PASSION

You remember what it feels like to put on the school jersey or the national colours. Whatever the sport, the feeling is the same: a sense of pride, purpose and pleasure. You aren’t just anybody, you are a school athlete, a national player. You walk a little taller, run a little faster and laugh a little louder.

You learn a lot more about yourself when you play. You realize how strong you are, or how weak. You learn how to play with sportsmanship, skill and style. You learn how to win with grace and lose with dignity.

You learn that while books will teach some things, sports can also teach you other important things – like discipline, commitment, perseverance. And sometimes you learn better through sports. You learn that even if you lose, you can pick yourself up and try again, for tomorrow there’s another race.

RELATIONSHIPS

You remember the friendships you find on the field, gymnasiums and sports halls, friendships forged in the pursuit of sweet victory and affirmed in the bitterness of defeat. The shared experiences of sporting life burrow themselves deep into our hearts.

Your teammates and friends keep you going even when you feel like quitting. They encourage you, they cheer you, they run with you.

MISSION OF RED SPORTS

Our mission is to bring the passionate, vibrant world of Singapore sports to light. Here, athletes and their friends can read about what’s going on in other games and sporting events, chat about their experiences and contribute their pictures and stories to the website. This will provide athletes with a home on the web that encourages their sporting culture.

WHO ARE WE?

My name is Leslie Tan and I am the creator of Red Sports. I was the Marketing Communications Manager for Nike Singapore (’02-’04), Brand Manager for Tiger (’98-’99), and was also a sports presenter on SportsCity, a sports channel set up by MediaCorp (’00-’02). I currently serve on the Sports and Adventure committee for the Singapore Youth Award and the MCYS Vision 2030 committee.

No team can depend on one person and so Red Sports has a strong first team with the inclusion of Robert Lancione and Dawn Yip.

Robert is an escapee from the IT industry. Currently, he makes his living from consulting and freelance photography. His strong technology background is ideally suited to handle the complexities of digital photography. His photos have appeared in advertisements, books, magazines, direct mail, and on websites. Clients include: adidas, AVIVA, BRAND’S, FHM, F&N, Guinness, GCA (Games Convention Asia), Hotspots After Dark, Microsoft (Xbox), Nike, Singapore Sports Council, and UOB.

Robert was born and raised in the USA. He came to Singapore in 1997 to fill a regional post for a large multi-national computer company.

Dawn was a civil servant for 12 years, working in a variety of management roles and government ministries. Her portfolios have included policy and planning, management development and long-range trend analysis. She now runs her own consulting practice focusing on strategy facilitation and development.

Dawn graduated from Harvard University with a BA (magna cum laude). She was a recipient of the President’s Scholarship and Overseas Merit Scholarship.

WHY DO I WANT TO SET UP THIS WEB SITE?

When I worked at Tiger Beer and Nike, I observed that millions of dollars are spent on overseas sports in sponsorship.

What about our sports, our schools, our youth?

I believe that sports in Singapore can do with more coverage. So much happens at the school and national level but we don’t get to see, hear or read about it enough. The general sporting public knows more about foreign sports than local sports.

I would like to do my part to change that with REDSPORTS.SG.

Will you help me with this project?

It is a daunting project, but we must try. If we fail, at least we tried something for the sake of our school, our athletes, our kids. The internet has given us the opportunity to do such a project. Before, without the millions for a printing press and a large distribution channel, we would not stand a chance. But today, with 9 out of 10 kids aged 10-15 years online, this project can have resonance with them.

Perhaps you and I are where we are in our lives for such a time as this. We need to seize the opportunity. With REDSPORTS.SG, we will strengthen our nation’s morale, culture and identity. We tell our fellow Singaporean athletes that they are important, that this is a special time in their lives and their sporting moments are captured for posterity.

Over time, many students have joined me on this journey. I am grateful for their help, their enthusiasm, their time, their talent. Together, we have put out thousands of stories about Singapore sports. Join us if you believe in our mission.

Red Sports. Always Game.

Les Tan

editor

N.B. Do you have more questions? No problem. You can check out our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Interested to volunteer at Red Sports? Go to our volunteer page: REDaction!