Third time's the charm with TP Men's Soccer

TP Men's Soccer retained the S R Nathan Trophy Challenge title for the third time in a row this year. They were faced with tough opposition from ITE, but managed to emerge victorious with a thumping score line of 4-0.

Ex-president Mr S R Nathan arriving at TP for the match

On 7 Feb, the S R Nathan challenge trophy soccer tournament final was held in Temasek Polytechnic (TP), with TP defeating opponents ITE 4-0. The match was held at TP’s Sports Complex and was attended by ex-president S R Nathan.

This was TP’s third consecutive trophy of the competition, having won it in 2011, 2012, and now, 2013. The first-half of the game showed equal attacking opportunities from both sides, but an own goal from ITE at the 49^th minute opened the floodgates for TP.

Second-half goals from Sufianto Salleh, Lions XII defender Faris Azienuddin and Fuad Ramli brought the score line to 4-0.

TP boys celebrating their win at the trophy presentation

Head Coach Steven Tan was very happy with the result, and said: “We never expected it to be 4-0. The guys were focused and did very well, so congrats to them. It was a team effort and they worked very hard all year round.”

But the journey was not easy, as he explained: “We lost to ITE 4-1 earlier, and we had to motivate the boys and tell them to believe in themselves. And they did so and kept the team together. They showed their hunger in the game.”

He believes that teamwork was what brought them thus far, giving credit for the result to all those involved with the team. The team will take a well-deserved break, and continue competitions in May and June, the time around which they will also be seeing some new players coming into the squad.

The TP team celebrating their first goal of the match

Faris Azienuddin, central defender and TP’s number 15, found the first-half most challenging. “The first-half, I thought we were struggling a bit, but in the second-half, after the coach told us what to do and motivated us, then we progressed,” said the Lions XII defender.

“There were ups and downs during the journey. We lost a few, we won a few. Some teams were very hard to beat,” he reflected.

New 'Green Man +' crossing scheme to help elderly and PWDs

The LTA is in the process of rolling out a 'Green Man +' scheme, which is aimed at helping the elderly and Pedestrians with Disabilities (PWD), by increasing the time given at crossings.

In the first quarter of 2013, LTA will be installing 235 ‘Green Man +’ readers across selected areas, allowing elderly pedestrians, as well as PWDs extra time to cross the road. By 2014, it is estimated that 500 readers will be installed all over the island.

Mr Oh Kok Wee, Senior Engineer at the Intelligent Transport Systems Development Division of the LTA, stated: "The reader at the traffic light junction on which the senior citizens can tap their concession cards is called the Green Man +. It is a scheme by LTA to provide elderly pedestrians and Pedestrians With Disabilities (PWD) more time to cross the road when they activate its function.”

The crossing time is extended by 3-12 seconds, depending on the crossing. Mr Oh explained how the scheme works: “This is done by tapping the CEPAS-compliant senior citizen concession card or the Green Man + card on the reader mounted above the standard push button at the traffic light pole. There is no charge for using the scheme.”

He believes that this scheme is positive, and said that: “The elderly pedestrians felt that the Green Man + had provided more assurance and instilled a higher confidence level in them when they crossed the roads.”

But this scheme is not very well known. Mdm Nanda, 62, has not seen or heard of this scheme. She said: "No, never seen it actually. But it sounds like a good scheme for all the people in Singapore to walk.”

Mr Haji Othman, 78, said: “I’ve never seen before, but looks very good. You just tap your card and get free crossing time.”

Mr Poh Leong, 44, has heard about the scheme, but never seen it around. “I think it’s good for the elderly and disabled. But I don’t know where they (crossings) are, so maybe they should increase their publicity.”

On the other hand, Mr Lancelot Fernandes, 69, has seen the crossings being used near Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and finds it a very useful scheme. He suggests: “ Maybe they could have an amber flashing light, as well as an auditory alarm for when the crossing time is about to finish. They should also have more publicity about the scheme, because I hadn’t known about it till I saw it.”

Elderly pedestrians (aged 60 and above) can obtain the senior citizen concession card at TransitLink Ticket Offices, and PWDs can obtain their ‘Green Man +’ cards from the following organisations: Handicaps Welfare Association (HWA), Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH), Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities (THKMC), Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) and Spastic Children's Association of Singapore (SCAS).

The areas that will see these readers coming up soon are: Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Bukit Merah, Chinatown, Geylang, Hougang, Kallang, Marine Parade, Outram, Queenstown, Rochor, Tampines and Toa Payoh.

Here is what some members of the public think about the scheme:

LTA's promotional video for the 'Green Man +' scheme