LionsXII

LionsXII is a Singapore football team based at Jalan Besar Stadium. Managed by the Football Association of Singapore, the squad marks the return of Singapore to the Malaysia football scene after leaving the Malaysia Cup in 1994. The name "LionsXII" is a special tribute to the fans, who are generally recognised as football's "12th Man".

History
In 2011, the Football Association of Singapore and the Football Association of Malaysia reached an agreement that would see greater cooperation between the two nations. The Under-23s would play in the Malaysian Super League and Malaysia Cup from 2012 onwards, the first time a Singaporean team would be in Malaysian domestic football since 1994, when Singapore won the M-League and Malaysia Cup double.Singapore Lions to participate in 2012 Malaysia Cup  - Asia One, 7 December 2011 Although the new Singapore team would have the existing Under-23s forming its core, senior players were also called upon to guide the younger players. No foreign players were allowed to be part of the Singapore team.

2012 season

The LionsXII debuted in the 2012 Malaysia Super League on 10 January 2012 with a 1–2 loss to defending champions Kelantan FA. The LionsXII's first win was a 2–1 victory over Kuala Lumpur FA on 17 January. The LionsXII's first away win was a 1–0 victory over Sabah FA on 21 January. LionsXII began their 2012 Malaysia FA Cup quest on 18 February, with a 3–0 win over UiTM FC.Malaysia FA Cup 2012: Wonder-goal sets LionsXII to comfortable 3-0 victory - Straits Times, 18 February 2012 The LionsXII made their way to the quarter-final with a 2–0 win over Betaria FCLIONSXII through to the Quarter-Finals of the Malaysian FA Cup  - LIONSXII, 10 March 2012 on 10 March 2012. However, they were beaten by Terengganu FA in the quarter-finals. On 16 June 2012, they defeated Sabah FA 9–0 at home, the biggest win in the MSL season. LionsXII finished second in the league behind Kelantan FA, and bowed out of the semi-final of the 2012 Malaysia Cup after losing in a penalty shoot-out against ATM FA.

2013 season
LionsXII were set a target of finishing in the top five for the 2013 Malaysia Super League when a press conference was held before the start of the season. The five overage players included key members from the previous campaign such as Shahril Ishak, Isa Halim, and Baihakki Khaizan. The main aim was to develop the U-23 players and prepare them for the upcoming 2013 Southeast Asian Games that would be held at the end of the year, with the five seniors players serving to guide them throughout the campaign.LIONSXII aim top-five finish - Straits Times As at the start of the campaign, 13 players were also undergoing National Service.

LionsXII began their campaign by defeating ATM FA 1–0 away. In their first home match, they successfully edged out traditional rivals Selangor FA for the first time since joining the MSL. However, LionsXII stumbled to two losses against lowly T-Team FC and PKNS FC away. They also crashed out against in the first round of the 2013 Malaysia FA Cup against PKNS. Despite this, LionsXII went on a long unbeaten streak, securing important wins over Pahang FA (3–0), Kelantan FA (1–0), and ATM FA (3–1) at home. The opposing coaches even conceded the title to the LionsXII leading up to the end of the season,Malaysian coaches concede MSL title is Singapore's  - TODAYonline, 27 June 2013 as the team chalked up the best home record in the league, winning 10 and drawing one (with the draw coming in Round 19 against title-contender Johor Darul Takzim FC.

On 2 July 2013, a 4–0 win over relegation-threatened FELDA United FC in the penultimate league game made LionsXII league champions. Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong was present for the match played in front of a sold-out crowd at the Jalan Besar Stadium. The MSL trophy was also brought to Jalan Besar Stadium as the LionsXII received it on home soil after the final whistle. LionsXII became the first foreign team to win the MSL, adding to the four Malaysian league titles it had won in 1979, 1981, 1985, and 1994. The title run was defined by a combination of good defence (13 goals conceded, the best record in the MSL) and goals from set-pieces (17 out of 32).

 Stadium 
LionsXII ground stadium is Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore. The stadium can host 8,000 supporters in total. On 30 October 2012, a new high-definition LED scoreboard was implemented at the Gallery to provide better quality to the spectators as it will be able replay video highlights of the action on the field.

