Ahead of Lion City Sailors inaugural AFC Women's Champions League campaign, Ho Hui Xin and her former youth player, Umairah Hamdan discuss the magnitude of the competition
It’s been a long time coming for Women’s football in Asia. While the game has gained significant traction in the West, players, coaches, staff and fans over in the Eastern part of the world have had to be patient, tirelessly working to grow the game they love. It will come to fruition though in three days, when the inaugural Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Champions League (AWCL) ignites — a historic moment in which Singapore will play a part.
Set to represent our shores at the tournament is Lion City Sailors, who qualified for the AWCL by winning the Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL) last season. Along with 12 other teams from all over the continent, The Sailors will first compete in the preliminary round, where only one team from each group will progress to the main group stages of the tournament.
The Singaporean side will be taking on Indian Women’s League Champions, Odisha FC Women on 25th August and hosts, Etihad Club in Jordan three days later in their bid to top Group D, a quest that’ll undoubtedly be their toughest yet.
Amongst the travelling squad is midfielder, Ho Hui Xin, and if you’ve been in the women’s football scene in some shape or form, you’d probably have heard of her.
The 32-year-old has been in the fraternity since she began her footballing journey in Junior College. Since then, not only has Hui Xin played for various clubs and the Singapore National Team, but has also doubled as coach, guiding a handful of her current teammates back when they were just little girls starting out on the pitch.
It’s all come full circle for Hui Xin, who is now bound for history with one of her former youth players — now Sailors captain — Umairah Hamdan.
“I have a cute story. If you ask Mai (Umairah), she still has my contact saved as Coach Hui Xin from when I was her coach at JSSL while she was in primary school,” smiled Hui Xin as she gushed about the now 22-year-old.
Hui Xin, along with former JSSL coaches like Deborah Chin and current Tampines Rovers Head Coach Gavin Lee, has successfully guided numerous promising young girls to where they are now. Whether they’ve gone on to play in the WPL, the national team or just socially, Hui Xin’s early days as a coach means she’s nurtured generations of girls who share a common love for the game. Now, she continues to do so as a beloved teammate.
“Some of the other girls I coached are also in the national team now. It doesn't feel like it has been that long ago. It feels surreal to see them go from playing in JSSL when they were little, to where they are now. They’re the future of women’s football.”
With 19 players aged 22 or below, The Sailors boasts a young but skillful squad Hui Xin hopes will carry the torch in raising the profile of the game in Singapore.
“They started so young and you can tell that they’ve developed their technique well. My hope is that they will stick together, then they can cultivate their potential. They can bring women’s football to greater heights because they have a strong and promising foundation,” raved Hui Xin of her teammates.
For Umairah, who took over as club captain at the start of the 2024 WPL season, leading the team out to battle against some of the best in Asia, she said, is “an honour and something very important” to her.
“Through our games, training camps, and preparation, the team has gained valuable experience and learned to mentally brace for the intensity and demands of the game. This journey has strengthened our bond,” shared the 22-year-old of her tight-knit team.
“We connect and play more effectively both on and off the field. Our collective growth and unity have been crucial in gearing up to tackle this challenge together. I hope to bring the team together in Jordan, inspire them, and achieve strong results that reflect our hard work and dedication.”
It may be the white and blue of The Sailors taking to the pitch, but The Sailors will be playing for a cause bigger than themselves. Ultimately, they'll be representing all off Singapore women's football. With the honor and pride that comes with representing the country, along with the invaluable experience the AWCL offers, clubs in the WPL will have something bigger to fight for than just the title of domestic champions.
The Sailors’ and Singapore’s participation in the first ever AWCL, to Hui Xin, raises the bar for the WPL moving forward.
“You don’t just win the league but you get the chance to play against some of the best in Asia. It’s like a domino effect, right? Once everyone has this to fight for, they’ll want to get better and better and in turn, the standard of the WPL will improve. This will benefit everybody and it’ll be good for domestic competition,” explained the midfielder.
She added, “I don't think we have that much exposure on the regional stage unless clubs have the funds to send the teams overseas for training camps or friendlies. We also don't get many teams from overseas coming here.
“For Singaporean clubs to improve, we have to be exposed to clubs outside of Singapore. I think of course, that comes with funding and if we can invite overseas clubs over, why not? It’s good for foreign clubs and the local clubs so it’s a win-win.”
Umairah echoed her former coach, adding, “showcasing our local football on a regional stage opens opportunities for players to be scouted and inspires us to aim for higher levels of competition and performance.”
Decades of grit, persistence and gallantry against countless barriers have paved the way for even the possibility of an AWCL. Now a reality, The Sailors captain has this to say to her teammates.
“Have trust in yourself and each other, enjoy the game, and give it your all. We go hard together.”