Four years ago, Nurul’Ain Hairuddin wasn’t especially drawn to grassroots football.

“It felt like fate,” the 28-year-old senior executive recalled. “My former boss introduced me to grassroots football, which sparked  my interest in it.”

Following that initial introduction,  Ain was tasked with preparing FAS’s application for the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Grassroots Charter in 2022, which evaluates member associations on 20 criteria, including participation and the sustainability of grassroots programmes. Singapore entered the Charter at the Silver level in 2018, and achieved Gold membership four years later.

In July 2026, members of the AFC’s Grassroots Panel visited Singapore as part of the evaluation process, gaining a fuller picture of how the country’s national grassroots framework operates, and proceeded to renew the gold status.