The Football Challenge Cup and League Championships in Colonial Singapore, 1892-1959: The Ascendency and Demise of the Malaya Football Association and the Straits Chinese Football Association
Lim Peng Han

Independent Researcher and editorial board member of the Asian Journal of Sport History and Culture

Abstract

Introduction
This is a study about the formation of the Singapore Football Association (SFA), the oldest FA in Asia, founded in 1892 and the impact of its policies in the organization of its annual Challenge Cup competition (1892-1959) and its League competition (1904-59) during the years 1892-1917, 1920-41 and 1945-59.
Method
This study relies on newspaper reports of football matches played during the years 1892 to 1959 and published annual reports of the SFA, Straits Chinese Football Association (SCFA) and the Malaya Football Association (MFA).
Results and conclusion
There are three key policies of the SFA later known as the Singapore Amateur Football Association (SAFA):
1. When the SFA organised its tournaments exclusively for the military, Europeans and Eurasians during the years 1892 to 1914, the Malays and the Straits Chinese established the MFA in 1910 and the SCFA in 1911 respectively to be controlling bodies of football in their communities.
2. When the SFA allowed the SCFA and the MFA to participate in its tournaments after the First World War (1920-41) the former win the league once and Cup once during the years 1920 to 1929. During the years 1930 to 1941 the SCFA won the league 4 times and Cup, 3 times. While the MFA won the league 4 times and Cup 4 times. Both the SCFA and MFA could compete and overcome the military and European teams.
3. After the Second World War (1942-45) the SFA, later known as the Singapore Amateur Football Association (SAFA), allowed clubs not affiliated to the SCFA and the MFA to participate in their tournaments. Both associations lost their influence in SAFA when the individual race-based clubs were independently managed. Cosmopolitan clubs with players of different races began to appear. The SCFA and MFA gradually became irrelevant to the independent clubs.

Keywords: football challenge cup, football league, Singapore Amateur Football Association, social class, Singapore Football Association

Topic: Sports policy and development