A Decade in the Making: Football Girls’ NSG 2026

Reading Time: 9 minutes

By Lee Yi Ning Megan (27A01B) and Tang Ziya Rena (27A01B)

All photos courtesy of Skyler Chen Yuanzhe (27S03A), Khoo Zheng Yuan Orlando (27S06F) from the Raffles Art and Photographic Society

RI Faces VJC for the Title

For the first time in more than a decade, the girls’ football team of Raffles Institution (RI) walked onto the National School Games A Division final stage with a shot at ending a dynasty.

Standing opposite them was Victoria Junior College (VJC), football giants, champions for the past 11 years and a perennial title contender. RI would eventually fall short in the final, but their run to the championship match had already marked a dramatic turnaround for a team that had not progressed beyond the group stages in recent years.

To many outsiders, RI’s meteoric rise may have seemed sudden. Within the team, however, players had long believed that they were capable of reaching the final.

“VJ has been the powerhouse for the last decade or more,” said Mr Francis Chong, Raffles Football’s Teacher-in-Charge. “Since we last won the finals in 2012, they have been dominating the football scene.”

Even so, RI believed they had built a squad capable of competing with the top teams.

Building the 2026 Team

*A team cheer before the long-awaited finals match*

The signs had been there long before the season even began.

Following the previous NSG season, the coaching staff identified a strong returning core of Year 5 players who already had competitive experience. In order to build on the momentum from 2025, the team also brought in a Direct School Admission (DSA) player for the first time in several years (Calista Dodson (27A01C), #15).

Still, Mr Chong was quick to stress that the team’s success went far beyond any single player.

*Player #15, Calista Dodson (27A01C), on the field during the finals match against VJC*

He noted that whilst having one new DSA player did impact the team, they were ultimately still a team of 11 players and that the rest of the 10 members were also equally crucial to the team.

“Without the other 10 players on the pitch, we can’t win games as well. It’s a very outstanding team effort,”
Mr Chong

Football at RI is a developmental programme, and two-thirds of the squad had not received a lick of football training before joining the CCA. But this season’s line-up would not let that define them, combining raw commitment with growing experience and ultimately creating a team that was greater than the sum of its parts.

Opening Match: Early Confidence Boost

RI’s breakthrough campaign began with a hurdle that had troubled them for years.

For two straight seasons, they had opened their NSG against St. Andrew’s Junior College (SAJC)—and lost both times, with the same key opposing player scoring each time.

This year, they came prepared.

The coaching staff built a game plan specifically to contain SAJC’s main attacking threat, assigning one player to man-mark her throughout the match.

The tactic paid off emphatically. RI secured a commanding 3–0 victory, earning the team a massive confidence boost.

“That was a morale booster for us,” Mr Chong recalled. “It’s the team that we worry about the most. Once we beat them, it feels like we can beat any other team.”

This pivotal win provided the team with the momentum that sustained them for the rest of the season.

Staying Resilient in Crucial Moments

As the season progressed, RI repeatedly showed the same resilience that defined much of their strategy.

Against Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) in the preliminary rounds, the team found themselves locked in another tense contest. The previous year, a draw against HCI had denied them a place in the semi-finals.

This time, RI broke the deadlock with a late goal in the dying seconds of the match, securing a narrow win.

A similar situation unfolded in the semi-final against Anglo-Chinese School (Independent). Despite controlling much of the match, RI had to wait until late in the game before scoring the decisive goal that sent them into the final.

But even as the clock ticked down in both matches, the team stayed calm and stuck to their game plan.

“Even though we didn’t score until the last second, the confidence was there,” said Mr Chong. “You feel like […] they will [eventually] score, because you look at the way they play and you know that something is going to happen.”

That belief was rooted in the team’s mentality, something the coaches had intentionally worked to build from the start of the season. In both matches, the team kept pushing forward until they found their breakthrough, a testament to their ability to stay steady under pressure.

*A team photo taken after a key match against HCI*

A Twelve-Year Countdown

But, of course, getting into finals didn’t come from nothing. The teachers wanted to emphasise that the team’s success in making it into the NSG finals for the first time in twelve years—and their first shot at becoming champions in a decade–was by no means a fluke or happenstance. Rather, the team had spent countless hours at the pitch, pouring their blood, sweat and tears into every second of their training from even before the start of the year.

Beyond the already gruelling three-hour training sessions every Monday, Tuesday and Friday, any rain meant that training would be extended to Gap days (Wednesdays) and even Saturdays to make up for lost time.

“We trained really hard for this, and I think that we really showed that we could do it throughout this entire season,” reflected the team captain, #22 Ng Sok Yi (26A01D), on the team’s journey throughout the NSG season. “We came into the season thinking that we were going to go to the finals, and we made sure that our efforts shone throughout.”

Mr Chong shared a similar confidence in this year’s NSG line-up, “To be honest, I think we already feel that this year we have a very strong team […] our target was to get into the finals, so it wasn’t a surprise. It’s more like we managed to achieve what we wanted to do.”

*The team celebrating after their victory in the semifinals against ACS(I)*

Trying to Fell A (Football) Giant (Game Day)

13 May 2026. Game day. The air of the Our Tampines Hub football field hung heavy with anticipation (and the faint smell of Cheezels from the nearby vending machines) as Rafflesians and Victorians filled the stands.