Supporters
LionsXII boasts a lot of passionate supporters who will always turn up in red to support them in every home match. Their official fan group is called ExcluSinga- ExcluSinga Official Website  - ExcluSinga accredited by the Football Association of Singapore. The group was formed from their news-providing Facebook page, Exclusive Singapore LIONSXII,http://www.facebook.com/exclusivesingaporelionsxii which provides regular and exclusive updates which recognised by the Football Association of Singapore and  became their official fan club in April 2012 soon after the LionsXII was formed on 25 March 2012.ExcluSinga becomes official LIONSXII fan group - QueSports

Members of ExcluSinga will make their appearances in LionsXII matches chanting and supporting the team throughout the whole 90 minutes.

They have over 1,000 members in their Facebook group.http://www.exclusinga.com/general/  ExcluSinga General Information - ExcluSinga

Kit manufacturer and shirt sponsor
PeriodKit manufacturerShirt sponsor2012–NikeStarHub

On 5 January 2012, Football Association of Singapore announced the appointment of StarHub as the Official Broadcaster and Principal Sponsor of LionsXII. As part of the partnership, StarHub will carry all LionsXII content on its pay TV, online and mobile platforms.StarHub Appointed Official Broadcaster and Principal Sponsor of LionsXII  - StarHub, 5 January 2012 Two days after the announcement of the kit, LionsXII sealed a second major sponsorship deal, with news that SilkPro will fund the Singapore outfit to the tune of S$1m during its debut season in Malaysia Super League.SilkPro to back LionsXII campaign  - ESPNSTAR, 8 January 2012 On 23 February 2012, LionsXII secured another sponsorship deal, with Shop N Save, a Singapore supermarket, coming on board as the 'Official Supermarket' for the Singapore outfit in its debut season in the Malaysian Super League.Shop n Save Singapore named 'Official Supermarket' for the LionsXII  - LionsXII, 23 February 2012

Track record
Updated on 3 July 2013

SeasonPWDLFAPtsPosFA CupMalaysia Cup 2013 21 12 7 2 32 13 431st Round of 32 TBD 2012 26 15 5 6 48 23 502nd Quarter-finalsSemi-finals

Fixtures and results
2013

Current squad

Updated on 1 May 2013

Goalscoring statistics
2012 season
Pos Player Malaysia Super League Malaysia FA Cup Malaysia Cup Total1 Shahril Ishak1013142 Shahdan Sulaiman80083 Agu Casmir50164 Hariss Harun5005 Sufian Anuar41055 Shaiful Esah2114 Safuwan Baharudin30147 Khairul Amri0022 Khairul Nizam2002 Baihakki Khaizan2002 Irwan Shah20028 Sevki Sha'ban1001 Madhu Mohana0101

2013 season
Malaysia Super League
Total goals scored: 32 
Total goals conceded: 13

Malaysia FA Cup
Total goals scored: 0 
Total goals conceded: 1

Pos Player Malaysia Super League Malaysia FA Cup Malaysia Cup Total1 Shahril Ishak80082 Fazrul Nawaz5005 Shahfiq Ghani50053 Safuwan Baharudin2002 Baihakki Khaizan2002 Hariss Harun20024 Faris Ramli1001 Shakir Hamzah1001 Syafiq Zainal1001 Khairul Nizam1001 Nazrul Nazari1001

Coach
 Year Coach 2012–  V. Sundramoorthy

Current coaching staff
 Position  NameManager   Visakan SubramanianHead team coach   V. SundramoorthyAssistant coach   K. BalagumaranGoalkeeping coach   Lee Bee SengFitness coach  Aleksandar BozenkoFitness coach  Gurnaya SinghPhysiotherapist   Nurhafizah SujadKitman   Omar Mohamed

References

Category:Football in Singapore
Category:2010s establishments in Singapore
Category:2011 establishments in Asia
Category:2015 disestablishments in Asia
Category:Asian football clubs
Category:Organizations based in Singapore