{{Short description|Singaporean football club}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{More citations needed|date=August 2012}} {{Infobox football club | clubname = Admiralty FC | image = | fullname = Admiralty Football Club | nickname = The Wolves | founded = {{start date and age|1987}} | ground = | capacity = | chrtitle = President | chairman = Fauzie Mihram | mgrtitle = | manager = | league = [[Singapore National Football League|Island Wide League]] | season = [[2025 Island Wide League|2025]] | position = 3rd (Group C) | current = 2025 Island Wide League | website = https://easternthunderfc.com/ | pattern_la2 = _adidas red | pattern_b2 = _bluesleevelinesandsides | pattern_ra2 = _adidas red | pattern_sh2 = _aalesunds11a | pattern_so2 = | leftarm2 = 000000 | body2 = 000000 | rightarm2 = 000000 | shorts2 = 000000 | socks2 = 000000 | pattern_la1 = _bayern1112h | pattern_b1 = _collar | pattern_ra1 = _bayern1112h | pattern_sh1 = | pattern_so1 = | leftarm1 = e00000 | body1 = e00000 | rightarm1 = e00000 | shorts1 = e00000 | socks1 = e00000 }}
'''Admiralty Football Club''', also commonly known as Admiralty FC, is a [[association football|football]] club which plays in the lower tiers of the [[Singapore Football League]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Admiralty FC (NFL) |url=http://www.sccsoccersixes.com/teams-2012-open-admiralty.html |publisher=Soccer Sixes 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110049/http://www.sccsoccersixes.com/teams-2012-open-admiralty.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 }}</ref>
The club officially changed their name to '''Eastern Thunder FC''' with effect from 22 January 2024.<ref name="ETFC">{{cite web |title= Societies Act 1966 and Societies Regulations - Change of name approved |url=https://assets.egazette.gov.sg/2024/Government%20Gazette/Notices%20under%20other%20Acts/0350.pdf |publisher=egazette.gov.sg |access-date=26 May 2025 |date=2 February 2024 |format=PDF |page=1}}</ref>
The men's team is currently participating in the [[Singapore Football League | Island Wide League]], while their women's team is playing in the [[Women's National League (Singapore)|Women's National League]].
==History== ===Admiralty FC===
Admiralty FC started in 1987 as a participant in the Sembawang Group League, a mini-league organized by the [[Football Association of Singapore]] which involved amateur clubs based in the [[Sembawang]] area in the 1980s.<ref>"Jadual Sukan", Berita Harian, 1 November 1987, Page 11</ref> During its time in the Sembawang Group League, Admiralty FC often played against Delhi Juniors, which was the original name of [[Woodlands Wellington]] before it changed its name to Wellington FC in 1998.<ref>"New tourney to kick off in style", The Straits Times, 7 October 1987, Page 30</ref>
In 1989, Admiralty finished as one of the top two teams in the [[Singapore Football League|Island Wide League]] (IWL) and was set to be promoted to the Division 2 of the [[Singapore National Football League|National Football League]] (NFL).<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=13 December 1989 |title=Admiralty FC cleared to play in NFL |pages=34 |work=[[The Straits Times]] |publisher=[[Singapore Press Holdings]] |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper19891213-1.2.43.12 |access-date=2 December 2022 |via=[[NewspaperSG]] |archive-date=2 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202115831/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper19891213-1.2.43.12 |url-status=live }}</ref> The promotion was challenged by Gillman FC who seek to nullify a match between Admiralty and Shelford United, which Admiralty won 5–0.<ref name=":0" /> FAS rejected the challenge and the club was successfully promoted to the SFL.<ref name=":0" />
With only two years of participation, Admiralty was made an official football club in 1989<ref>"FACTFILES AND RATINGS OF THE EIGHT NFL DIVISION ONE TEAMS", The Straits Times, 1 April 1993, Page 30</ref> to compete in the SFL and it played the majority of its home games at the [[Yio Chu Kang]] stadium.<ref>"APRIL'S NFL DIVISION ONE FIXTURES", The Straits Times, 1 April 1993, Page 30</ref> Nasiruddin Sawardi and Fahmie Abdullah<ref>"Rough diamond whose big ego needs polishing", The Straits Times, 7 April 1992, Page 30</ref> were two other ex-[[Singapore national football team|Singapore]] internationals who featured for Admiralty in the early nineties.
