DIDN’T WANT FOOTBALL IN THE FIRST PLACE

Ms Yip-Au’s journey in football thus far has been a colourful one. Perhaps what’s most ironic about the young coach who now spends every waking moment inspiring an entire nation of young footballers is that she very nearly didn’t play the sport at all.

“I wanted to play basketball or track-and-field, but my school didn’t have those co-curricular activities,” she said. What the school did have was football. 

“I thought: ‘Since I’m going to be doing this for four years, why not make the most out of it?'”

Football also served as somewhat of a distraction during her parents’ divorce at the time, which by her own account was “a bit messy”. For a period, she shared a single room with her mother and younger brother in her grandmother’s flat – an arrangement she described as suffocating. 

“Having football gave me something to do outside of school, and that was helpful, instead of hanging around and getting into vices. Playing football was a good way to pass the time.” 

She thrived at it, finding her place on the field as a creative forward player. 

Ms Yeong Sheau Shyan, who is part of the Football Association of Singapore Council and the current head of women’s football at Singapore Premier League club Lion City Sailors, coached Ms Yip-Au when she joined Bowen Secondary in 2009.

To Ms Yeong, the teenage Chris stood out immediately among her peers.

“It was a very raw team, but (Chris) was outstanding in her abilities already,” Ms Yeong told me. “That’s what I remember: Small little girl, but very technical and very fast.”

Before long, Ms Yip-Au was scouted to be part of the U-16 women’s national team set-up. Following the completion of her A-Level examinations, Ms Yeong asked her to help out as an assistant coach for Arion Football Academy, which she had co-founded.

“There were a few other girls I tried to bring into coaching as well. But Chris had energy – she worked well with the younger kids (and) was playful enough to keep the fun in games and in training,” she said.