Strengthening A “Sense Of Us” Through Volunteerism And Sports

1. Chairman, COVID-19 has changed the way we live, work and play. These past two plus years, we have had to fight the pandemic together, yet acutely apart. 

2. This long fight has been draining. But like other crises we have weathered before, we can overcome COVID. But to do so, we must strengthen the sense of "us". 

3. I will now outline how MCCY will build a more caring, inclusive, and united society through volunteerism and sports.

A more caring “Us”

Sport Green plan

4. Ms Hany Soh and Prof Koh Lian Pin asked about efforts to build a more sustainable sport ecosystem. We are doing so in three ways:
   a. First, we are greening our sport infrastructure like the upcoming Punggol Regional Sport Centre in 2024 and the Kallang Alive Precinct into a sports and recreational Green Mark District.
   b. Second, we are partnering the sport industry to reduce, recondition and recycle sport equipment. SportSG will ensure that all its supported events attain green certification by 2023.c. Third, we will rally our National Sport Associations (NSAs), Team Nila volunteers and ActiveSG Sport Centres to amplify our sustainability efforts. We have brought community gardens, like the one Ms Hany Soh described, to other ActiveSG Sport Centres to cultivate community ties through green initiatives.

Volunteering and SGCares

5. Mr Mohd Fahmi Bin Aliman and Ms Cheng Li Hui asked about opportunities for Singaporeans to volunteer and care for others. 

6. Through the SG Cares movement, MCCY will work with community partners to make volunteerism our way of life.

   1. First, SG Cares is partnering professional bodies such as the Law Society Pro Bono Services, to champion skills-based volunteerism. We aim to grow regular volunteers and deepen our culture of care and service to the community within these professional bodies.

   2. Second, in every town, the SG Cares Volunteer Centres (VCs) and SG Cares Community Networks are fostering collaborations with partners such as schools, corporates, ground-up movements, and Social Service Agencies (SSAs) to channel volunteers to areas of need.

   3. Third, we will continue to enhance our charities’ capabilities. As shared by the Finance Minister, we will extend the Charities Capability Fund from FY22 to FY26. Charities and Institutions of a Public Character will continue to receive funding support to strengthen their governance and management capabilities.

   4. Lastly, we have made volunteering even more accessible through the SSAs and SG Cares VCs which have pivoted to virtual volunteering opportunities, such as online storytelling and exercise sessions that engage diverse age groups.

SportCares x ComLink

7. Mr Xie Yao Quan rightly pointed out, that sport has the power to uplift underserved communities and change lives. Indeed, sport is a powerful force for good, and a great social leveler. 

8. SportSG’s SportCares will partner MSF’s ComLink, to offer programmes like its flagship “Saturday Night Lights”, a structured football programme, to families with children and youth living in rental housing. This will be launched to all 21 ComLink towns, starting with 5 this year. 
   a.We hope to reach out to 28,000 children and youths across about 300 public rental housing blocks by 2027.

SportCares youth programmes

9. Sport also plays a critical development role for youths. It shapes character, teaches resilience and teamwork, and builds communities. SportCares will launch two initiatives. 

10. First, a mentorship programme. I agree with Ms Rahayu Mahzam. Having mentored ITE students myself for many years, I strongly believe that every youth has potential, regardless of what their starting points in life is.
    a. In addition to WeConnect that MOS Tan mentioned earlier, SportCares has launched a mentoring programme to support 100 disadvantaged young people over the next 2 years. 

11. Second, we will support our youths through internships, scholarships and bursaries.
    a. From July, SportCares will offer industry attachments within SportSG and industry partners.
    b. SportCares has also committed $400,000 towards the SportCares Scholarship. Up to 20 SportCares youths will be supported to pursue either a NITEC, tertiary or undergraduate course in a locally recognised institution.
    c. Up to 1,400 children, youths, and persons with disabilities (PwDs) from low-income backgrounds will benefit from the SportCares Bursary Scheme, which covers the fees to any ActiveSG Academies and Clubs programme for at least a season of 10 weeks.

A more inclusive “Us”

Inclusive sport – Para Sport Academy

12. Mr Darryl David, Ms Rahayu Mahzam and Ms Cheng Li Hui asked about efforts to provide more inclusive opportunities through sports.

13. In my MSF speech earlier, I spoke about the Enabling Masterplan 2030 and our whole-of-society efforts to make Singapore more inclusive. To that end, disability sport plays an important role.  

