BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER
For Newcastle fan Terence Ong, buying jerseys is a ritual.
He has amassed 85 Magpies shirts in his collection since the 1990s, including the Carabao Cup winners’ print this year to celebrate the club’s first domestic trophy in more than 70 years.
The local fan club NUFC-SG has also produced a special tee to mark Newcastle’s visit.
“I think the club is realising now that there is an untapped market in Asia,” said Mr Ong, who is a committee member of the fan club.
“I like to think that it shows a trend that they want to engage the Asian fans a lot more,” he added. “And for us, getting our fellow official supporters clubs down from the other parts of Asia itself represents more than just strengthening our bonds, it also gives all of us a chance to show Newcastle United the power or the strength of the Asian fan base here.”
For him and Singapore’s 2,000-strong Toon army, football is also about bringing people together.
Plans for food drives and football clinics are in the pipeline to use sports to give back to the community.
For Arsenal fan Shaiful Rahman, he is looking to connect with fellow supporters from other Asian countries for the game.
“The main excitement for us is when we organise a fan party for all the regional friends who are coming to Singapore,” said the president of the Official Arsenal Singapore Supporters Club.
“It’s kind of like a form of appreciation for them taking the trouble to fly here and getting to know each individual supporters club.”
He noted that there is also a deeper purpose behind it all, adding: “It’s the networking, getting to know each other, being Singaporean, supporting one another. I think that is the key to it.”
