The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) will mark the close of the 2025/26 domestic season with the Singapore Premier League (SPL) Awards Night, taking place on Friday, 22 May 2026 at the Raffles City Convention Centre.
Bringing together players, coaches, club officials, referees, media, and partners, the evening is one of the most anticipated nights on the local football calendar — a celebration of excellence both on and off the pitch.
Now in its second edition following the European football calendar, the 2025/26 season also saw the debut of SPL2, a second-tier competition designed to give young local players vital game time and a clear pathway into first-team football. Across 14 award categories, the night will honour the standout performers from the 30th edition of the SPL.
Among the headline nominees for the DONGFENG SPL Player of the Year award is Japanese striker Hide Higashikawa, whose debut season with BG Tampines Rovers exceeded all expectations. The Japanese joined the Stags in June 2025 on loan from J3 League side Tochigi City FC and wasted no time making his mark — coming off the bench in the Community Shield to score in stoppage time and seal a 4-1 win over Lion City Sailors, the club’s first silverware in five years.
He went on to finish as BG Tampines’ top scorer with 19 goals for the SPL. On the continental stage, the Stags put in a commendable showing in the AFC Champions League Two (ACL2), advancing to the quarter-finals — with Higashikawa netting a stunning strike just 15 seconds into the match against Korean side Pohang Steelers. He also bagged a hat-trick against Thai side BG Pathum United in the ASEAN Club Championship, though BG Tampines exited at the group stage.
Joining him on the shortlist is BG Tampines teammate Shah Shahiran, the 26-year-old Singaporean midfielder who was a consistent presence at the heart of the Stags’ midfield throughout the campaign, contributing five goals in 21 SPL appearances.
Also in contention is Lion City Sailors playmaker Bart Ramselaar, who delivered a commanding title-winning campaign with eight goals and 10 assists in 18 SPL appearances, helping drive the Sailors to back-to-back league titles and a 19-match unbeaten run before falling to Albirex in their penultimate game of the season.
The POLAR Mineral Water Coach of the Year award recognises those who have made an exceptional contribution to their team’s performances and results relative to available resources — rewarding management skill, consistency, and stability, both on and off the pitch. Nominees must also have been in charge for a minimum of 75 percent of matches (i.e. minimum of 16 matches) across the season.
This year’s contenders reflect that spirit. Balestier Khalsa’s Marko Kraljevic guided the Tigers to a fourth-place finish in his fourth spell at the club, overseeing a significant squad rebuild ahead of the season. Albirex’s Keiji Shigetomi steered the White Swans to a remarkable turnaround — bringing them to third place after their sixth-place finish the previous season. Completing the trio is Geylang International’s Noor Ali, who guided the Eagles to a fifth-place finish.
The Young Player of the Year category features familiar talent and fresh faces. Last year’s nominee Shingo Nakano returns after another prolific season for Albirex, finishing as this season’s SPL Golden Boot winner with 20 goals to his name. He is joined on the shortlist by Albirex teammate Cho Eunsu and Hougang United’s Farhan Zulkifli, one of Singapore football’s brightest local talents who has continued to make his mark for the Cheetahs this season.
In goal, this season’s SPL Golden Glove award will go to Lion City Sailors’ Ivan Susak who kept 10 clean sheets across the campaign.
The Awards Night will also spotlight the work of match officials. Last year’s SELECT Assistant Referee of the Year, Andy Tan Mint Land, has been nominated once again, joined by Ashokraj Jeevaraja and Syafiq Juffri. In the SELECT Referee of the Year category, Ahmad A’Qashah returns as a nominee, alongside Syarqawi Buhari and Mazlan Pagira.
The evening also celebrates the wider football ecosystem, with the SELECT Goal of the Year, Singapore Pools Fair Play Award, SPL Team of the Year, SPL2 Golden Boot and Fair Play Award, and the Story and Photo of the Year rounding out the night’s accolades.
The inaugural SPL2 season also produced a worthy champion in Albirex, whose second-tier side — led by Jaswinder Singh — dominated the eight-team competition from the outset. The White Swans won 14 of their 21 matches, scored 50 goals, and conceded a league-low 23 to finish three points clear of Young Lions and claim the title with a game to spare. BG Tampines Rovers’ Tara Ndao topped the SPL2 scoring charts with 13 goals, earning him the competition’s inaugural Golden Boot.
