LIONSXII - BECAUSE EVERY FAN IS A LION

Born in the year 2012, the LionsXII is a team created for the Singapore die-hard football fans. It is made up of 11 fired up players and every fan of Singapore football - after all, the fan is the 12th Lions on the pitch. The Lions roar again in the Malaysian Super League, after a long wait of 17 years.

Singapore's greatest rivals are traditionally Selangor, with the two playing each other in 15 of the first 19 Malaysia Cup finals. Selangor hold the record for most victories with 32, while Singapore won the tournament 24 times. Singapore also has a significant rivalry with Johor, as the two are separated by the Straits of Johor, while both Kedah and Pahang enjoy rivalries with the Lions as well.

Due to geographical reasons, other Malaysian teams consider the Lions as a rival and fancy getting a good result when the Lions are in town.


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Photo credits: Goal.com

Jalan Besar Stadium - The Lions' Den
Opened: 1932
Seating capacity: 8,000 Roaring Lions


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Honours:
Malaysia Cup Winners: 1921, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1928 (shared), 1929 (shared), 1930, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1977, 1980, 1994
M-League Champions: 1994
Malaysia Semi-Pro League Champions: 1979, 1981, 1985
FAM Cup Winners: 1964, 1967
Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Cup: 1989
FAS Premier League Champions: 1995


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Photo credits: SingaporeSports.sg

Players to watch out for:

SHAHRIL 'SHARK' ISHAK - Captain and Playmaker
HARISS '100%' HARUN - Vice-captain and Midfielder
SHAHDAN 'SILKY' SULAIMAN - Midfielder
FIRDAUS 'FAST' KASMAN - Midfielder
AGU 'EL NINO' CASMIR - Forward
KHAIRUL 'KILLER' AMRI - Forward
IZWAN 'MAGIC' MAHBUD - Goalkeeper
BAIHAKKI 'KILAT' KHAIZAN - Defender
SHAIFUL 'ERASER' ESAH - Defender
JUMA'AT 'JJ' JANTAN - Defender
ISA 'HARD MAN' HALIM - Defender
THE FANS - The 12th Lion!


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Target:
Malaysia Super League: Top 5 Finish
FA Cup: Final
Malaysia Cup: Final


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Malaysia Super League:

Jan 10 Home 1 vs 2 Kelantan (L)
Jan 14 Away 0 vs 0 Kedah (D)
Jan 17 Home 2 vs 1 KL (W)
Jan 21 Away 1 vs 0 Sabah (W)
Jan 28 Home 0 vs 1 Terengganu (H)
Feb 7 Away 1 vs 1 Selangor (Bukit Jalil Stadium)
Feb 11 Home 3 vs 1 Negeri Sembilan (H)
Feb 14 vs Perak (Perak Stadium, Ipoh)
Mar 3 vs Felda United (H)
Mar 17 vs Sarawak (Negeri Sarawak Stadium, Kuching)
Mar 31 vs T-Team (H)
Apr 7 vs Johor FC (Pasir Gudang Stadium, Johor Baru)
Apr 14 vs PKNS (Petaling Jaya Stadium, Kelana Jaya)
Apr 17 vs PKNS (H)
May 5 vs Kelantan (Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium, Kota Baru)
May 12 vs Kedah (H)
May 15 vs Kuala Lumpur (Hang Jebat Stadium, Malacca)
June 16 vs Sabah (H)
June 19 vs Terengganu (Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium, Kuala Terengganu)
June 23 vs Selangor (H)
June 26 vs Negeri Sembilan (Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium, Paroi)
June 30 vs Perak (H)
July 3 vs Felda United (Hang Jebat Stadium, Malacca)
July 7 vs Sarawak (H)
July 10 vs T-Team (Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium, Kuala Terengganu)
July 14 vs Johor FC (H)


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FA Cup:

Feb 18 vs UiTM (A)


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Malaysia Cup:


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Guide to Harimau Muda home games @ Yishun Stadium (and how to get to Jalan Besar Stadium too):

S-League match info:
Kick-off: 7.30PM (Depending on weather conditions)
Adult ticket price: S$5/6
Food/drink prices: S$1.50/2 per item

By car/motorcycle: Traveling time estimated at 15 to 20 mins.
Take note that foreign-registered vehicles are permitted to drive into Singapore for 10 days in a calendar year without paying Vehicle Entry Permit fees, although toll charges still apply. After the 10-Vehicle Entry Permit free days have been utillised, drivers will have to pay the prevailing VEP fees for subsequent days if they continue to use or drive their vehicles into Singapore.

