This
year, Football With A Heart (FWAH) was held in
conjunction with Concert With A Heart (CWAH) at Our Tampines Hub;
Singapore’s first-ever integrated community and lifestyle hub. 40 corporate
teams participated in the football tournament that kicked off bright and early
at 9am on Saturday morning, 5th May 2018. With the
joyous atmosphere, players stretched their muscles to prep themselves for the
play. Fortunately, the weather was on our side and the various corporate teams
fought it out on 6 different pitches to determine who would emerge victorious!
All in the name of charity!
After over three hours of
fun under the sun, we were down to Team PSA and Team Deloitte! It was an
intense and evenly matched final as both teams fought hard in hopes
of clinching victory. At the end of 8 minutes, both teams still held
their own. A backheel penalty shootout resulted in Team PSA being crowned the
champions of FWAH 2018.
Regardless of the outcome, Team
Deloitte shared that they had a very enjoyable experience. Although Team
Deloitte came in 2nd, they put forth their best foot and
enjoyed playing for a greater cause in support of the various beneficiaries.
Players from Team Deloitte have been playing in various football tournaments
together for a couple of years now and FWAH has become an annual opportunity
for them to provide new team members with exposure.
The champions, Team
PSA, shared that they last participated in FWAH 2 years ago.
They were initially apprehensive as Our Tampines Hub
was an unfamiliar venue and they were entering the
tournament without much prior practice together. However, having a female player in
the team gave them an added advantage as rules permitted for a one goal
handicap. Team PSA is highly supportive of including females in male-dominant
sports and applauds FWAH for having such an inclusive component in the
tournament.
The Festive Plaza at Our
Tampines Hub saw audience of all ages enthusiastically awaiting the first ever
Concert With A Heart. Joined by stars like Chen Wei Lian, Nathan Hartono, Jack
& Rai and other performing groups from the social service
sector like MINDS, Singapore Children's Society (Roundbox), Faith Music
Centre (Cactus Rose Band and VIB Band), Handicaps Welfare Association (One
Man Band), and Very Special Arts (James Chan, Raymond Lau and Daniel
Ng), the audience clapped and bobbed along to the music. President Halimah Yacob graced the event and received
a warm welcome from the crowd, along with a token of
appreciation presented to her by performers on stage.
Spectators on the floor were very
appreciative for being able to witness performances of the differently abled,
while artiste like Daniel Ng, thanked Singapore Pools for the opportunity to
perform in front of a live audience. Other positive comments and gratitude from
the rest of the performers were also relayed to Singapore Pools.
FWAH and CWAH 2018 was indeed
a heart-warming event filled with exciting football
action and energetic performances celebrating the talents of
differently-abled artists from all walks of life. Singapore Pools will continue to work towards spear heading events
that contribute to the benefit of the community.