Albirex Niigata (S) players were the toast of the evening as the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) brought the curtain down on the 2025/26 domestic season with the Singapore Premier League (SPL) Awards Night on 22 May at the Raffles City Convention Centre.
Players, coaches, club officials, match officials, media partners, and stakeholders gathered to celebrate excellence across the 30th edition of the SPL — and the inaugural SPL2 season. On a night of deserving winners, it was the White Swans from Jurong East who shone brightest in the individual honours.
Nakano’s Triple: Golden Boot, Young Player, and Team of the Year
Shingo Nakano had quite a season. The Albirex Niigata (S) forward finished as the league’s top scorer with 20 goals, earned a place in the SPL Team of the Year, and walked away with both the SPL Golden Boot and the Young Player of the Year award — three accolades to cap a campaign that announced him as one of the most exciting attackers in the league.
His head coach took home recognition of his own. Keiji Shigetomi guided Albirex from sixth to third in the standings, earning him the POLAR Mineral Water Coach of the Year award — a remarkable turnaround that underpinned the club’s individual award haul on the night.
Higashikawa Claims Player of the Year
The DONGFENG SPL Player of the Year award went to someone who hit the ground running from day one. Hide Higashikawa joined BG Tampines Rovers on loan from J3 League side Tochigi City FC and made an immediate impression, finishing as the Stags’ top scorer with 19 league goals and earning a place in the SPL Team of the Year alongside his Nakano.
Susak’s Golden Glove; Huzaifah’s Goal of the Year
Lion City Sailors’ goalkeeper Ivan Susak claimed the SPL Golden Glove after keeping 10 clean sheets across the campaign, while the SELECT Goal of the Year went to Hougang United’s Huzaifah Aziz for his stunning strike against the Sailors on 12 April — edging out 13 other nominees for the prestigious prize.
BG Tampines Rovers collected the Singapore Pools Fair Play Award.
SPL Team of the Year
The SPL Team of the Year recognised the finest performers across the season: Ivan Susak (Lion City Sailors, GK); Takeshi Yoshimoto (BG Tampines Rovers), Bailey Wright (Lion City Sailors), and Toni Datkovic (Lion City Sailors) in defence; Yuki Kobayashi, Shah Shahiran, and Kohya Kazama (all BG Tampines Rovers) and Bart Ramselaar (Lion City Sailors) in midfield; with Shingo Nakano (Albirex Niigata S), Hide Higashikawa (BG Tampines Rovers), and Lennart Thy (Lion City Sailors) leading the attack.
Inaugural SPL2 Season Honoured
The evening also celebrated the inaugural SPL2 season. Albirex Niigata (S)’s second-tier side were crowned champions, winning 14 of their 21 matches and finishing three points clear of the field. BG Tampines Rovers’ Tara Ndao claimed the competition’s first-ever Golden Boot with 13 goals, while Lion City Sailors took the SPL2 Fair Play Award.
FAS Recognition Awards
The FAS Recognition Awards honoured contributions beyond the pitch. BG Tampines Rovers were recognised for their commendable AFC Champions League Two quarter-final run, while Marcus Tan received acknowledgement for his leadership of the Unleash the Roar! national development project.
Muhammad Taqi Aljaafari — a FIFA-listed referee since 2012 — was honoured for 20 consecutive years of refereeing in the SPL. Taqi has officiated at two FIFA World Cups (Qatar 2022 and the 2023 Women’s World Cup), three AFC Asian Cups, and the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics — a remarkable career of service to the beautiful game.
The SPL Awards Night 2025/26 was held on 22 May 2026 at the Raffles City Convention Centre. Lion City Sailors won the 2025/26 SPL title with 51 points from 21 matches.