Cheers from both schools reverberated throughout the stadium, and the sound of the Student Councillors’ banging drums only served to build the bubbling sense of tension among the crowd as the two teams lined up on the field.

Soon, a signal sounded. The game began.

The ball was quickly volleyed between the two teams, moving rapidly back and forth between RI and VJC as players fought for possession. Then, 15 minutes into the match, RI’s #8, Kong Zi Yau Bernadette (26S06H), saw an opening. She wound up her kick and took the shot.

Score. The crowd erupted. RI-1, VJC-0. A dream start for the team.

Still, the early goal didn’t cause them to falter. The team worked together like a well-oiled machine, the ball flying between players as the spectators watched on, waiting with bated breath as the play inched closer to RI’s goal.

By the time the first water break rolled around and players headed off-field to quench their thirst, the score stayed consistent. With RI leading 1-0, an excited buzz filled the Rafflesian stands as murmurs of a potential victory began to circulate.

Soon, the game resumed. With renewed vigour, the players returned to the pitch, maintaining their momentum as they fought ferociously to defend their lead.

However, at the 38-minute mark—just two minutes shy of the halftime break—the tides began to shift as a free kick was awarded to the opposing team.

This time, VJC did not miss. Despite the team’s best efforts, VJC’s player #17 scored an equalising goal, allowing the Victorians to close the advantage that we had earlier gained.

A 1-1 tie thus closed the match as the players headed into half-time. VJC’s last-minute goal pushed the tension to a breaking point. As both teams took to the pitch again on equal footing, supporters from both sides watched with bated breath, waiting to see how the scales would tip.

Entering the last half of the game, both teams went all out, each one eager to break the tie and score the defining point that would win them not only the match, but also the coveted NSG championship.

The pace of the game began to pick up. Every time one team moved to get the ball across the field to their goal, the other would immediately step in to intercept and regain control of the ball before mounting another attack of their own.

The air was tense, and spectators were on the edge of their seats. RI—to see if this would be the year where David would slay Goliath and the decade-long underdogs would finally triumph over the longtime powerhouse, and VJC—to see if the defending champions would once again prove victorious.

54 minutes in the game. It all came to a head when VJC scored their second goal, bringing the tally to 2-1 to VJC, a score that would remain until the final whistle of the game.

Reflecting on the Experience

Despite missing out on clinching that gold championship title, the team wasn’t discouraged. Rather, they were far from it. Coming out of the match, we saw proud and satisfied smiles lighting up all of the team’s faces.

As supporters gathered to congratulate the players, we were fortunate to be able to catch a few of the team members to get their thoughts about the game.

Reflecting on the experience, Vice-Captain Kong Zi Yau Bernadette (26S06H) shared, “I think that the team all played very hard, and we definitely left it all out there on the field. I’ve never seen so many of us down on the floor with cramps, and I think that just shows how hard we all played. I think that’s all I could ask for.”

*The team, after receiving their medals and trophy*

For the team, holding their own against and even managing to shake long-time A Division champions was a monumental achievement in and of itself.

“Before the game, we already told them that after the game, they will either walk away as winners or champions. Because even if they get second, to us, they are winners already.”
Mr Chong

“In a way, the [VJC] players started to get flustered… that is the kind of feeling we want[ed] them to have. That’s the kind of competition that we want to bring to them,” the Teacher-in-Charge remarked gleefully on the goal the team scored against VJC.

The team’s consistent effort and willingness to push even till the very end have been instrumental in their spectacular performance this NSG season.

When asked about their plans for the rest of the year and how they were preparing for the upcoming NSG season, Mr Chong started to answer but ultimately decided against it, a knowing smile on his face. “We already have plans to assemble a team.”

Tactics may be under wraps for now, but RI’s girls’ football team has already proven it has the capacity to win. Spurred on by this year’s generational run, the team is looking to sustain this momentum and come back stronger in the seasons ahead.

When asked what advice she had for the next batch of footballers,

“Anything is possible, even if you’ve just started. Just train hard, believe in yourselves, and you’ll go far.”
Vice-Captain Bernadette

“Belief, hard work, desire. That is what will carry us through the next season, and more seasons to come.”
Mr Chong

In 2026, our A Division football girls’ team reached the NSG Final for the first time in 10 years. Despite narrowly losing 2-1 in one of the closest finals in recent years, the sheer amount of determination, grit and resilience the team has demonstrated in every single one of their games throughout the entire season is unrivalled.

The team shared on a reflection under the @rafflesdynamite Instagram page after their finals: “This fight, however, was not confined to those 80 minutes on the pitch. It was a journey that spanned the entire season, as we battled against the odds to emerge top in the group stage and secure a victory in the semifinals. Driven by our supporters’ encouragement and motivations, we kept belief in our hearts, put our hard work on display, and sought out our desires. In every game, we gave our all, remaining grateful for how far we had come while staying hungry for more. Not to forget the endless hours of practice and training that we spent together. We’re extremely grateful for the support from our friends, families, teachers and coaches that spurred us on. Lastly, for all the love found and memories forged, we too, found gold in the people around us.”

The girls’ football team has proven, without a doubt, that they’ve got what it takes to be giant slayers. Having shaken the foundations of VJC’s eleven-year reign, they are already looking ahead to next year. As they set their sights on the next season, one thing is certain—they’ll come back hungrier than ever for the championship.