FAS! What about the HEART of our players?

Last week, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) launched their most ambitious strategic plan yet, with the goal of propelling Singapore Football to greater peak performance in sports. The plan listed 6 keys goals and 9 key areas to work on to reach their target. In short, there is now a new football syllabus to develop skills and tactics of our footballers, more money for a new National Training Centre for football and better medical science to support the development of players, and a drive to promote greater participation and competition in Singapore. There is nothing wrong with all those areas we will be focusing on, but have we gotten to the root of the real problem? Have we not thrown money and set ambitious targets before? You, mean all this while, our footballers are not competent in their skills and tactics? No wonder, we have been lackluster in our performances all these years. No wonder our footballers are not reaching their peak performances in sports. Amidst all these physical goodies to support and motivate our players, perhaps it is wiser to invest in something that we have more or less forgotten.

This reminded me of the sports comedy “Replacements” many years back starring Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman and bunch of other colorful nobodies. The gist of the film revolves around a strike by professional football players (American Football that is) demanding, what else? Higher pay of course. That sparked the owners of the various clubs to continue with their season by using ‘replacement’ players to fill the gaps left by the superstars who were only playing for money.
In come, coach Jimmy McGinty (Hackman) as the coach of the Washington Sentinels, who immediately went about finding replacements the unorthodox way. He got a prisoner and SWAP team police officer to ankle the defense, hired two bouncers to be the Guards of the quarter back, recruited a Welshman to do the field goal kicking, a mute player to be the Tight End, a Sumo wrestler to be the blocker, plus a speedster who could not catch to be a wide receiver. To top up the whole show boat, he persuaded an ex-college football star, Shane Falco (Reeves) with low self esteem to lead the team as the quarter back. As you might have expected, this circus was on a fun and wild ride. But strangely, when money matters least, the team started to gel and play well together. They had nothing to lose at this second chance, so they played hard. When some of pros did come back and replaced the replacements, there was not real fight in them. All they did was upset a highly motivated lot. At half-time of a playoff game with the team down by almost 20 points, a reporter went up to ask coach McGinty, “What do you think is needed to turn this team around?” In response, McGinty said, “Heart!” And pointing to is heart said again, “Miles and miles of heart!”

Singapore Football does not need more money (well it sure help to have money) or football syllabus which players should already know or more exposure to games and competitions. What they need is miles and miles of heart. Playing with a true heart defines a great player. No team or player has succeeded for peak performance in sports without miles and miles of heart. Having miles and miles of heart, gives players the intrinsic motivation to train harder, learn more skills and tactics, play harder, and above all, fight for the right cause. If we are serious to improve our football and bring our national football to international repute, we should spend the effort to find players with miles and miles of heart.