Nominees and winners across the main categories were determined by a judging panel comprising the head coaches and captains of all eight SPL clubs as well as members of the media and the broadcast commentary team. The Story and Photo of the Year were evaluated separately by a panel of public relations professionals, academics, media practitioners, and experienced photographers.
List of main award nominees and recipients for SPL Awards Night 2025/26:
| Singapore Premier League (SPL) | |||||
| Award | Nominee | Club/Organisation | |||
| DONGFENG Player of the Year | Shah Shahiran | BG Tampines Rovers | |||
| Hide Higashikawa | BG Tampines Rovers | ||||
| Bart Ramselaar | Lion City Sailors | ||||
| Young Player of the Year | Farhan Zulkifli | Hougang United | |||
| Cho Eunsu | Albirex Niigata (S) | ||||
| Shingo Nakano | Albirex Niigata (S) | ||||
| POLAR Mineral Water Coach of the Year | Marko Kraljevic | Balestier Khalsa | |||
| Keiji Shigetomi | Albirex Niigata (S) | ||||
| Mohd Noor Ali | Geylang International | ||||
| SELECT Goal of the Year | Elijah Lim (vs Young Lions, 21 September 2025) | Balestier Khalsa | |||
| Shingo Nakano (vs Hougang United, 17 October 2025) | Albirex Niigata (S) | ||||
| Bruno Dybal (vs Geylang International, 18 October 2025) | Tanjong Pagar United | ||||
| Lucas Agueiro (vs Lion City Sailors, 18 October 2025) | Young Lions | ||||
| Daniel Goh (vs Tanjong Pagar United, 24 October 2025) | Balestier Khalsa | ||||
| Cho Eunsu (vs Tanjong Pagar United, 17 January 2026) | Albirex Niigata (S) | ||||
| Tsiy Ndenge (vs Geylang International, 18 January 2026 | Lion City Sailors | ||||
| Shingo Nakano (vs Balestier Khalsa, 25 January 2026) | Albirex Niigata (S) | ||||
| Zenivio Mota (vs Young Lions, 26 January 2026) | Tanjong Pagar United | ||||
| Jaushua Sotirio (vs Albirex Niigata (S), 9 February 2026) | Hougang United | ||||
| Shodai Yokoyama (vs Albirex Niigata (S), 15 March 2026) | Geylang International | ||||
| Huzaifah Aziz (vs Lion City Sailors, 12 April 2026) | Hougang United | ||||
| Yuki Kobayashi (vs Balestier Khalsa, 17 April 2026) | BG Tampines Rovers | ||||
| Sergio Mendonca (vs BG Tampines Rovers, 24 April 2026) | Young Lions | ||||
| SPL Golden Boot | Shingo Nakano | Albirex Niigata (S) | |||
| SPL Golden Glove | Ivan Susak | Lion City Sailors | |||
| SINGAPORE POOLS SPL Fairplay Award | BG Tampines Rovers | ||||
| SPL Team of the Year | To be announced at Awards Night | ||||
| Singapore Premier League 2 (SPL2) | |||||
| SPL2 Golden Boot | Tara Ndao | BG Tampines Rovers | |||
| SPL2 Fairplay Award | Lion City Sailors | ||||
| Referee Awards | |||||
| SELECT Referee of the Year | Ahmad A’Qashah Bin Ahmad AL’Badowe | ||||
| Mazlan Bin Pagira | |||||
| Muhammad Syarqawi Bin Buhari | |||||
| SELECT Assistant Referee of the Year | Ashokraj S/O Jeevaraja | ||||
| Muhammad Syafiq Bin Juffri | |||||
| Andy Tan Mint Land | |||||
| Media Awards | |||||
| Story of the Year | “With Godzilla on his kit, Hassan looks to do his bit” | David Lee (The Straits Times) | |||
| “From loss to legacy: the making of Magic Max” | Kenneth Tan (Lion City Sailors) | ||||
| “Silver lining to gold mining?” | Deepanraj Ganesan (The Straits Times) | ||||
| Photo of the Year | “Debut, Decider, Delirium” | Clement Choo (Grandstand) | |||
| “Sailors get leg up in championship fight” | Lim Yaohui (The Straits Times) | ||||
| “Flying without wing, Nakano’s dream season continues” | Syafik Iskandar (for Singapore Premier League) | ||||
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