# 2023 Singapore Premier League

The 2023 Singapore Premier League (also known as the AIA Singapore Premier League due to sponsorship reasons) was the 6th season of the Singapore Premier League, the top-flight Singaporean professional league for association football clubs, since its rebranding in 2018.

## Format

The following key changes were made to the rules for the 2023 season:
* Young Lions will be allowed to register between 20 and 40 players, three of whom may be foreign or overaged Singaporean players.
* Young Lions and Hougang United to play their home games at Jalan Besar Stadium while Lion City Sailors and Balestier Khalsa will play at Bishan Stadium. Other stadiums used are: (1) Our Tampines Hub (Tampines Rovers and Geylang International), (2) Jurong East Stadium (Albirex Niigata and Tanjong Pagar United), and (3) Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium (DPMM). DPMM will play their 1st three home matches in Jalan Besar Stadium as their home ground is undergoing renovation.
* For Brunei DPMM, they are required to have a minimum of one Under-23 player of Bruneian nationality fielded during the entire first half of a match.
* All clubs may include a maximum of five players from its COE Under-21 team in its match-day squad.
* VAR technology will feature for the first time in Singapore league history.
The following key changes were made to the rules since the 2022 season:
* Each team is able to register up to 25 players in their squad, a reduction of 3 players as compared from 2020.
* Albirex is allowed to have a minimum squad of eighteen (18) Players under non-amateur (Professional) contract, as at the pre-season minimum registration deadline and a maximum of twenty-five (25) Players.
* From 2021, Albirex is allowed to sign a maximum of 2 overage Singaporean players. One U-23 Singaporeans need to be in their starting lineup for each game.
* Clubs will be equipped with Global Positioning Systems (GPS) devices - among other performance and tracking gear. Value of the sponsorship is worth around $620,000.
* SPL clubs are now allowed to register a maximum of four foreign players with no age restrictions, of whom at least one shall be of the nationality of an AFC Member Association (Asian). A maximum of four foreign players may be named or fielded in any one match.
* Players shall be allocated jersey numbers 1 to 50. Jersey number become available for allocation to new members after a player ceased to play for a club.
* 1st transfer window: 1 January 2023 to 19 March 2023, 2nd transfer window: 1 June 2023 to 28 June 2023

## Teams

A total of 9 teams competed in the league. Albirex Niigata (S) was an invited foreign club from Japan, while DPMM FC was an invited foreign club from Brunei.

### Stadiums and locations

| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
| Albirex Niigata (S) Tanjong Pagar United | Jurong East Stadium | 2,700 |
| Lion City Sailors Balestier Khalsa | Bishan Stadium | 6,254 |
| Young Lions Hougang United DPMM FC | Jalan Besar Stadium | 6,000 |
| Tampines Rovers Geylang International | Our Tampines Hub Jalan Besar Stadium (Btw 12-20 Apr 2023) | 5,100 |

