Red Sports – 10 years on

Old Red Crew – from a long time ago. (Photo by Stefanus Ian)

I started Red Sports in February 2007.

Then, one by one, they started showing up.

When we first met, some of them were just 17 years old.

A lump forms in my throat seeing them in my living room. I enjoy their animated chatter about relationships, work, and sports.

Done with formal schooling, some are now teachers, physiotherapists, broadcast journalists, video producers, photographers, photojournalists, public relations executives, and sports administrators.

Four have gotten married, and one will marry later this year. One couple has a child.

Even after they finished their Red Crew internships, we meet up every February if we can to celebrate another Red Sports anniversary.

I began a solo journey in 2007 to cover Singapore school sports. My father-in-law Dick Yip Kum Foo helped me out for the first six months.

Then an 18-year-old Lai Jun Wei, then at Innova Junior College, came up to me at CCAB and asked, “Are you uncle Les?” He joined me even though it was his A-Level year.

Then Jan Lin joined and brought a hoard of Republic Polytechnic students. And that’s how the Red Crew internship programme started.

Jan christened it “REDaction!”

Since then, over 130 young adults in their late teens and early 20s have come through my front door.

We have watched countless school games together at airless sports halls; sat under the scorching sun to cover rugby and football; waited hours for the lightning alert to go off at track and field; covered cross-country in the pouring rain at Bedok Reservoir.

We will never forget the screaming and cheering of school supporters, the celebration of winners and the tears of the defeated, the eager interviews of winning captains, the mournful reluctance of losing ones.

And we have done all this together because we love our teammates, our juniors, our sports, and our schools.

Singapore sports, especially school sports, is worth our attention. Why? Because every student-athlete is someone’s brother or sister, son or daughter, nephew or niece, grandson or granddaughter.

Pulling on a school or national jersey is a privilege. It is an honour everyone remembers for life.

We started Red Sports to remember who we are, and where we have come from.

Red Sports. Always Game.

Leslie Tan
Founder
Red Sports

Chan Hui Mui joined Red Crew after her A Levels at Jurong Junior College. She then went on to study at Nanyang Polytechnic and finished her physiotheraphy degree at the University of South Australia. She now works at the National University Hospital as a physiotherapist.

Colin Tung joined Red Crew after he finished his National Service. His yearly regret is that we never started Red Sports when he was still running for Anglo-Chinese Junior College. He now works as a public relations executive.

Erwin Wong. We call him “Statsman”. If it is measured in centimetres, grams, or seconds, he remembers everything. And we mean EVERYTHING.

Kenneth Tan joined Red Crew during his days at Republic Polytechnic. He now works in the car industry.

Koh Yizhe joined Red Crew when he was 17 and in his first year at Republic Polytechnic. He now works in sports marketing and public relations.

Nicholina Chua discovered Red Sports when she was already working in the advertising industry. She is the silent sub-editor, cleaning up after us online.

Noor Farhan joined Red Crew while studying at the Singapore Institute of Management. He now works as a reporter.

Rachel Yip joined us when she was studying at the National University of Singapore. She now works for the country. (That’s all we can say.)

Soh Rui Yong joined us after his A Levels at Raffles Junior College. He now works in sports administration where he spends his time setting his colleagues and other sports industry executives on fire with his erm … passion for sports. On top of all that fire-starting, he is also training for the 2017 SEA Games to defend his marathon gold.

Stefanus Ian joined Red Crew after finishing his National Service. He went on to study at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communications at the Nanyang Technological University, and now works as a multimedia journalist in his own company.

Tan Jon Han joined Red Crew in his final year of studies at the Nanyang Technological University and now works for the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

Vanessa Lim joined Red Crew when she was in Republic Polytechnic and now works in the medical industry.

Yvonne Yap joined Red Crew when she was in Nanyang Polytechnic and now works as a physiotherapist at the National University Hospital.

Chan Hua Zheng joined Red Crew after finishing his A Levels at River Valley High. He is now serving his National Service.

Thamim joined Red Crew after her A Levels at Raffles Institution. She is now studying at the Nanyang Technological University.

Tamara Lie joined Red Crew after her A Levels at Raffles Institution. She is now studying at the Singapore Institute of Management.

Becki Abbott joined Red Crew after her A Levels at St. Andrew’s Junior College. She signed on with the Republic of Singapore Air Force and is now studying at the Singapore University of Technology and Design.