National footballer Irfan Fandi's message to youth

“Pursue your interest in life, but never let drugs detract from your goals.”

This was the message CNB’s anti-drug advocate and Team Singapore athlete Irfan Fandi had for youth, during a special anti-drug themed Saturday Night Lights event. Saturday Night Lights is a prosocial football programme for at-risk youth, organised by SportCares Foundation (SportCares). This is the first in a new collaboration between CNB and SportCares, as CNB continues to work with key community partners to spread the anti-drug message to youth.

The special event was held at Bishan Stadium, where Irfan Fandi joined 50 SportCares youth at a football training session. The event sought to use sport to spread the anti-drug message, underscoring its importance in empowering youth to lead a healthy, drug-free lifestyle. Irfan also mingled with the youth, sharing about his interest in football and the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Irfan said, “I had a great time bonding with the Saturday Night Lights footballers through a sport we all enjoy. Football has brought so much purpose to my life, and I’m glad to be playing with other youth who enjoy the sport as much as I do.”

The event culminated with a series of friendly games. There was friendly rivalry as Irfan and former National defender, Noh Rahman, each led mash-up teams comprising youth from SportCares and Delta League. Mr Kerk Kim Por, Director of SportCares said, “It was heartening to see our SportCares youth being so receptive to Irfan and the messages he shared. Through our sport programmes, we have seen how important friendships among youth can be. Beyond the fun times they share together, they also have great influence on each other’s decisions. From today’s session, we hope to remind them to always choose a fulfilling, drug-free life, and also encourage the people around them to do the same.”

Ms Gillian Ong, Director Communications at CNB, also said “Partnering the community continues to be one of the key prongs of CNB’s preventive education outreach. We are always looking for new ways to reach out to youth to stay drug-free, and we are very glad for SportCares’ support in this new partnership, where youth can come together through sports to promote a healthy and drug-free lifestyle. It was great to see the youth enjoying themselves and learning from Irfan. We hope more youth will continue to join us for such events, and help keep Singapore drug-free.”

Moving forward, CNB and SportCares hopes to expand the partnership further by organising more anti-drug sports activities, and engaging at-risk youth through sport.

About CNB

The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) was established in 1971 as the primary drug enforcement agency entrusted with the responsibilities of coordinating all matters pertaining to drug eradication. CNB’s vision is for “a Singapore without drugs, where everyone can live, work and play safely”. Our mission is to “Enforce, Educate and Engage, for a drug free Singapore”. CNB adopts a multi-pronged approach in our fight against drugs. This approach involves tough legislation, vigorous enforcement and drug prevention programmes aimed at sustaining a national consensus towards zero tolerance for drug abuse.

For more information on CNB’s Preventive Drug Education (PDE) efforts, please visit their official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CNB.DrugFreeSG.

About SportCares Foundation

SportCares Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Sport Singapore and was officially established in October 2012 as a key recommendation of Vision 2030: Live Better Through Sport master plan. SportCares is at the heart of a growing national movement to use sport for social good. With support from partners in the community and corporate sectors, SportCares has organised programmes and projects that have touched the lives of more than 12,000 underprivileged children and youth. While each programme has its unique characteristics, SportCares’ mission has never varied: to empower people in need, by providing opportunities for social inclusion and community bridging through sport.

For more information about SportCares and its programmes, please visit their official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SportCaresSG.