14. Since the launch of the Disability Sports Masterplan (DSMP) in 2016, we have made good progress.

    1. We widened the base of disability sport participation. The number of PwDs participating in sport has grown from 1 in 3 in 2016 to 1 in 2 today.

    2. We made our sport facilities more accessible, and will make all ActiveSG Gyms inclusive by 2026.

    3. We have also promoted inclusion through sharing sporting experiences.

    4. Mr Mark Chay raised the importance of empowering coaches to better support PwDs. Ms Rahayu Mahzam asked if expertise in this area is sufficiently widespread.

       1. Today, CoachSG runs curated coaching courses under the Special Olympics Singapore and Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC).

       2. About 2,800 coaches, educators, volunteers, staff and students have been trained in inclusive sport programmes.

       3. To equip more coaches with disability sport coaching competencies, CoachSG will incorporate this into the National Registry of Coaches’ (NROC) SG-Coach Level Two curriculum this year.

       4. In summary, the DSMP has benefited more than 18,000 PwDs to date. We will continue to do this and more. 

15. This year, SportSG will introduce 10 sport programmes under the new Para Sport Academy, starting with Cerebral Palsy Football, Para-Canoe and Athletics.

    1. The Para Sport Academy will drive the integration of disability and mainstream sports in our ActiveSG Academies and Clubs.

    2. They will also provide aspiring para-athletes a clear pathway from recreational participation to high-performance sport.

    3. We hope that the Para Sport Academy will be an enabling platform through which more PwDs can build their self-confidence and reach their fullest potential. It is also our ambition to grow a new generation of para-athletes who will go on to represent Singapore. 

16. To better ensure that the Para Sport Academy serves the needs of para-athletes, SportSG has established an advisory panel comprising prominent members of the disability sport community. With their extensive experience in and contributions to para sports, the panel will be well-placed to co-design and grow the Para Sport Academy.

17. Mr Mark Chay spoke about raising coaching standards and recognising coaches.

    1. On raising coaching standards and regulation, SportSG is working on creating a larger national registry to include coaches and fitness instructors.

    2. Under the Safe Sport Programme that is being rolled out, all sport participants in member organisations, including administrators and volunteers will be bound by the Safe Sport Unified Code.

    3. Mr Mark Chay also asked about the Coaching Competency Framework that CoachSG is developing with Leeds Beckett University. This will inform our formal coach education curriculum. When recognised as part of the sports sector Industry Transformation Map, coaches can use the framework to compare the competencies and remuneration of coaching against jobs in adjacent sectors, thereby promoting greater occupational mobility. With established recommended rates, coaches will be remunerated fairly and it is our hope that the coaching profession will become more attractive.

    4. On recognizing our coaches, today, there are various awards such as the Coach of the Year Award by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC), as well as CoachSG’s Singapore Coach Medallion. e. I thank Mr Mark Chay on his interest on various issues and welcome him to continue working closely with us.

A more united “Us”

TeamSG Update

18. 2022 will be yet another busy year for our TeamSG athletes, as they represent Singapore at the Hanoi SEA Games, the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, the Surakarta ASEAN Para Games and the Hangzhou Asian and Asian Para Games.

19. Keeping in top form will be of utmost importance and we are supporting our athletes, best as we can. To address Mr Mark Chay’s speech:

    1. Our support for national athletes is comprehensive and takes both financial and non-financial forms. Each year, the Government spends more than $70 million in high performance sport, over and above the $90 million on sport infrastructure.

    2. Funding support for major games is also planned in advance and accounted for within the NSAs’ multi-year sports plan.

    3. We also continually invest resources to enhance the Singapore Sport Institute (SSI) and the National Youth Sport Institute (NYSI). Today, both have quality infrastructure to provide sport science and medicine support to our national athletes.

    4. Whether it is access to funding, sport science or medicine, the support rendered to each athlete is customised based on individual needs, and specific demands of their sport.

    5. On National Service, the priority of full-time National Servicemen is their military duties. We are working with MINDEF to support our TeamSG athletes to address their sport training needs while fulfilling military duties. Provisions like short-term deferment, leave and time-off to train and compete are available, subject to the SAF’s operational needs.

20. Corporates and Singaporeans can also contribute to our athletes’ journeys. Mr Xie Yao Quan asked about the One Team Singapore Fund (OTSF) and efforts to encourage a spirit of giving to sports. Mr Darryl David asked about efforts to rally Singaporeans to support TeamSG.

    • As previously announced by the Finance Minister, we are extending the $50 million OTSF Matching Grant for an additional 5 years until FY26 and to cover more areas of high performance sport support. The OTSF offers one-to-one matching for donations and has matched almost $15 million since its inception in 2017. Your donations and the matching grant will benefit our athletes. 

