Submitted by: Confaderal | 28th April 2024
Just earlier this week, Jalan Besar stadium played host to a fans vs Hougang players friendly match. It was a fun-filled day where our lads from the men's team, our ladies from the women's team, and the staffs/coaches put their skills on display. Each "team" had to play an 11-vs-11 match in a 30 minute game duration. All teams showed their semangat in this banter-full affair!
In a show of solidarity, family, and gratitude, the club joined forces with the Hools to organise this: Hougang Utd thank the fans In a fun-filled Event! Read on further to see what transpired on the day itself!
"In time of test, family is best." â Burmese Proverb.
Not too long ago, when this writer was an adolescent, winning was everything. I loved watching sports like football and baseball. And when my favorite team loses I'd go to school or work bringing the sadness of the loss with me. It was destructive.
Skip forward to modern day, and I find myself in a much healthier and happier head space. Why? because as it turns out, supporting my favorite sports teams now entails me just enjoying the ride and to be with like-minded individuals talking about things we're passionate about. It's not a chore. This is definitely the case with Hougang United for me.
People ask me: "Why do you support a local team? Let alone a team that has never won the local league?"
I got this to say: Winning and losing is a part of supporting our favorite team. What keeps me happy, enticed and motivated remain the people surrounding the team from the fans, to the staffs, and the players, we are all a family â siblings where we share, care, protect, get angry with, and ultimately forgive and make up. Itâs our duty to win n be the best version of ourselves everyday, but if we donât, we move on to the next game!
While in a corporate world, a "work-family" culture entails sacrificing hours after work, covering for absent colleagues, and never saying no, I find this Hougang family more positive, forgiving, fun, and not condescending â a proper place where I can let my hair down after a taxing day with the "work-family".
So If I ever need to unwind, I know which family to look for(besides my real family!) And this is how I continue to support the team I support. I got enough to worry about at work, I don't need to bring that energy to watching my football.
And it seems everyone on the day of the friendly match brought with them this mentality.
We. Are. Family.
There were lots of laughs and bantering but not at the expense of fierce competition â t'was similar to a competition among siblings. Here are some funny eventful things that happened.
Jordan Vestering as goalkeeper
Zaiful as outfielder
Faris carrying Hazzuwan to head from a corner kick
Riyadh surprised everyone with his almost-farpost corner kicks
Players and fans telling the coaches to "play it simple"
The GM & coach Robert nutmegging the fans constantly to the cheers of the "crowd"
The ladies, like Sydney, Joey, Nabilah nutmegging the fans
The fans trying to nutmeg back
Coach Marko's volley
The ladies were encouraged to tackle Riyadh
Coach Starr's spectacular sliding tap-in (and an equally impressive save)
Hazzuwan being the referee for the women's and staff matches
Hazzuwan awarding a penalty without a reason
Fans crowding around the referee for VAR
About 8 fans standing on the goal line for the penalty awarded against them
Splashing of water and singing the Hougang cheers in a huddle
Fans sky-ing sitters!
Players giving some fans old jerseys
Speaking of giving away jerseys, If you were there at the final pre-season tournament match between Hougang and Tanjong Pagar, some of the hools gave out two bags of old BNIB hougang jerseys and lanyards to those who attended. Hope you guys enjoyed it! The old jerseys were given to us by the staffs. Do come for hougang matches and say hi to us at the front... you might not know what's in store for you!
So, back to the topic, for the hougang vs fans match, Here's the final score:
Hougang men's vs Hools 2-1
Hougang women's vs Hools 2-0
Hougang staffs vs Hools 1-2 đĽł
We thank the club for helping us co-organise this wonderful event and get-to-know session. Have a good rest and recharge! All the best for the current season(for the ladies), and the upcoming season(for the lads), and in your adventures(for the staffs).
Do catch our men's team in a pre-season mini tournament in Sabah's stadium Likas from 29 april till 5 may 2024. They are going up against Sabah FC, Kuching FC and KL City from the Malaysian Super League.
"What's special about our club is that, unlike others, we pride ourselves on clawing and earning our way to the top â from wooden spoonists to mid-table to the occasional darkhorse contenders. So we know what it's like to be from the bottom. We know what it's like to be in a losing position. That's why when our backs are against the wall and we're down by a few goals, that's also when we're most dangerous. That's when the fans sing the loudest, and the players play the hardest. Because that is when our opponents can experience our Hougang semangat(spirit). We may be down, but we're never out. If you want to win against us, you'd better earn it. Welcome to our world."
â Tune in to the "Upcoming" section of our homepage after the matchday to see the latest scores. Or follow our 'hougang_hools' instagram page or 'Hougang United FC Supporters Club' to see snippets or updates on latest scores. All images used are stocks or from the hougang united instagram page unless otherwise stated.
â If you like our content, whether you're a Hougang fan or a local football fan, do consider donating a small sum here(scroll to the bottom). Your contributions will help ease us with our yearly website & wix fees to keep the site running. The site attracts more fans and (hopefully) investors to see the value of our very own local club, Hougang. Thank you, my friends!
How do you want Hougang to engage you as a fan?
0%More football sessions like this!
0%Complimentary ticket giveaways!
0%Matchday experience, e.g. food trucks, mini-games etc.
0%More cheering from the Hougang contingent
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