Wings League Shift
The start of the new season threw up a first thunderbolt today, as Chicken Wings administrator Douglas Foo announced that Grilled's U-20 team would not be participating in the National Youth League for its thirtieth season. The Wings had been one of the founding members of the NYL, but Foo cited the increasing staleness of the competition as one of the reasons for the change in scenery.
The NYL has been short a team after Backyard Kids' withdrawal, though the remaining members read like a who's who list of old Jurong mainstays - Rob Rangers, newbies are newbies Jr and Dead Poets Society are the youth sides of Robbie Football Club, newbies are newbies and Heaven Skys respectively, with Kim Tae Hee FC's Jeon Ji Hyun FC rounding out the set of five.
With other notables like Team Remy83 Novices, ArseVikids and Freezer having being a part of the league, it must have held some nostalgia for Wings followers, and Foo insisted that the switch was not lightly taken. However, he added, it was for the overall betterment of the academy.
"While many of the Birds' hometown hits have come through the NYL, it is the opinion of the youth coaching staff that the kids could benefit from experiencing more diverse styles of play." Foo noted. "Moreover, this will also allow them to travel rather more than has been the case, and feedback from the community has indicated that such perks would widen the pool of talent we can attract."
It was left unsaid, but hinted at, that the contrasting fortunes of the Wings and the Farmer Bunnies' Rancher Rabbits - currently fourth in the Testköz Kupa - had contributed to this decision.
"It's startling at the gap in quality between the Rabbits and the Wings, all the more given as the Wings are by far the more established academy, and the Birds a much bigger club." well-known secondary school coach Mat Arif bin Zainuddin confided. "Rabbits are packed with promise at most positions, while as for the Wings... let's just say that there's a lot of hoping."
Foo admitted that the Wings had yet to make a solid commitment, having looked at, among others, the Kentucky-based U-18 World Club League, and the Swedish Master League. "We're negotiating with Die Liga der aussergewöhnlichen Manager on scheduling." Foo revealed. "But nothing's set in stone yet."
He moreover did not rule out the possibility of the Wings returning to the NYL in the future, if circumstances permitted. "There's nothing wrong with it, definitely. It'll always be one of our options."
