About EFL

Equatorial Football League was formerly known as The Challenge Trophy before it was renamed to Equatorial Football League.

EFL was formed on late 2005 (The Challenge Trophy 2005) by its Founder, Mr Yeoh Tze Ming. We kicked off the season with merely five teams. In the second season (EFL'06), I was invited to be a member of the Organising Committee which I accepted enthusiastically. And by the end of that season, I was elected as the Chief Organiser for EFL'07.

At the coronation of EFL'06 Awards Ceremony, I made a speech vowing to improve the quality of the League by inviting only reowned teams to participate. There were dozens of applicants but we turned away most after scrutinising them. I shall maintain EFL's exclusiveness as a private club and not open to the mass public. We will accept teams strictly thru recommendations. New applicants must undergo an Assessment Period of 6-10 months before their applications are considered. However, as stated in our Mission Statement, we are here to help strengthen Singapore's football foundation thru youth development, so we are open to schools and youth teams.

I have also vowed to maintain to be the most economical but yet most challenging football league in Singapore. The difference between other leagues and EFL is that we are doing this out of sheer passion and love for the beautiful game rather than monetary gains. The spirit of the teams involved motivates us.

EFL has three basic competitions:

EFL League - Both the Premier Division and the Qualifying Division operates on a 2-legged round robin system

EFL Cup - Knockout system starting with Group Stages, Round 2, Quarter-finals, Semi-finals and Final

EFL Challenge Trophy aka Champions League - This is the one and only proper Champions League where top teams from various amateur leagues meet to challenge for the honours Best Of The Best.

On 11th November 2007, EFL was registered as an Associate Member of the Football Association of Singapore. We were, even till now, are the only amateur 11-a-side football league that is fully sanctioned and guided by FAS. We were impressive and improved gradually. Thus, on 1st January 2009, EFL was made an Ordinary Member of FAS and was invited to attend their AGMs as well.

My unsatisfying lust for football has led me on a quest to relentlessly pursue my dream of making this the No. 1 League in Singapore and even the region. I may sound arrogant because I want us to be labelled as "Niche". In fact, several popular private field operators, such as Peter Koh for instance, labelled us as "The Niche League".

I say this with strong convictions: The future of EFL is a magnificent sight to behold. It will prevail through the teams' and the Organising Committee's pure love for football. The passion of the team compels us to expose them into the limelight. Our popularity is growing fast and vast. The profession and skills of the Organising Committee, and all the individual members of the teams, are more than adequate and competent to assist in the Marketing, Finance and Administration of EFL. We are ready for the future!!!

Eugene Wee
Chief Organiser
Equatorial Football League
February 2007