History Beckons For Hariss And Sailors

Skipper hopes Bishan will see him scale pinnacle as ACL2 champ in front of family

- Deepanraj Ganesan

Bishan Stadium holds a special place in Hariss Harun's heart.

It was here, as a 10-year-old with the Home United youth team, that the Lion City Sailors skipper played in his first tournament.

More than two decades later, the midfielder, now 34, has the chance to scale the pinnacle of his career at the same venue.

On May 18, Hariss will lead the Sailors in their quest for the AFC Champions League Two (ACL2) title against the United Arab Emirates' Sharjah FC.

He said: "Bishan is the first stadium I played in as a boy. So even in my wildest dreams, I would not have thought that this is where I would be playing for a continental title one day.

"With especially how it looks ahead of the final, it is surreal."

With the Sailors' home stadium at Jalan Besar for six ACL2 games deemed unsuitable for the final and the 55,000-seater National Stadium unavailable due to a concert, significant works have been done at Bishan ahead of the final.

They include the installation of three new spectator stands to increase the capacity from around 3,000 to 10,000.