### Personnel, kit and sponsoring

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Main Shirt sponsor | Other shirt sponsors |
| Albirex Niigata (S) | Kazuaki Yoshinaga | Asahi Yokokawa | Mizuno | Denka | Lensmode Kubota Reeracoen Kirin EnglishCentral Gain City Dpro Logistics Namics One Asia Lawyers JPLUS+ Daiho Group JTB NSG Sanpoutei Ramen SMBC ACCEA Singapore PR Times Nippon Medical Care HIT Singapore With You Global Creations SD Aircon At Twenty Salonpas Crown Line SETA Technologies Salonpas Soken Medical Dr. Stretch Miura IGPI Thomson Jap Family Clinic Akinori Singapore Black Clover Pocari Sweat SingaLife |
| Balestier Khalsa | Peter de Roo | Ho Wai Loon | Adidas | Jeep | Weston Corporation Project Vaults PSB Academy TopGrid Pest Dr. Stretch StarBalm Boys' Town YouthReach |
| DPMM | Adrian Pennock | Wardun Yussof | Pitch | | Brunei Shell Marketing Mitsubishi Corporation Baiduri Bank DST You C1000 BGI BEGAWAN ATHLETE Waznah |
| Geylang International | Mohd Noor Ali | Joshua Pereira | FBT | Rolos by Constructor | Epson Broadway Dr. Stretch Extra Ordinary People Optimum Nutrition TRUE Fitness |
| Hougang United | Marko Kraljević (Interim) | Zulfahmi Arifin | Ari | The Physio Circle | Cafe Football (CF) The Arena SpeedFitness Advance Capital StarBalm My Protein Singapore |
| Lion City Sailors | Aleksandar Ranković | Hariss Harun | Puma | SEA | Shopee Garena Optimum Nutrition GXA Bank |
| Tampines Rovers | Gavin Lee | Yasir Hanapi | Mizuno | ANA Courier Express | Rookbook Ryudben Sports Blackhole Group Vintage Studio Battlewin My Protein Singapore Bauerfeind Sports JSSL FC Canadian 2 for 1 pizza StarBalm Fit Together Black Clover |
| Tanjong Pagar United | Hasrin Jailani | Shakir Hamzah | FBT | Tokyo Century | Samtrade Academy Hyundai StarBalm The Rehab Lab |
| Young Lions | Nazri Nasir | Harhys Stewart | Nike | | Catapult |
    a. Jacob Mahler was club captain at Young Lions until 19 May 2023, when it was announced he signed for Madura United. Harhys Stewart is now serving as the de facto captain.

### Coaching changes

| Team | Outgoing Head Coach | Manner of Departure | Date of Vacancy | Position in table | Incoming Head Coach | Date of appointment |
| Balestier Khalsa | Peter de Roo (interim) | Appointed to permanent role | Appointed to permanent role | Appointed to permanent role | Appointed to permanent role | 30 November 2022 |
| Hougang United | Firdaus Kassim (interim) | Appointed to permanent role | Appointed to permanent role | Appointed to permanent role | Appointed to permanent role | 15 January 2023 |
| Young Lions | Nazri Nasir | Stepped down | 16 December 2022 | Pre-season | Philippe Aw | 17 December 2022 |
| Lion City Sailors | Luka Lalic (interim) | End of Interim | 20 December 2022 | Pre-season | Risto Vidaković | 20 December 2022 |
| Hougang United | Firdaus Kassim | Redesignated as Youth Coach | 17 April 2023 | 9th | Marko Kraljević (interim) | 17 April 2023 |
| Young Lions | Philippe Aw | Leave of Absence | 18 May 2023 | 9th | Fadzuhasny Juraimi Koichiro Iizuka (Interim) | 18 May 2023 |
| Lion City Sailors | Risto Vidaković | Sacked | 19 June 2023 | 3rd | Pablo Muñiz Daan van Oudheusden (interim) | 19 June 2023 |
| Lion City Sailors | Pablo Muñiz Daan van Oudheusden (interim) | End of Interim | 28 June 2023 | 3rd | Aleksandar Ranković | 28 June 2023 |
| Young Lions | Fadzuhasny Juraimi Koichiro Iizuka (Interim) | End of Interim | 13 July 2023 | 9th | Nazri Nasir | 13 July 2023 |

