Tuesday, January 14, 2014
THIS year’s Singapore League (S-League) will demand a higher level of fitness from the players as the league looks to raise the bar for its mandatory fitness test.
Two news sources in Singapore have reported that the league will be raising the passing mark for the 2.4km test that all players went through last season and will have to repeat this season.
“We are looking into ways in which the league can support the national (Singaporean) team, and one of the ways is by helping push up fitness levels,” S-League chief executive Lim Chin told Singapore’s The New Paper at the sidelines of the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) annual general meeting in September.
Kallangroar.com further suggested that all players will have to improve on the passing mark of 10:15 last season to 10 minutes this season.
The new 15-second improvement in standard was brought about as only five per cent of the total playing population clocked 10 minutes or more during tests conducted last year.
Meanwhile, the passing mark for goalkeepers will remain unchanged at 12 minutes.
Despite the new requirement, DPMM FC striker Shahrazen Said (pic) seemed unfazed by the changes.
“Yes we aware of the changes in the passing mark for the fitness test, but it should not be a problem for us as almost every one ran under 10 minutes during last year’s fitness test,” said Shahrazen in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.
“I am very supportive of the changes as I believe that it will help to increase the level of the competitiveness of the league.
“I am looking forward to it and I heard that the test will be held at the end of the month or early February,” added Shahrazen.
Known as the Cooper test, the assessment marks a move away from the much-criticised beep test which was used by the S-League in 2012.
A gauge of cardiovascular fitness, the multistage beep test requires the players to run between 20m spaced cones, with their speed increasing in accordance to increasing beeps.
The current test - which was created in 1968 by American Dr Ken Cooper - is meant to gauge the distance the participants can cover in 12 minutes, though the S-League wants players to shave two minutes off that time.
Though everyone passed last year’s Cooper test, eight players failed to make the grade in 2012 when the league still used the beep tests.
“In 2012 we had a beep test which was a little bit harder, so I think this 2.4km test should be fine for us,” said DPMM FC captain Rosmin Hj Kamis.
A total of 72 players in the league were rewarded cash prizes last year, and the incentive will remain as it is for the coming season.
Players who recorded eight minutes and a half and below will receive a $200 incentive, meanwhile, the players who managed between eight minutes to nine minutes will receive a $100 incentive.
Speaking to The Brunei Times after last year’s test, former DPMM FC coach Vjeran Simunic said that more players would have received the $100 bonus if they had known about it earlier.
“Everybody passed, there were no problems,” said Simunic last January.
“Helmi (midfielder Md Helmi Zambin) did it in less than nine minutes and he got $100.
“But many other players were close to Helmi's time. Shahrazen was three seconds off the mark and Najip (midfielder Md Najip Hj Tarif) was two seconds.
“If they knew about the reward, I'm sure half of them would have done it in less than nine minutes,” added the Croatian.
As in 2013, the format of the league in 2014 is expected to remain the same with teams playing each other for two rounds before dividing into a top six-tier and a bottom-six tier for half a round (six games).
The clubs in the bottom-six tier have no chance at winning the league – they best they can hope for is a top-six finish.
According to DPMM FC’s official website, the S-League season is slated to start on February 19, and though the fixture list has not been revealed, the club will need to make sure that all the players are ready for their pre-season matches.
DPMM FC have been invited to participate in the Saksee Phuket Cup tournament in Thailand from January 25 to 27, and they are also reportedly slated to host Malaysian FA Cup champions Kelantan FA on January 31 at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas.
Steve Kean, the former manager of Blackburn Rovers, will be leading the Sultanate’s only professional club this season following Simunic’s dismissal.
DPMM FC finished runners-up in 2012 in their best season in the S-League, winning the League Cup for a second time.
Their 2013 campaign was not as successful though, finishing eighth and falling to a 4-0 loss to Balestier Khalsa FC in the League Cup final in September.
The Brunei Times
Two news sources in Singapore have reported that the league will be raising the passing mark for the 2.4km test that all players went through last season and will have to repeat this season.
“We are looking into ways in which the league can support the national (Singaporean) team, and one of the ways is by helping push up fitness levels,” S-League chief executive Lim Chin told Singapore’s The New Paper at the sidelines of the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) annual general meeting in September.
Kallangroar.com further suggested that all players will have to improve on the passing mark of 10:15 last season to 10 minutes this season.
The new 15-second improvement in standard was brought about as only five per cent of the total playing population clocked 10 minutes or more during tests conducted last year.
Meanwhile, the passing mark for goalkeepers will remain unchanged at 12 minutes.
Despite the new requirement, DPMM FC striker Shahrazen Said (pic) seemed unfazed by the changes.
“Yes we aware of the changes in the passing mark for the fitness test, but it should not be a problem for us as almost every one ran under 10 minutes during last year’s fitness test,” said Shahrazen in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.
“I am very supportive of the changes as I believe that it will help to increase the level of the competitiveness of the league.
“I am looking forward to it and I heard that the test will be held at the end of the month or early February,” added Shahrazen.
Known as the Cooper test, the assessment marks a move away from the much-criticised beep test which was used by the S-League in 2012.
A gauge of cardiovascular fitness, the multistage beep test requires the players to run between 20m spaced cones, with their speed increasing in accordance to increasing beeps.
The current test - which was created in 1968 by American Dr Ken Cooper - is meant to gauge the distance the participants can cover in 12 minutes, though the S-League wants players to shave two minutes off that time.
Though everyone passed last year’s Cooper test, eight players failed to make the grade in 2012 when the league still used the beep tests.
“In 2012 we had a beep test which was a little bit harder, so I think this 2.4km test should be fine for us,” said DPMM FC captain Rosmin Hj Kamis.
A total of 72 players in the league were rewarded cash prizes last year, and the incentive will remain as it is for the coming season.
Players who recorded eight minutes and a half and below will receive a $200 incentive, meanwhile, the players who managed between eight minutes to nine minutes will receive a $100 incentive.
Speaking to The Brunei Times after last year’s test, former DPMM FC coach Vjeran Simunic said that more players would have received the $100 bonus if they had known about it earlier.
“Everybody passed, there were no problems,” said Simunic last January.
“Helmi (midfielder Md Helmi Zambin) did it in less than nine minutes and he got $100.
“But many other players were close to Helmi's time. Shahrazen was three seconds off the mark and Najip (midfielder Md Najip Hj Tarif) was two seconds.
“If they knew about the reward, I'm sure half of them would have done it in less than nine minutes,” added the Croatian.
As in 2013, the format of the league in 2014 is expected to remain the same with teams playing each other for two rounds before dividing into a top six-tier and a bottom-six tier for half a round (six games).
The clubs in the bottom-six tier have no chance at winning the league – they best they can hope for is a top-six finish.
According to DPMM FC’s official website, the S-League season is slated to start on February 19, and though the fixture list has not been revealed, the club will need to make sure that all the players are ready for their pre-season matches.
DPMM FC have been invited to participate in the Saksee Phuket Cup tournament in Thailand from January 25 to 27, and they are also reportedly slated to host Malaysian FA Cup champions Kelantan FA on January 31 at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas.
Steve Kean, the former manager of Blackburn Rovers, will be leading the Sultanate’s only professional club this season following Simunic’s dismissal.
DPMM FC finished runners-up in 2012 in their best season in the S-League, winning the League Cup for a second time.
Their 2013 campaign was not as successful though, finishing eighth and falling to a 4-0 loss to Balestier Khalsa FC in the League Cup final in September.
The Brunei Times
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