Admiralty came under the limelight in February 2012 when its management announced the appointment of former [[Woodlands Wellington]] team manager and [[Tampines Rovers]] Director of Operations [[R. Vengadasalam]] as their team manager. It also made waves in the local footballing fraternity when it announced that it was interested in joining the [[S.League]] in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|title=Two-tier S-League in 2014?|url=http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Sports/Story/A1Story20120229-330908.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421084236/http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest+News/Sports/Story/A1Story20120229-330908.html|archive-date=21 April 2014|publisher=AsiaOne Sports}}</ref>
Following the arrival of Venga, Admiralty swooped for veteran midfielder and ex-Singapore international [[Mohd Noor Ali]] to become the team's player-coach. In preparation for the [[Singapore National Football League#Division 2 2012| 2012 NFL Division 2]] season, Venga also orchestrated the moves for several well-known former [[S.League]] players such as [[Azhar Baksin]], [[Tan Sio Beng]] and [[Shariff Abdul Samat]], as well as [[Jean-Charles Blanpin]] and [[Nordine Talhi]] from [[Etoile FC]] following the [[Etoile FC|Stars]]' decision to pull out from the [[2012 S.League]].
On 30 June 2012, Admiralty were crowned champions of the 2022 NFL Division 2 when they beat Jollilads Arsenal FC by a 5–1 scoreline. The victory was also the 12th consecutive win for the Wolves, preserving an unbeaten run for the club since the start of the season.
Admiralty made history by becoming the first NFL club to qualify for the [[Singapore League Cup|League Cup]] after beating [[Singapore Recreation Club]] 3-1 in the League Cup Playoff Final on 12 May 2013.<ref>{{cite web |title=Admiralty FC grateful for chance to compete in StarHub League Cup |url=http://www.goal.com/en-sg/news/3880/singapore/2013/05/13/3974091/admiralty-fc-grateful-for-chance-to-compete-in-starhub |publisher=Goal.com.Singapore |access-date=13 May 2013 |archive-date=21 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421075138/http://www.goal.com/en-sg/news/3880/singapore/2013/05/13/3974091/admiralty-fc-grateful-for-chance-to-compete-in-starhub |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Goh |first=Philip |date=13 May 2013 |title=Admiralty into League Cup |url=https://www.todayonline.com/sports/football/admiralty-league-cup |publisher=Today Online }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=13 May 2013 |title=Starhub League Cup Qualifier Final: Admiralty FC 3-1 Singapore Recreation Club |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efCOfVafiDQ |website=YouTube.com |publisher=SG Sports TV |format=video}}</ref>
In 2019, the club was relegated from [[2019 Singapore National Football League#Division 2 | NFL Division 2]] to IWL after finishing 3rd in the bottom tier (11th overall). However, they did not participate in the [[2022 Island Wide League|2022 IWL]] when the league returned after the [[COVID-19 pandemic|coronavirus pandemic]].
===Eastern Thunder FC===
Eastern Thunder FC announced their participation in the [[2023 Women's National League (Singapore)]] under Admiralty FC.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CwFqmpVPvXU/ |title=WNL Season 2023 starts tomorrow and we are excited to be participating under Admiralty FC. |website=@eastern_thunder_fc |date=18 Aug 2023}}</ref> Led by former [[S-League]] goalkeeper [[Amos Boon]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fas.org.sg/fuss-free-focus-but-still-fun-eastern-thunder-set-to-make-mark-in-wnl-2024/ |title=Eastern Thunder set to make mark in WNL 2024 |website=[[Football Association of Singapore|FAS]] |date=21 Sep 2024}}</ref>, they finished 2nd in the group stage and eventually won 5-1 in the third-placing match against Ayer Rajah Gryphons in their debut season.
