Inaugural Epson Singapore Cup to Offer Youth Footballers an Opportunity to Learn from Prestigious Local and Overseas Teams

Singapore, 21 July
2016 –
Epson Singapore and Sinad Sports jointly announced the launch of the inaugural
Epson Singapore Cup 2016 today. To be held this September, the 7-a-side
nationwide tournament will see youth footballers under the ages of 15 (U15) and
17 (U17) compete in two categories. The champions will each win a
once-in-a-lifetime training stint at prestigious football organisations: the
Valencia CF Soccer School in Singapore and the Matsumoto Yamaga Football Club[1] in Japan.
Participating teams can also look forward to receiving professional guidance
from coaches and footballers, ahead and during the tournament.

The first edition of
the Epson Singapore Cup will take place at SAFRA Tampines, with preliminary
matches to be held on 3 & 4 September. The eight best teams per
category will then proceed to matches on 10 September, for the
quarter-finals, semi-finals and final matches.

Epson Singapore Cup is
the latest CSR initiative by the technology giant to extend its outreach
efforts in the local communities within which it operates. It also ties in
nicely with an important part of Epson’s CSR focus in Singapore and around the
region – which is youth development.  Other recent efforts include a
one-year sponsorship agreement with Geylang International Football Club since
February 2016 and an overseas training stint for local youth players (U14 and
U15) at Matsumoto Yamaga Football Club, Japan, in June 2016.

“Epson’s roots are in
sports because the first Epson printer was developed from a printing device we
created for the 1964 Olympics. Since then,  our brand is closely
associated with sports. Football is the world’s number one sport and it has
enabled us to reach out to both individuals and businesses, to the young and
old, to men and women who follow the game. It is also a sport that fosters
values like self-confidence, teamwork and positive thinking among its fans,
especially with youths. Youth development is an integral element of our CSR
focus in Singapore and around the region – and we believe that Epson Singapore
Cup represents our continuous commitment to inspire and empower our youths,”
said Mr Toshimitsu Tanaka, Managing Director of Epson’s regional office in
Singapore.

Epson Singapore and
Official Tournament Partner Sinad Sports shared details of the tournament
today. It is conceptualised as a youth cup that gathers the joint resources of
the local football community and Epson to help budding footballers challenge
themselves and hone their skills.

Participating teams
can look forward to valuable learning opportunities from coaches and their
football idols as part of the tournament:

·  On 3 & 4
September, prior to the start of the tournament, VCF Soccer Schools Technical
Director in Southeast Asia, Mr. Gonzalo Sanz, and the Head Coach for Geylang
International Football Club, Mr Hasrin Jailani, will meet with participating
teams to offer pointers on playing 7-a-side matches.

·  During the tournament
days, players from Geylang International Football Club will take turns to “walk
the grounds”, observe, offer advice and cheer on the teams.

·  On 10 September,
the two finalist teams from each category will have a closed-door session with
former national football legends and star players. They will also find out how
to better prepare themselves ahead of the finals.

The champion U17 team
will win the grand prize of a 5-day overseas training stint at Matsumoto Yamaga
Football Club, one of Japan’s top J2 football clubs. The winning U15 team
will receive a 2-day training stint at Valencia CF Soccer
School in Singapore. The stints are slated to be held at the end of 2016. More
details will
be announced closer to date.

Leading up to the
Epson Singapore Cup 2016, an online contest for fans to meet with star players
from Geylang International Football Club and win exclusive merchandise will be
held from today to 31 August 2016. More details are available on the
official Facebook Pages of Epson Singapore and Geylang International Football
Club.

“Epson Singapore Cup
was borne out of a common desire to reach out to as many youths as possible, to
fuel their passion and to learn from the best in the field. By partnering key
players, especially those in the local football community, we hope that the Cup
can bring aspiring footballers a step closer to realizing their dreams. We are
certainly looking forward to an exciting tournament and I encourage fans to
join us and cheer on the participating teams. In addition, we hope that this
tournament will become a viable platform for talents to be discovered, thereby
contributing to raising the standard of play for the sport locally, regionally
and even globally,” said Ms Tan May Lin, Epson Singapore’s General Manager
(Sales, Marketing & Customer Service Division).

“The Euros 2016 in
France has proven to us that the size of a country is no limitation to its
capacity to excel in sports.  Iceland, with its population of about
330,000, was one of the talking points of an otherwise ordinary
tournament.  It’s as much about identifying and nurturing talents as well
as providing them with the right infrastructure and avenues to fulfill their
potential.  The Epson Singapore Cup is about going back to the grassroots
– to the football loving masses.  Throwing the youngsters the challenge of
showing us what they have in them and opening up their horizons to learn from
the more experienced and successful in the sport. We hope that many will grab
this unique opportunity and make the Epson Singapore Cup a long-term feature in
our football calendar”, said Mr. Jeremy Chan, Chairman of Sinad Sports Pte Ltd.

Official Partners for
the Epson Singapore Cup 2016 include:

·  Venue Partner: SAFRA
Tampines,

·  Apparel and Equipment
Partner: FBT

Registration for the
Epson Singapore Cup 2016 opens from today till 31 August 2016. Interested
youth teams can download the online registration form at www.epson.com.sg/epsonsgcup2016. For more information
on Epson Singapore Cup 2016 and to track the progress of the tournament, please
check out www.epson.com.sg/epsonsgcup2016 and https://www.facebook.com/EpsonSingapore .

 [1] The Club, sponsored by Epson since 2006, is currently positioned 2nd overall in the Meiji Yasuda J2 League. Information is accurate as of 13 July 2016.