

Matches will be played behind closed doors, with safe management measures in place.

1. The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) announced today that the current season of the Singapore Premier League (SPL) will resume its matches on 17 October 2020, after suspending them for more than six months due to the COVID-19 situation. The matches will be played behind closed doors, with no spectators, for now. Fans can catch the action on livestreams and selected cable broadcast channels.
2. In line with MCCY’s plans to resume the SPL in the month of October, full squad training has been conducted since 1 September 2020 under Safe Measurement Measures (SMMs), to help the teams gear up for competition following the extended downtime. As part of final preparations, players and match officials completed a swab test on 4 October 2020 as a precautionary measure. All 223 personnel have since tested negative for COVID-19.  Therefore, MCCY has given the green light for league matches to resume from 17 October 2020, with strict SMMs in place.
3. Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Second Minister for Law, Mr Edwin Tong said, “It has been over 200 days since we witnessed Singapore Premier League teams in action. I’m thrilled that the season is restarting, behind closed doors for now, and encourage Singaporeans to catch our top footballers in action online. This is a significant milestone in the progressive and safe resumption of sport activities in Singapore. MCCY, MOH, SportSG and the FAS have worked hard to develop the necessary safe management measures, so that the players and public can get their football fix once again. While we may not be able to watch the matches live at the stadiums for the time being, your support on the livestreams will mean a lot to our clubs.”
   
   

   Safe Management Measures for SPL

4. Since the suspension of the SPL on 24 March 2020, MCCY and SportSG have worked closely with the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) to develop a set of SMMs so that the SPL matches can resume in a safe manner. The SMMs include the following:
   
   a. Keeping the number of players and officials involved in each match to a minimum and under 100 personnel, segregated into 5 zones within the stadium;
   
   b. Staggering the arrival and departure timing of players and officials, from up to 5 hours pre-match to an hour post-match, to avoid bunching at entrances and other key areas and prevent interaction between the different zones; and
   
   c. Requiring all personnel in the stadium to mask-up and be positioned at least 2m from one another.
   
   d. Only the 22 players and 4 match referees on the field of play will be allowed to be unmasked, as they are undertaking strenuous physical activity.  This group, together with substitutes who may be deployed, will be subject to fortnightly Rostered Routine Testing. This takes into account the fact that they will be unmasked and likely to have prolonged close contact during the matches.  The testing will ensure the timely detection of any COVID-positive cases amongst this group to prevent further transmission.
   
   e. There will be no spectators at the matches until further notice, to reduce the risk to fans and to minimise community transmission.
5. FAS will be sharing more information on the fixtures list so that fans can catch the football action online and selected cable broadcast channels.
   
   

   Progressive resumption of sport activities to ensure public safety

6. MCCY and SportSG will continue to work closely with agencies, partners and the sports community to create a safe environment for Singaporeans to resume more sporting activities in the near future, as well as to enhance our measures to support a thriving and resilient sport sector.

Issued by:
Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth

For media queries, please contact:

Sharizan Nakmin
Corporate Communications Division
Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth
Tel: 6977 9186
Email: sharizan_nakmin@mccy.gov.sg