21. We will also establish TeamSG Cares, a platform for TeamSG athletes to serve and give back.

    • TeamSG athletes will be able to tap on the Active Citizen Grant to spearhead initiatives. SportSG will also support them to connect them with Corporate Partners who can help to co-fund these projects.

Unleash the roar

22. Finally, football. I thank Ms Cheng Li Hui, Mr Darryl David, Mr Abdul Samad, and Mr Faisal Manap for your passion in Singapore Football. 

23. Allow me to update on the progress of Unleash the Roar!, our national project to uplift Singapore football. 

24. This year, we started 10 School Football Academies (or SFAs) in secondary schools.

    1. We want to provide a nurturing environment for students to hone their football skills while supporting them academically.

    2. Almost 400 students have enrolled in our SFAs. Our ambition is to grow them to full capacity over the next few years with a total of 16 SFAs for boys across all secondary levels. And we also plan to establish SFAs for girls as well. 

25. Now, a key factor in the SFAs’ success is quality coaching. To give our students the best training environment, each SFA will feature a dedicated Head Coach, assistant coaches and zonal specialist coaches.

    1. To go far, we must work with the right partners.

       1. We are working with LaLiga to bring in 9 Head Coaches who have experience developing young, high performance  footballers to lead our SFAs. These coaches will join us in April.

       2. We are also partnering Borussia Dortmund, a top professional football club in the Bundesliga, famed for its focus on youth talent development.

    2. We are also grooming our local coaches.

       1. We have begun recruiting local assistant coaches. Five have started coaching since mid-January, and we will onboard 12 more by April.

       2. To ensure high quality football coaching, more than 300 coaches and MOE teachers have also been trained to adopt our National Football Curriculum. 

26. Unleash the Roar! is a project committed to levelling up Singapore football for the long haul. Beyond youth and coach development, we will set into motion other plans.

    1. First, we will launch the Unleash the Roar! scholarship to nurture young talents later this year. The scholarship will provide financial support to talented and committed footballers to immerse themselves in a high-performance football environment abroad while pursuing their studies. We also plan to support more young talents to go overseas on stints to broaden their exposure. 

    2. Second, we will do more for women’s football here in Singapore. We will grow the participation base by introducing more programmes for girls under the ActiveSG Football Academy. We will provide our women footballers greater support by way of training facilities, coaching and sport science.

    3. Third, beyond the resumption of the Singapore Premier League (SPL), MCCY and SportSG have been working with partners such as the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on opportunities for our football teams to compete with international teams on home ground. Singaporeans can look forward to supporting the Lions at the upcoming football triangular series against the Philippines and Malaysia.

       • I am sure some members of the House also fondly recall the Lion City Cup. Pandemic restrictions aside, we hope to bring our young competitors from the region into Singapore, so our youths can compete at a high level, and at the same time, generate excitement about youth football.

    4. Finally, we are in discussions with FAS to transform the SPL by increasing professional standards and strengthening private sponsorship. We look forward to sharing more when these plans are firmed up.

    5. Mr Faisal Manap asked about the replacement of our national coach. I understand that FAS’ recruitment process for this position has been set in motion and we will hear from them in due course.  

27. Sir, Unleash the Roar! is a mammoth undertaking. Many have asked me how I felt, leading the charge on this front. Now, I would be lying if I said I do not have butterflies in my stomach. But today, I am hopeful. Why? Because of the many passionate individuals I had spent hours talking to about this project. Because they believe in Singapore Football. And because of our Lions, and the way they fought their Indonesian rivals in the Suzuki Cup semi-finals last year!
    a. What Singapore witnessed has got to be one of the most, if not the most, gripping Singapore football performance in recent history. We all rallied behind our Lions. The immense sense of pride that I felt, correction, that we felt, when Majulah Singapura filled the National Stadium – never mind that there were only 10,000 of us that evening. That experience was simply priceless. 

28. This is the power of sport, the power of football. This is why we must believe in football and do what we can to Unleash the Roar!

Conclusion

29. Sir, I began by talking about the importance of strengthening our collective sense of “us”. I would like to end by saying that we are laying the foundations for a better future today. 

30. Across our different sectors – community, arts, sports, youth – we all have a role to play in shaping a Singapore that is caring, cohesive and confident. It is our strength in unity and collective fortitude that will enable us to overcome the pandemic and build a brighter tomorrow, and a stronger Singapore Together.