Toll charges of cars and other vehicles are priced at S$1 to S$1.20 for cars entering via Causeway, S$3.50 to S$3.70 for cars entering via Second link. Vehicle Entry Permit Charges for cars are priced at S$20, while motorcyclists have to pay S$4. The journey from Woodlands Checkpoint to Yishun Stadium is approximately 15 mins depending on good traffic conditions. I strongly encourage Malaysian fans to carpool and make good use of the free VEP, not only will you reach there in a shorter time, it is economically cheaper and less tiring as compared to traveling via public transportation.

You might want to download a free turn-by-turn iPhone GPS app, I recommend Waze, to plan your route. Simply set your destination to "103 Yishun Avenue 1". Alternatively, you can set your route on a map via www.gothere.sg. In the search box, key in "Woodlands Checkpoint to Yishun Stadium". Select "By Driving" and the recommended route will be displayed.

Do remember to purchase your parking coupons and display them prominently upon arriving at the car park. Please read the car park's signboard carefully to determine the charges, which either be $0.50 per half an hour or $1.00 per half an hour.

Remember to plan your route home as well!


By public transport: Traveling time estimated at 50 to 60 mins, Fares estimated at S$3.80/one-way
Traveling via public transport in Singapore is indeed convenient and cheap, but it can get a little tricky for first-timers. If you decide to make the trip, here are 3 simple steps for you to watch the Harimau live in action! The trip to the stadium from Woodlands checkpoint is approximately 50 to 60 mins.



1a. From Woodlands Checkpoint: Bus 170, Bus fare S$0.80
After exiting from the immigration area, head to the bus bays. Follow the crowd and you will get there. Hop on Bus 170 to get to Kranji MRT station. Travelling time is estimated at 15 mins not including waiting time. (gothere.sg: Search "Woodlands Checkpoint to Kranji MRT", select "By Bus Only")

1b. From Woodlands Checkpoint: Bus 950, Bus fare S$0.80
After exiting from the immigration area, head to the bus bays. Follow the crowd and you will get there. Hop on Bus 950 to get to Marsiling MRT station. Travelling time is estimated at 20 mins not including waiting time. (gothere.sg: Search "Woodlands Checkpoint to Marsiling MRT", select "By Bus Only")

2. Traveling on the MRT lines: Go to Khatib, Train fare S$1.27/S$1.35
Despite Yishun Stadium being named after Yishun, the nearest MRT station is not Yishun but instead Khatib! Don't be confused and get yourself lost on match day. Hop on the Marina Bay-bound train to get to Khatib MRT station, and that will take you around 25 mins. (gothere.sg: Search "Kranji MRT to Khatib MRT" or "Marsiling MRT to Khatib MRT", select "By Train + Bus")

3. To get to Yishun Stadium: Walk/Bus, Bus fare S$0.80
Upon exiting the ticketing gates, you will notice there is a overhead bridge nearby. Cross that bridge and then walk towards your right along the 6-lane main road. After walking around 10 mins, you will spot the Yishun Stadium. Alternatively, you can also take a bus. After crossing the overhead bridge, turn left and you will see a bus-stop. Hop on Bus 39, 85, 851, 852, 854, 855, 857, 858, 965, 969 or 853C and alight one stop later. Personally though, I prefer to walk. (gothere.sg: Search "Khatib MRT to Yishun Stadium", select "By Bus Only")

**Do take note that fares shown might not be accurate.

Should you have any doubts, do refer to www.gothere.sg, search for "Woodlands Checkpoint to Yishun Stadium". To go back home, simply reverse the 3 steps.


To get to Jalan Besar Stadium:
Follow the above mentioned steps, but instead of alighting at Khatib MRT, head to Lavender MRT. From Kranji or Marsiling MRT, take the Marina Bay-bound train to City Hall MRT Station. Then cross over to the Green line, take a Pasir Ris-bound train and alight at Lavender MRT. Once there, Jalan Besar Stadium is only a 10-min walk.