## Foreign players

Singapore Premier League clubs could sign a maximum of four foreign players in the 2023 season. However, one of them had to be an AFC player.
Player name in bold indicates the player was registered during the mid-season transfer window.
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | AFC Player | U21 Player | Former Players Unregistered Players |
| Balestier Khalsa | Alen Kozar | Shuhei Hoshino | Ryoya Tanigushi | Masahiro Sugita | Max McCoy Curtis Gray Alexandre Bertholon | Conor MacKay |
| DPMM FC | Andrey Varankow | Ángel Martínez | Kristijan Naumovski | Farshad Noor | | Akmal Tursunbaev Josip Balić |
| Geylang International | Vincent Bezecourt | Takahiro Tezuka | Rio Sakuma | Yushi Yamaya | Zach Whitehouse | |
| Hougang United | Kristijan Krajcek | Đorđe Maksimović | Naoki Kuriyama | Kazuma Takayama | | Brian Ferreira |
| Lion City Sailors | Diego Lopes | Maxime Lestienne | Richairo Zivkovic | Bailey Wright | Nils Vandersmissen Joshua Little Aryan Bahadur Chhetri | Obren Kljajic Pedro Henrique Kodai Tanaka Súper Bernie Ibini-Isei |
| Tampines Rovers | Boris Kopitović | Miloš Zlatković | Shuya Yamashita | Kyoga Nakamura | | |
| Tanjong Pagar United | Pedro Dias | Mirko Šugić | Marin Mudražija | Blake Ricciuto | George Thomas Charlie Traynor | |
Albirex Niigata can sign an unlimited number of Singaporean players for this season. Only 2 local players above 23 years old are allowed.
| Club | SG Overaged Player 1 | SG Overaged Player 2 | SG Player 1 | SG Player 2 | SG Player 3 | Former Players |
| Albirex Niigata (S) | Hassan Sunny | Hyrulnizam Juma'at | Zamani Zamri | Shakthi Vinayagavijayan | Junki Kenn Yoshimura | Nicky Melvin Singh |
| Albirex Niigata (S) | SG Player 4 | SG Player 5 | SG Player 6 | SG Player 7 | SG Player 8 | Former Players |
| Albirex Niigata (S) | Jarrel Ong Jia Wei | Kenji Austin | Hilman Norhisam | Firman Nabil | | |
Young Lions can register a total of three foreign or overaged Singaporean players.
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Former Players Unregistered Players |
| Young Lions | Kan Kobayashi | Jun Kobayashi | Amiruldin Asraf | |

## Results
### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Albirex Niigata (S) (C) | 24 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 86 | 20 | +66 | 62 | |
| 2 | Lion City Sailors (Q) | 24 | 17 | 3 | 4 | 79 | 39 | +40 | 54 | Qualification for 2024-25 AFC Champions League Two Group Stage & ASEAN Club Championship |
| 3 | Tampines Rovers (Q) | 24 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 47 | 32 | +15 | 48 | Qualification for 2024-25 AFC Champions League Two Group Stage |
| 4 | Balestier Khalsa | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 60 | 71 | −11 | 36 | |
| 5 | Geylang International | 24 | 10 | 3 | 11 | 41 | 52 | −11 | 33 | |
| 6 | Hougang United | 24 | 9 | 2 | 13 | 37 | 57 | −20 | 29 | |
| 7 | Brunei DPMM | 24 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 39 | 43 | −4 | 23 | |
| 8 | Tanjong Pagar United | 24 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 39 | 62 | −23 | 21 | |
| 9 | Young Lions | 24 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 24 | 76 | −52 | 5 | |
* 1 2 3 Three clubs – Albirex Niigata (S), DPMM FC and the FAS under-23 team Young Lions, are ineligible for any AFC competition spots.

### Fixtures and results
## Awards
### Monthly awards

| Month | Player of the Month | Player of the Month | Young Player of the Month | Young Player of the Month | Coach of the Month | Coach of the Month | Goal of the Month | Ref |
| Month | Player | Club | Player | Club | Coach | Club | Player vs. | Ref |
| February / March | Faris Ramli | Tampines Rovers | Seia Kunori | Albirex Niigata (S) | Gavin Lee | Tampines Rovers | Andrey Varankow vs. Tanjong Pagar United (14/3/2023) | |
| April / May | Maxime Lestienne | Lion City Sailors | Abdul Rasaq | Lion City Sailors | Peter de Roo | Balestier Khalsa | Abdul Rasaq vs. Albirex Niigata (S) (21/5/2023) | |
| June | Maxime Lestienne | Lion City Sailors | Hakeme Yazid Said | DPMM FC | Kazuaki Yoshinaga | Albirex Niigata (S) | Shakir Hamzah vs. Young Lions FC (6/6/2023) | |
| July | Keito Komatsu | Albirex Niigata (S) | Hakeme Yazid Said | DPMM FC | Kazuaki Yoshinaga | Albirex Niigata (S) | Ryoya Tanigushi vs. Young Lions FC (12/7/2023) | |

