Community outreach through hockey – the inaugural Youth Hockey Challenge allowed secondary school students to learn about crime prevention and celebrate the sporting spirit. One school was crowned the champion… but which?
By: Domnic Dass
Northland Secondary School with a shot! PHOTO: Roger Yue III
On 2 February 2023, the Police Sports Association (PSA) Hockey Team launched the “Youth Hockey Challenge 2023”, where invited secondary schools took part in a tournament held at Sengkang Hockey Stadium. Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police (DAC) Masagoes Idris Masagoes Hussain, Commander Public Transport Security Command (TransCom), PSA Hockey Champion, graced the event as the guest of honour (GOH).
The “Youth Hockey challenge” invited eight secondary schools for the weekday competition but saw about 50 students from three schools participate: Saint (St) Andrew’s Secondary School, St Hilda’s Secondary School, and Northland Secondary School. The competition saw five teams contesting for the top prize, also using it as a platform as they are preparing for their upcoming Ministry of Education National School Games.
A household name in Singapore’s hockey fraternity, the PSA Hockey Team saw school affiliations built again after the COVID-19 pandemic to attract talent and promote Singapore Police Force’s (SPF) image as a choice employer.
Swing through to check out some photos from the tournament!
Engagement booths from Sengkang Neigbourhood Police Centre (NPC) and Central Narcotics Bureau were set up before the tournament to help students learn more about crime prevention, scams and drugs. Station Inspector Ong Yao Seng, a Community Policing Unit officer (pictured above with a ScamShield placard) said “the engagement was beneficial as some students were able to learn about certain types of scams. What they learnt can be shared to their friends and families too.” PHOTOS: Roger Yue III
Members of the PSA Hockey Committee together with the Sengkang NPC’s CPU officers. PHOTO: Josh Ang
Senior Staff Sergeant Mohamad Farhan Bin Mohamad Suhaili, Deputy Officer in Charge for Tanglin Division’s Family Violence Team is also the assistant convenor for PSA Hockey. As an ex-Singapore National Hockey Team player who took part in Asian Games 2010 in Guangzhou, he was clearly commanding attention when briefing on the rules and tournament format. PHOTO: Roger Yue III
Before the tournament kicked off, coaches were seen busy working out tactics during their warm-up sessions on the field. PHOTO: Roger Yue III
Northland Secondary School (in grey and maroon tops) started off the tournament with one of the first matches against St Andrew’s Secondary School (in blue and white stripes) PHOTO: Roger Yue III
St Andrew’s Hockey Team were clearly a cut above the rest, leading the preliminary stages with the most number of goals. PHOTO: Roger Yue III
The games were played for almost two hours on two different fields simultaneously. PHOTO: Roger Yue III
The tournament saw St Hilda’s and St Andrew’s meet in the finals. The “Saints Rivalry” was a fiercely contested match with both teams eventually ending with a draw. In a true final fashion, the teams proceeded to determine the winner through a penalty shootout. PHOTO: Roger Yue III
Armed with powerful shots and a tenacious spirit, St Hilda’s Secondary School was a force to be reckoned with throughout the Challenge. However, the final shootout in the penalties saw St Andrew’s Secondary School rise as the winner! PHOTO: Roger Yue III
St Andrew’s Secondary School, champions of our first Youth Hockey Challenge, with DAC Masagoes Idris Masagoes Hussain, Commander TransCom. PHOTO: Roger Yue III
Secondary three students Kyan Goh from St Andrew’s and Mohamed Shameer from St Hilda’s won the ‘Player of the Tournament’ and ‘Goalkeeper of the Tournament’ respectively. PHOTOS: Roger Yue III
Congratulations and well done to everyone who gave their best at the Youth Hockey Challenge! PHOTO: Josh Ang
“Our first Youth Hockey Challenge gave students a unique opportunity to compete with other teams before their national competitions. At the end of the day, we were also able to introduce elements of the SPF to the students and help them learn about what we stand for.” – DAC Masagoes Idris Masagoes Hussain, Commander TransCom