Should you have any doubts, do refer to www.gothere.sg, search for "Woodlands Checkpoint to Jalan Besar Stadium" or "Lavender MRT to Jalan Besar Stadium" and select "By Train + Bus".


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This post has been edited by LionsXII: Feb 12 2012, 12:08 AM

welcome back, Singapore!

Glad to see Baihakki back. Hopefully we can finish top 3 at least.

this will make the league interesting!!!

Hi all,

Glad to see Malaysians welcoming us back. To be honest, most Singaporeans want to see our team in the Malaysia Cup as well. For many of us, with Lions XII, it is a dream come true. And we can't wait to live the dream, Number 25 can't be too far away!

The S-League has served us well. It has been there for years but falling attendance figures speak for themselves in regards for the local interest. I have always believe, to have a successful footballing city, passionate rivalry have to exist. The Liverpools have their Evertons, the Celtics have their Rangers and the Real Madrids have their Barcelonas.

But in the Singaporean League, what do we have? Woodlands vs who? Tampines vs who? Someone living in Woodlands don't really have any hatred for people in Tampines, do they? If you are not looking to beat someone with a passion, then where's the competitive spirit gonna spark? This is where Lions XII will fill the gap.

Watching Woodlands vs Tampines is like watching a kampung game, an inter-town league game at best. But playing against Malaysian States, who hates all-thing Singapore with a burning passion, we have some real rivalry to speak of.

And I guess we are all looking forward to that one. Only with a strong rivalry and an intense hatred for the other team, will supporters feel a sense of belonging and thumps their chest for every goal and victory.

is fareez farhan in the team? singapores answer to malaysian wonderkid nazmi faiz

No, he is playing for Gombak in the S-League. Hopefully after serving his National Service, he will link up with the LionsXII!

A little trivia:
Fareez's father, Mohd Farhan, even arranged a six-week long trial for the player at Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb last February [2010], but the move did not work out because of administrative issues.

Dinamo wanted to keep Fareez, but were unable to sign him under new Fifa regulations in the wake of Chelsea's alleged tapping-up of French youngster Gael Kakuta in 2009.

This post has been edited by LionsXII: Jan 5 2012, 10:20 PM

TS u from singapore?

This post has been edited by FLampard: Jan 5 2012, 10:18 PM

totally agree... looking forward for us trying to kill each other using stadium attendance, voice and keyboard.

i will surely go for the only 2 klang valley game the singaporeans will play in...

Yes, I'm a Singaporean in Singapore!

I will try to inject a little Singaporean flavour into this wonderful forum. And yeah, if possible, I will try to get some photos up as well. (Though I am one who rather concentrate on the game than click my camera away...)

This post has been edited by LionsXII: Jan 5 2012, 10:23 PM

are you familiar with the S-league ? at times i might need some answers about the league over there. will send u PM by then..

Just shoot, I will ans if I can. I still follow the S-League, but not as religiously as I used to.

welcome to football lounge and lowyat.net

Welcome back Singapore to add more spices to the games!

Welcome back Singapore..bring back your Kallang Roar..I used to go to the Selangor vs Singapore games..always good atmosphere in the stadium...I hope Singaporeans cheer their team ..Bring your drums and sing away..Let the fun begin...

Frank Lampard, nak main kat S-league ke:? Tampines I think have the craziest supporters...

Frank Lampard tak akan main S-league, beliau adalah pemain chelsea sehingga bersara.

hehehe good one...


I cannot wait for this season to start....

Pretty disappointed that LATW will not be cheering for Lions XII. The state ultras also in danger of losing their competitive edge because being tooo friendly with each other. They badly need a real rival.

This post has been edited by aressandro10: Jan 6 2012, 12:19 AM

friendliness is good but once in stadium be in full song....I don't like hostile environments like the Turkish or Indonesian ways...I really like it when fans of both sides actually wear their team colours, the stadium is so colourful..We should start dancing in the stadium ...Our stadiums should be family friendly too, so parents can bring their children along too..

Welcome! Nice to see a Singaporean talking about Singapore football instead of the EPL like everyone else here