The Crew is the fan club of the reigning Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions, Lion City Sailors (LCS).
The fan club was officially formed in 2020 after LCS was privatised. When the S-League was formed in 1996, the club was known as Police Football Club before changing its name to Home United a year later, as the club didn’t just represent the Singapore Police Force, but also other departments in Singapore’s Home Affairs Ministry.
The Crew’s existence, however, can be traced back to when the club was known as Home United. Six members of the Home United Supporters’ Club remain as members of The Crew today.
Eddy Hirono, who is one of the six, explained that the Home United Supporters’ Club wasn’t big as they had trouble getting fans down to the stadium.
He attributed the rise in the number of fans today to the improved matchday experience.
They do have a handful of chants, but like the rest of the SPL fan clubs that we spoke to, most of the chants are inspired by overseas fan clubs and adapted to suit LCS and their players.
The chant that most fans in the stadium respond to is ‘Ole Allez Allez’, taken from Liverpool’s fans’ song, “Allez, Allez, Allez”.
However, during The Crew’s league matches in the Fan Club Futsal League, like their counterpart, Ultras Eagles, they prefer to conserve their energy when they are off the field.
Hougang United is considered one of LCS’ rivals in the SPL, and that is related to the noise and banter its fans – the Hougang Hools – make when they win.
The other team that is considered a rival is LCS’ closest challenger to the league title, Albirex Niigata Singapore FC. LCS has not beaten Albirex Niigata in a league match, yet.
Eddy felt clubs playing in the SPL should follow LCS’ lead and put more thought into enhancing the matchday experience. This, he said, will improve fan participation and engagement.
The Crew met up with LCS’s marketing director Ravi Maan, and LCS’ creative director Kevin Lester. Eddy recalled the chat, saying that sometimes, it’s the ‘small’ things that keep fans away. They include dirty toilets and lack of signages.
It is not so much of the ‘big things’, like pyrotechnics or inviting pop singers for half-time shows – which is something LCS does – but that’s because they have the resources to do so.
As such, other clubs should focus on things that are within their budget.
Eddy added that the league organiser should also lend a helping hand, giving the example of the poor view from Toa Payoh Stadium.
He said for such stadiums, the league organiser should think outside of the box and perhaps have a standing section on the running track behind the goalposts.
He understands the possible safety concerns that may arise with such a suggestion but added this was just an example of how the league can improve the fan experience.
The Crew is also the only SPL fan club that has its own podcast show, called SailorFanTalk, and the idea came from Eddy. He runs the podcast with two other fans, Ethan Tan, and Joseph Jireh, who are also part of The Crew.
He felt that it would be good to create more content on local football. Eddy said there are stories to be told and people to be heard, so why not hear them, and give the fans a voice?
The trio had wanted to do quick content, like post-match reactions and memes after a game, but would also like to do more long-form content, like sitting with a youth coach or women players to create more awareness about the many different aspects of the LCS family.
He hopes that the three of them will be a little less busy soon and be able to create more content for the Sailors’ fans. He has a simple mantra – if even 10 Sailors’ fans appreciate the content they put out, they will continue putting it out there.
Finally, he admits that LCS has a reputation as a team people love to hate and attributes it to their winning streaks. He hopes that reputation continues for a long time to come.
Eddy sensed that deep down inside, the rival fans know what LCS is doing is good for Singapore football but being rivals, they will not admit it publicly.
This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Twentytwo13.
