FAS Announces Increase in S'pore Premier League Prize Money, Foreign Player Quota

New reserve league will also be introduced as part of moves to boost competitiveness

- Deepanraj Ganesan

The total prize money for the Singapore Premier League (SPL) will be more than doubled from $290,000 to $600,000, while clubs will be able to field up to seven foreigners per match – an increase from six – as part of a slew of changes aimed at enhancing the competitiveness and standard of the domestic league.

In a July 2 media statement announcing the changes, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) also said that the SPL will become an eight-team competition for the 2025-26 season following the departure of Brunei DPMM, while a new reserve league called SPL2 will be introduced.

In the new season, the league champions will receive $200,000 – up from the $150,000 that the Lion City Sailors pocketed for clinching the 2024-25 title. The second-placed team will earn $150,000 (up from $80,000), the third-placed team will receive $100,000 (up from $40,000), while the side who finish fourth will get $70,000 (up from $20,000).

Last season, prize money was given only to the top four sides. But teams in fifth and sixth will get $50,000 and $30,000 respectively next term as a performance incentive for mid-table finishes.

In another move to raise the SPL's competitiveness, clubs will be able to field up to seven foreign players on the pitch at any one time.

This is the highest number of imports in the domestic professional league since it was launched in 1996, and comes after the Malaysia Super League (MSL) had made a similar move.

In May, it was announced that MSL teams can register a maximum of 15 imports (up from 10) in their squad next season, with up to seven of them starting and two on the bench on match day, an increase of one in both categories.

In Indonesia's Liga 1, a maximum of eight foreigners may be registered, while only six may play at any one time.