RI Soccer (post 40 years)

After 40 long years, the RI soccer team of 1978 met once again on May 9th evening at Kalidass J's place in Yio Chu Kang to commemorate the 40th year of the 'A' Division triumph on May 10th 1978, National Stadium.
It was so heartening to see 16 out of 20 of the 'boys' turned up for this gathering. Some travelled back from overseas to be present. Some of the 'boys' are grandfathers by now. Many of them are still playing recreational soccer together. For the other three who were not able to be present, we wished you were there!!

Mr Alfred Chen, the soccer master who was with the boys since lower secondary was also present!
What an evening!!

Auspicium Melioris Aevi

Insert: The original 1978 lineup at National Stadium vs 2018 lineup

Some with less hair but most of the lads did not change much

Jose, Eng Teng and goal scorer Clifton 

Captain Auyeong Pak Kuan back from Austria

Good Company over food and drinks

The beloved steps we used to sit at Grange Road @2011

The classroom block overlooking the field where home matches for soccer and rugby were played.

Glorious view of RI field from the grandstand

Auyeong receiving Ortega Cup @ 2004

Old Rafflesian soccer mates are still playing together, after 40 years

Auspicium Melioris Aevi

update 2 years late...........

on 8th June 2022, the '78 squad had another gathering, after the Covid-19 episode in Singapore. This time, the venue: Chjimes

10 of the squad members attended, some with spouse

Diaries from the Past - RI Soccer 1978

It is nearly 40 years now!!!!! Looking back at my past diaries which documented events happening day to day, I decided to relive the days, as soccer master, when the game was revived, though for a short period in Raffles Institution ie 1978 to 1982. The journeys with the boys were largely fulfilling as their commitment and perseverance while wearing that Gryphon jersey were always evident, win or lose. This Rafflesian Spirit was never lost during training or competition and was strongly imbued into the players through the coaches who were old boys of the school eg Azlan, the late Suhaimi, Au-yeong, Ling Beng Huat, etc
In RI, Rugby was the King of sports. The moment the boys stepped into the school, they have been identified and then drafted into the rugby team. Their coaches would go around the classes choosing the 'right size' boys to be trained for the school team, Other sports would have to make do with those boys who were not chosen. This was one great downer as a RI soccer master (1978 - 1986) as the game could also lose the boys to rugby completely from Sec 2 onwards especially those with kicking and running abilities.

1978 
was considered a red letter year for RI soccer after 6 long barren years. As the competition progresses, the school realised that we have a winnable team, anchored by striker Au-yeong Pak Kuan, who later captained the National team.

In March, the assembled team played a couple of friendlies.

6 March  RI vs SC (National Service)     1-0
10 March  RI vs Bukit Merah V I            1-3

During the March holidays a 3-day (15 to 17 March) soccer camp was organised to select the final team players. Besides the normal soccer drills and tactics, the boys included a bare-foot morning run at East Coast Park.

The official tournament started after the school term 1 holidays.

27 March    vs Temasek J C         2-0
3 April        vs Bukit Merah VI      1-0
5 April        vs Boys Town VI        0-0
7 April        vs St Patrick              1-0
10 April      vs Bartley                  7-0
19 April      vs Singapore VI        1-1
24 April      vs Outram Sec          1-0

Qualified for the semi-finals (see Straits Times report 25 April 1978 below)

26 April     vs Geylang Serai VI  3-0 (Straits Times Report below)

4 May  Semi-final  vs Boys Town VI  2-0 (Au yeong scored two goals)

10 May 1978 (Wednesday) Soccer final at the National Stadium

Straits Times Report 11 May 1978

The U14 and U16 teams did not perform quite as well. The latter qualified for the second round,

U14 results

15 Feb     vs Monk's Hill      3-3

17 Feb     vs Thomson Sec  0-1

20 Feb     vs Rangoon Sec  0-1

U16 Results

13 Feb     vs Catholic High   2-1

15 Feb     vs Beatty Sec       4-0

22 Feb     vs East Payoh      1-1

24 Feb     vs Rangoon Sec   0-1  

Qualified for 2nd Round

23 Mar    vs UST                 2-3

28 Mar    vs Siglap              0-2

Raffles Institution Soccer 1978

As I start my 31st year in the teaching profession, I cannot help but reminiscent on the past events in the schools that I have taught in.

The first day of my teaching career was on 3rd Jan 1978 when I reported to Raffles Institution at Grange Road, after completing my NS in June 1977. The school had its PreU classes then. The first ECA I was assigned to was soccer. Mr Puhendran, the sports head then, told me that I would be working with Mr Alfred Chen, a stout guy who was with RI since the Bras Brasah days.

The first year was a wonderful year. I did not know what to expect. I was told to be with the boys while they were training and these trainings were very regular and long. The Pre U boys were captained and trained by Auyeong Pak Kuan who was already playing for the Singapore youth team. I remembered the holiday camp in school. Every detail was taken care by the boys. As teacher, we just followed and encouraged them along the way. Besides the training in school, they also went for runs at East Coast Park.

The single mindedness that they went about the training and spirit of the team shone through during the year's tournament. Everyone wanted to play and it was unavoidable that someone had to be on the bench.

That season, the boys won the national title. On the day of the final, I remembered that some teachers were giving odds on us winning big. The boys did not disappoint when they trashed Geylang Serai VI 5-1 at the National Stadium.

To this day, some of the boys still meet together regularly to play the game. Annually, for the past four years, the Ortega Cup series against SJI was also revived.

Newspaper report on the Final 10 May 1978

Straits Times Report 11th May 1978
The RI team : Ong Wee Chye (Goalkeeper); Fred martins, Kalidas Karuppiah (Azlan Shahrir), Emran Yusof, Chang Yeh Hong, Au-yeong Pak Kuan (Captain), Marc Tan Eng Teng, Tan Kin Keong, Yuan Chee Onn, Hayer Annuar, Clifton Foo
Beat Geylang Serai VI by 5-1 (Scorers : Clifton Foo (45th) Au-yeong (46th, 50th & 55th), Emran Yusoff (63rd)

Most memorable moment at National Stadium

10th May 1978, nearly 30 years ago, that was the most memorable moment that Raffles Institution’s soccer team had ever experienced. It was lean 6 years for RI in the soccer arena until 1978 when its post secondary team reach the pinnacle of school soccer by beating Geylang Serai Vocational Institute 5-1 and this was one of the few finals that was played at the vast National Stadium. Of course, after that, captain Au-yeong Pak Kuan (standing 3rd from right) continued to grace the National Stadium pitch as he captained the National team as an outstanding defender. Emran Yusoff (standing 6th from right) had some successes in playing for clubs. Fred Martins (standing 8th from right) represented Singapore in hockey and cricket. Marc Tan (back standing 2nd from left) turned out to a successful Horse racing tipster for New Paper.

The atmosphere at the National Stadium was undescribably surreal. Busloads of RI pupils turned up and their white (with many green skirts as there were Pre U girls) filled the stadium with their lusty RI cheers (they still exists today) which rose to its peak when RI scored the first goal at the start of the second half and then crescendoed up when the team received the Rodrigues Trophy (what happened to it?). The team then was very confident as they have beaten GSVI in the preliminary rounds and have had gone through a week’s in-camp intensive training during the March holidays. I was very fortunate enough to be there, on the team’s bench as a rookie assistant teacher in charge of RI soccer. To this day, when the players meet annually for the revived Ortega Cup against SJI, this final is one which all of them cannot forget. Of course, for me, it was a once in a lifetime experience and I have to thank the boys for making it happened.