The S.League is the top professional football league in Singapore. Launched in 1996, the league currently involves 12 teams.
The first S.League season was held in 1996. Eight teams were involved that year and the competition was split into two series. In each series, all eight teams played each other home and away. The table-topping teams from each of the two series then met each other in a season-ending play-off match to determine the champions.

The format of two series and a season-ending play-off was replaced in 1997 by a more traditional league format. Since its first season, the S.League has grown to involve 12 teams. There is no promotion and relegation system. The clubs involved are chosen by the FAS, based on their past record and quality of management and organisation. In 2003, in an attempt to generate more excitement, penalty shoot-outs were held after all drawn games, with the winners taking 2 league points and the losers 1 point. This idea was dropped in 2004.

To help promote the development of top young players in Singapore, a team known as the Young Lions was introduced to the S.League in 2003, made-up largely of the members of the Singapore national under-23 team. The Young Lions team, which continues to be part of the S.League, is under the direct control of the FAS and its squad only includes players aged below 23. (Foreign players are normally only recruited into the Young Lions squad if they could potentially change their nationality to Singaporean, and thus become eligible to play international football for Singapore at some point in the future.)

Six non-Singaporean teams have been involved in the S.League:

Albirex Niigata FC (Singapore) (a satellite team of Albirex Niigata, a top-level professional club in Japan's J. League),
Dalian Shide FC (Singapore) (a satellite team of Dalian Shide, a top-level professional club in China's Super League),
Sinchi FC (a team made up of players from China),
Sporting Afrique FC (made up of players of African origin),
Liaoning Guangyuan FC (a satellite team of Liaoning FC, a top-level professional club in China's Super League), and
Super Reds FC (made up of players from South Korea).
Sinchi participated in the league for three years, before withdrawing after the 2005 season for financial reasons. Sporting Afrique participated in the 2006 season, but the club was embroiled in a number of off-field controversies and was not invited to participate again in 2007. Liaoning Guangyuan participated in the 2007 season, but the club was embroiled in a match-fixing controversy and was not invited to participate again in 2008. Albirex Niigata, Dalian Shide and Super Reds continue to be involved.


The S.League is the top professional football league in Singapore. Launched in 1996, the league currently involves 12 teams.

Prior to 1996, local football competitions were not the main attraction for football fans in Singapore. Since 1921, Singapore had been entering a representative side (nicknamed the "Lions") in the Malaysia Cup, and later also in the Malaysian League. Along with the state side from Selangor, Singapore was one of the two dominant forces in the Malaysian football scene for over 70 years. Thousands of fans packed stadiums home and away to watch the Lions team take on the best Malaysian sides.