Ex-Lion Stephen Ng named national women’s team coach
Former goalkeeper wants to forge a side that can compete at regional and international level
Former Singapore goalkeeper Stephen Ng was yesterday appointed the new coach of the national women’s team on a two-year contract.
He takes over from caretaker coach Ratna Suffian, who has helmed the Lionesses since Melisa Ye’s departure in Dec 2019.
Ng, 50, previously coached the national boys’ Under-14 team in 2013 and had a six-year stint at the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam, where he helped develop women’s grassroots football.
“I am looking to develop our women players so that they can compete at the regional and international level, and I also hope to be able to grow the number of women coaches,” said Ng, who played for Sembawang Rangers, Tiong Bahru United and Gombak United.
“There will be two pyramids that have to be concurrently developed, one of which is for elite players and the other for amateur players, so that we can build on the pool of players we have in the women’s football scene.”
His first assignments will be the AFF (Asean Football Federation) Women’s Championship scheduled for August or September and the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Women’s Asian Cup 2022 qualifiers Round 1 in September.
Said the Football Association of Singapore technical director Joseph Palatsides: “I am looking forward to seeing what Stephen will offer in terms of his coaching acumen, which I believe will tie in with our overarching football philosophy.
“Our decision to include an ex-international in the FAS coaching set-up is also part of our plan to further develop capability, an important stepping stone in the development of local football, in both the men’s and women’s games.”
This article first appeared in The Straits Times.
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