## Singapore Premier League Awards night winners

| Awards | Winners | Club |
| Player of the Year | Maxime Lestienne | Lion City Sailors |
| Young Player of the Year | Seia Kunori | Albirex Niigata (S) |
| Coach of the Year | Kazuaki Yoshinaga | Albirex Niigata (S) |
| Top Scorer Award | Maxime Lestienne | Lion City Sailors |
| Golden Gloves | Syazwan Buhari | Tampines Rovers |
| Goal of the Year | Khairul Amri vs. Hougang United (6/4/2023) | Tanjong Pagar United |
| Fair Play Award | Albirex Niigata (S) | Albirex Niigata (S) |
| Referee of the Year | Andrea Verolino | Andrea Verolino |
AIA Team of the Year :
| Goalkeeper | Syazwan Buhari (Tampines Rovers) | Syazwan Buhari (Tampines Rovers) | Syazwan Buhari (Tampines Rovers) | Syazwan Buhari (Tampines Rovers) | Syazwan Buhari (Tampines Rovers) | Syazwan Buhari (Tampines Rovers) | Syazwan Buhari (Tampines Rovers) | Syazwan Buhari (Tampines Rovers) | Syazwan Buhari (Tampines Rovers) | Syazwan Buhari (Tampines Rovers) | Syazwan Buhari (Tampines Rovers) | Syazwan Buhari (Tampines Rovers) |
| Defence | Koki Kawachi (Albirex Niigata (S)) | Koki Kawachi (Albirex Niigata (S)) | Koki Kawachi (Albirex Niigata (S)) | Koki Kawachi (Albirex Niigata (S)) | Asahi Yokokawa (Albirex Niigata (S)) | Asahi Yokokawa (Albirex Niigata (S)) | Asahi Yokokawa (Albirex Niigata (S)) | Asahi Yokokawa (Albirex Niigata (S)) | Miloš Zlatković (Tampines Rovers) | Miloš Zlatković (Tampines Rovers) | Miloš Zlatković (Tampines Rovers) | Miloš Zlatković (Tampines Rovers) |
| Midfield | Kyoga Nakamura (Tampines Rovers) | Kyoga Nakamura (Tampines Rovers) | Kyoga Nakamura (Tampines Rovers) | Ryoya Taniguchi (Balestier Khalsa) | Ryoya Taniguchi (Balestier Khalsa) | Ryoya Taniguchi (Balestier Khalsa) | Diego Lopes (Lion City Sailors) | Diego Lopes (Lion City Sailors) | Diego Lopes (Lion City Sailors) | Maxime Lestienne (Lion City Sailors) | Maxime Lestienne (Lion City Sailors) | Maxime Lestienne (Lion City Sailors) |
| Attack | Seia Kunori (Albirex Niigata (S)) | Seia Kunori (Albirex Niigata (S)) | Seia Kunori (Albirex Niigata (S)) | Seia Kunori (Albirex Niigata (S)) | Hakeme Yazid (DPMM FC) | Hakeme Yazid (DPMM FC) | Hakeme Yazid (DPMM FC) | Hakeme Yazid (DPMM FC) | Shawal Anuar (Lion City Sailors) | Shawal Anuar (Lion City Sailors) | Shawal Anuar (Lion City Sailors) | Shawal Anuar (Lion City Sailors) |