well.. singapore football will never make it BIG... the most and the best they can reach is maybe around Uzbekistan's level, and bare in mind that Uzbekistan is quite a 'not bad' team, but still, the standards are a little bit below those big guns in asia. eg, Japan, Korea, Aussie, Iran.
SG is arguably one of the smallest country in Asia or even the world, and nowadays parents are expecting a lot from their kids, and producing good results is the main thing. Even school works are getting more and more challenging these days. To most people/parents living in SG, (about 80%?) playing soccer professionally and spending most of their time training would be a 'foolishers' thing to do when they can use their time in doing more productive things. Seeing the national team losing again and again will only demotivate the viewers, who would be those teenagers and working adults. Their thinking will be.. "aiyaa, singapore~ cannot one la.. wait for 900 years maybe got slight chance" and thats the fact. Maybe you can try going to Orchard.. and ask, do u watch the S-LEAGUE and national fixtures? Do you really follow and support them? I'm sure 75% of them would say ''NO''. In addition, the standards of living is so high now, making $$ is more impt than anything.. it could be a matter of survival for some also. who cares about singapore soccer? You don't really see alot of company sponsoring them either, when everyone knows that the team is so not up to the standards and keep on losing to the others, except those SEA countries. It seems that they only can compete with SEA countries, and not anything more than that. By 2010 qualify for world cup? CANNOT. Asian cup? CANNOT. SEAgames? NO GOLD(Bronze, still not too bad) ASEAN cup? Once in a blue moon. Thats why, sg fans says that it is very important to nurture the younger generations.. but this quite a difficult task to complete.. Don't be surprise in 10-20 years down the road when nobody will really give a darm in sg football..
Current experience players like, Lionel, Duric, Indra, Alam Shah, Bennett those not bad ones will be retiring soon.. and it is when the young ones comes in. When they will be thinking/worrying about their higher education/jobs.. wondering if they can survive with just playing football in the country. It is very difficult to commit in full time soccer here in sg, becos, the salary is so little. Not like in europe, japan, korea where you can earn alot just playing soccer. But only fully committing in soccer, then you will be better... focusing in every single aspects of it.
so sg football standards..will either be the same in the next 100 years or worse... and there is a slight chance that they can be better..