The Write Space: U Games 13/14 Launch, a great gathering for all union members!

By Janet Chia

(original submission to ntuc usports and voxsports)

U Games 13/14 Launch

The U Games 13/14 launch originally slated for 23^th June was forced to postpone to 7^th July due to the unprecedented serious haze situation in Singapore. However, the postponement of date has not affected the event which is into its fifth year now. The launch of U Games 13/14 officially opened by Mr Zainudin Nordin, President of Football Association Singapore and MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, welcomed a big turnout from different union communities for the mixed netball and 7 a side soccer.

The U Games brought together members of various workers' unions and served as a great meeting point for all union members as they compete against each other in a round robin method for both the mixed netball and 7 a side soccer.

Following immediately of the launch was a special arrangement soccer match opener. The first 7 a side soccer match of the day was an exhibition match played between the NTUC all stars team and ex-national soccer players team. The special 10 minutes segment concluded with a 0-0 draw as both teams put on the best display of skills and techniques, and proceeded into the penalty shootout. The head to head contest failed to determine the winner and the match had to go into sudden death. NTUC all stars team sent their best goalkeeper which managed two crucial saves in the game earlier, while the ex-national players was represented by their dominant forward. After the whistle sounded, NTUC all stars goalkeeper took a left feign step before diving to his right, and managed to meet the ball. It was a great save that saw NTUC all stars team walking out as the winner.

The mixed netball was a straight forward affair and was first to conclude in the day due to lesser amount of teams in competition. There were 6 teams in attendance. The finals saw teams from Singapore Teachers' Union and Union of Telecoms Employees of Singapore trying to gain the upper hand with fierce attacks and defending. The nail biting race ended up with a very close scoreline of 7:6, seeing STU lifting the champion's trophy.

On the other hand, the soccer 7 a side event was attended by 31 teams from 18 different unions in 2 categories, the Union Men's Open and the Union Men's Veteran. The men battled their way with various display of strategies, skills and teamwork in the 7 minutes games.

SSEU player tripped by SMMWU A

One of the highlight of the day is the preliminary round match between Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers' Union Team A and Singapore Shell Employees Union in the Men's Union Open category. The aggressive tackle by SMMWU A saw the referee pointing to the box for penalty, and SSEU managed to convert it into their opening goal. Down by a point and with about four minutes left on the clock, SMMWU decided to up the game by going on full attack. The effort saw SMMWU A breaking down SSEU's defence and scored 2 goals in the succession of 2 minutes. The players from Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers' Union thus moved into the quarter-finals with a score of 2-1.

The Union Men's Open cup was eventually lifted by defending champion, Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers' Union Team B, with National Transport Workers' Union Team A narrowly missing out on the cup. The 3^rd and 4^th placing playoff saw Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers' Union Team B winning against the United Workers of Electronic and Electrical Industries with score of 4:3.

The Union Men's Open Plate category which is the repechage bracket of the event saw Singapore Shell Employees Union emerging champion over Amalgamated Union of Public Employees' Team A with score of 2:1. Team B from Singapore Industrial & Services Employees' Union was in third place after a walkover as the team from Air Transport Executive Staff Union failed to show up.

The Union Men's Veteran finals was won by National Transport Workers' Union Team A against United Workers of Electronic and Electrical Industries, with draw of 0-0 at full time, and 2-0 at the penalty shoot out. The team from Amalgamated Union of Public Daily Rated Workers took third after winning Development Bank of Singapore Staff Union's team with 1:0.