Tanjong Pagar United (Singapore)

Tanjong Pagar United FC is a professional football club from Singapore who were formed in 1975 as Tiong Bahru Constituency Sports Club. The club won the National League in 1983 and 1987 following successive promotions up the leagues in 1978 and 1979.

The President’s Cup was added to the trophy cabinet in 1982 to their league accolades and once again in 1987 to complete the ‘double’. The Singapore Cup was lifted in 1994, prior to the advent of professional football on the island.

The club changed its name to Tiong Bahru United FC to compete in the new S League in 1996 as they moved into Queenstown Stadium, finishing fifth in the inaugural season, which was backed up by a runners-up league berth twelve months later.

Original club home, Queenstown Stadium

In 1998 the club took up the title of Tanjong Pagar United, again ending the season in second place, while the Singapore Cup was lifted following a 2-0 victory against Singapore Armed Forces under the leadership of Robert Alberts.

The Dutchman was succeeded shortly afterwards by Tohari Paijan whose first season in charge ended in a third place slot. The Jaguars finished second in 2000 before the side slid down the pecking order, with Moey Yoke Ham taking over as manager in 2003.

His second season in charge saw the team finish in last place in the S League as he was replaced by Karim Bencherifa. The club left the league to play second tier National League football, where they remained for several years.

Queenstown Stadium, when the Jaguars were in situ

 

The Jaguars regrouped and reclaimed their S League place for the 2011 campaign under manager Terry Pathmanathan. The team hardly set the league alight, finishing second from bottom for the first couple of seasons on their return.

The installment of French coach Patrick Vallée saw a marked improvement in 2013 as Tanjong finished sixth, also reaching the final of the Singapore Cup where they went down 4-1 to Home United. After finishing ninth in 2014 the club resigned from the league owing to financial issues.

After restructuring the club joined the rebranded Singapore Premier League in 2020 to replace Warriors, who also had financial issues of their own. United moved home grounds to Jurong East Stadium where they ended up in eighth place. Manager Hairi Su'ap was replaced midseason by Hasrin Jailani. 

Jurong East Stadium, home since 2020

A creditable fifth place ensued in 2021 as the pairing of Reo Nishiguchi and Luiz Júnior put away the goals. Sixth place and then eighth in 2023 followed, as striker Marin Mudražija led the team’s scoring chart.

Tanjong Pagar United FC will play in the Singapore Premier League in the 2024 season.

My visit

Wednesday 29th October 2014

My last S League venue on a heat sapping afternoon required alighting at Queenstown station on the SMRT system. I had been on that stretch of track the previous evening heading to Jurong East Stadium for the Albirex Niigata v DPMM game. 

The floodlights were turned on when I passed, quite possibly for local football or training, but I didn’t realise I’d be returning a few hours later.

The heat was a bit much for me. Fortunately, the clever Singapore planners provide plenty of sheltered walkways alongside the housing schemes. Just after five minutes after getting off the train I was walking inside Queenstown Stadium.

There was no disguising which club used the stadium, with lots of signage around the entrances and on club buildings. One advertised Tanjong Pagar’s evening game at Hougang United. That was where I was heading later, so it was good to see actual confirmation that it was on.  It turned out to be quite an impressive arena.

Like so many others the pitch was surrounded by an athletics track. The Main Stand had risen open terracing either side of it, with open seating on the far side and in temporary form on the curves behind the goals.

I left at hobbling pace back to the station as blisters were forming on my feet and toes, for a much-welcomed rest through the city centre to Bedok, which was the last venue of the afternoon.

Unfortunately owing to an IT disaster on my return to the UK, I lost most of my pictures from Singapore, so several images on this page have been downloaded from the internet.