Firdaus Idros, 2007
Scoring a Victory!

Firdaus Idros is living his dream. In fact, he says that if he can continue playing soccer for a 100 years, he would gladly do so - instead of working 9-to-5 in an office daily.

An A&F graduate, Firdaus was selected to join the Young Lions at the beginning of 2006.  That was his first S-league contract, which meant that he would earn a stable salary for playing soccer full-time.  Of course, Firdaus was elated!  But Firdaus' foray into professional soccer did not happen by chance.  He was in the National Football Academy (NFA) at a young age, and has represented Singapore in many national youth tournaments since.  At the end of 2005, Firdaus played so well for the Under-21 team in a tournament in Sarawak that he was later invited by the coach then, Fandi Ahmad, to go for the trials to join the Young Lions.

"It's great to be playing soccer professionally.  Even though there are added pressures, I would say that I'm loving every minute of it.   I've also been to places like Thailand, Myanmar, Denmark, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia - it's because of football that I get to globe-trot. It's also a great feeling to represent Singapore."

Firdaus started off as a forward, but is currently a midfielder for the Young Lions. "As a midfielder, I must be very fit.  I must be able to run non-stop for the whole 90 minutes.  I must say that I am blessed that I love running - it makes me happy."

While he agrees that the Diploma in A&F is barely related to soccer (other than keeping score and calculating investments returns in player management perhaps), Firdaus says that the tutors and lecturers have built his character and that made him a better person.  And Firdaus' fondest memories in TP are those with his friends who had been extremely helpful in many aspects like getting notes for him during his overseas training.

"I would never forget how kind they were to me.  My tutors and lecturers were also very supportive, especially my course manager Ms Khoo.  I always knew that if I had a problem in my academic work or anything else, I can always seek help from Ms Khoo.  She had been a great confidante and motivator, and played an important role in my poly life and life in general."