Singapore Premier League’s youngest coach Gavin Lee leaves Tampines Rovers

SINGAPORE – Changes are afoot at BG Tampines Rovers, after coach Gavin Lee announced that he will leave the Singapore Premier League (SPL) club after almost eight years.

Speaking to The Straits Times from Thailand, where he is on a break, Lee, 34, confirmed that both parties have agreed to part ways. While he declined to provide details, he said the decision to leave was down to a mix of personal and professional reasons.

He said: “The people closest to me know how I work and the manner in which I do things is quite 100 per cent and all in.

“I’ve been doing that for quite a few years now and sometimes it’s about relooking and prioritising some things in life, so that’s one contribution to the reasons to leave.

“Secondly, as a consequence of the manner in which I’ve worked, I need to find a way to refuel the tank. There are options and opportunities.

“I will take my time to consider the path that I want to take but as I alluded to before, there are certain priorities in my life that I want to pursue, so my choices will be towards that direction.”

Lee joined the Stags as an assistant coach in December 2017, before being promoted to the head coach role for the 2019 campaign. At just 28 then, he became the youngest ever head coach in the Singapore Premier League (SPL).

Under Lee, who has been described by players and colleagues as someone who “eats, sleeps and breathes football”, the Stags have been one of the most attractive teams to watch due to their possession-based attacking football.

In 2019, Tampines won the Singapore Cup, before clinching the Singapore Community Shield a year later.

In the recently concluded 2024-25 campaign, they lost to the Lion City Sailors in the Singapore Cup final and finished second in the league, eight points behind the Sailors.

Unlike the Sailors, who are a privatised club, the Stags do not enjoy the same resources and Lee has blooded a clutch of youth players over the years. Several players have gone on to be capped for the Lions, including Ryaan Sanizal, Irfan Najeeb, Joel Chew, Shah Shahiran and Taufik Suparno.

Thanking former club chairman Desmond Ong for putting his trust in him and “providing the stability and clarity from the top”, Lee said he has no regrets, even if the decision to leave did not come easy.

He said: “Ultimately, it is about recognising what is best for me and for the club... we needed to avoid being emotional about it, we wanted to be as logical and reasonable as possible for both myself and the club.

“If we allowed emotions to run the conversation, then I will still probably be at the club.

“I formed very strong relationships with people in and around the club and Tampines has always been more than a club for me. It’s been my home.”

ST understands that Akbar Nawas, who guided Tampines to the quarter-finals of the AFC Cup in 2016, is in talks to return to the club as head coach.

The 49-year-old was most recently the head coach of Nakhon Pathom United in Thai League 1 and was previously head coach at Balestier Khalsa from 2021 to 2022.

Lee’s departure comes amid leadership renewal at Tampines – long-time chairman Ong stepped aside at the start of June to make way for Japanese investment banker Shungo Sakamoto.

The club have also made their first foreign signing for the new season, announcing on June 16 that 32-year-old Japanese attacking midfielder Koya Kazama from J2 League side JEF United Chiba would be joining them.

Lee is hopeful that the squad will continue to challenge for top honours domestically and be competitive on the continental and regional stage.

On top of the Asian Champions League 2, Tampines are also set to compete in the Asean Club Championship in the 2025-26 season.

Lee, who is the Singapore national team assistant coach working alongside head coach Tsutomu Ogura, said: “I think we have a better set of processes now compared to when we first started.

“We have a very strong core group of local players now that are still at a right age, and we have regional and continental competitions to play for.

“We can be proud of quite a few things that we have managed to achieve.

“Hopefully, long it may continue and the next person that comes in will just continue to improve the processes, improve the club, and bring more success.”

Deepanraj Ganesan is a sports journalist at The Straits Times focusing on football, athletics, combat sports and policy-related news.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Click here to read article