EMBRACING A PACKED YEAR

Faris ready for most demanding term as AFF C’ship, more club matches loom

- Deepanraj Ganesan

Into his 15th year as a professional footballer, Faris Ramli is under no illusion that this will be his most physically demanding season yet.

The BG Tampines Rovers winger will compete in up to four tournaments for club and country, including the year-end Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship, and is set to play at least 50 games in the 2024-25 season, compared to 37 in 2023.

The 32-year-old has also urged fellow Lions with a similar schedule to use this opportunity to demonstrate their "true colours and character".

The Singapore Premier League (SPL) season, which started in May, will end a year later with each team playing 32 matches.

An extra round of eight matches was added only for this term as the competition tweaks its schedule to sync with the Asian calendar.

The Singapore Cup will begin in January 2025, with the final taking place four months later.

Tampines and Lion City Sailors are also taking part in the Asian Champions League 2, with group matches running from September to December.