The club officially changed their name to Eastern Thunder FC with effect from 22 January 2024.<ref name="ETFC" /> The club returned to Island Wide League under the new name for the [[2024 Island Wide League | 2024 season]]. They topped their group and reached the Semi-finals.
==2012 NFL Division 2 season==
In a pre-season friendly, Admiralty beat [[S.League]] side [[Geylang United]], a team that was playing its football 2 divisions above the Wolves, with a 2–1 scoreline, giving everyone a sense of things to come. Observers at the friendly match thought that Admiralty was in no way inferior to the [[Geylang United|Eagles]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Admiralty FC defeat Geylang United 2–1 |url=http://www.justsports.com.sg/2012/02/28/admiralty-fc-defeat-geylang-united-2-1/ |publisher=JustSports |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306073755/http://www.justsports.com.sg/2012/02/28/admiralty-fc-defeat-geylang-united-2-1/ |archive-date=6 March 2012 }}</ref>
Admiralty conquered the 2012 [[List of football clubs in Singapore#NFL Division 2|NFL Division 2]] in great fashion,<ref>{{cite web|title=NFL Round-up: Admiralty FC preserves hundred percent winning run|url=http://www.footballopod.com/ViewArticle.aspx?id=6272|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130124143027/http://www.footballopod.com/ViewArticle.aspx?id=6272|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-01-24|publisher=Football OPOD}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=OPOD's NFL Preview: Sporting Westlake to deny Admiralty in top of the table clash |url=http://www.footballopod.com/ViewArticle.aspx?id=6484 |publisher=Football OPOD |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305093128/http://www.footballopod.com/ViewArticle.aspx?id=6484 |archive-date=5 March 2016 }}</ref> bulldozing their way across the league<ref>{{cite web|title=Unstoppable Admiralty FC to preserve their status as the only unbeaten side in NFL|url=http://www.footballopod.com/viewarticle.aspx?id=6607|publisher=Football OPOD|access-date=2 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305031351/http://www.footballopod.com/viewarticle.aspx?id=6607|archive-date=5 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> and embarking on a 12 match unbeaten run since the start of the season. They were crowned as [[Singapore National Football League#Division 2 2012|NFL Division 2]] champions on 30 June 2012 with 4 matches to spare.
During the [[S.League]] mid-season break, [[Tampines Rovers]] made an inquiry to Admiralty about the availability of tough tackling defender [[Shariff Abdul Samat]]. Upon hearing about the inquiry, Venga immediately released Shariff's Local Transfer Certificate, allowing the former [[2007 S.League]] Young Player of the Year to make his return to the [[S.League]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Shariff set for S-League return|url=http://axrosstheline.com/2012/05/shariff-set-for-s-league-return.html|publisher=Axross The Line|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219201952/http://axrosstheline.com/2012/05/shariff-set-for-s-league-return.html|archive-date=19 December 2013}}</ref>
This was also around the same time where [[Geylang United]] came knocking on Admiralty's doors asking for the services of player-coach [[Mohd Noor Ali]]. Noor Ali was allowed to leave for the club where he played for 6 seasons in the S.League, joining the [[Geylang United|Eagles]] as their assistant coach.<ref>{{cite web|title=Noor back at Geylang as coach |url=http://www.tnp.sg/content/noor-backgeylang-coach |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130418125352/http://www.tnp.sg/content/noor-backgeylang-coach |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-04-18 |publisher=The New Paper }}</ref>
Following Noor Ali's departure, midfielder [[Azhar Baksin]] was installed as the new player-coach while defender [[Tan Sio Beng]] was appointed as the player-assistant coach. Both players were chosen due to their match experience in the S.League, as well as their valuable experience as ex-[[Singapore national football team|Singapore internationals]].
After a dominant season in Division 2, Admiralty submitted their application to join the 2013 S.League season in July 2012 but their bid was rejected. A [[Football Association of Singapore|FAS]] spokesman explained that this was because the S.League will remain a 13-team competition next season.<ref>{{cite news |date=18 July 2012 |title=Bad news for Admiralty as S-League sticks to 13 teams |pages=40–41 |work=[[The New Paper]] |publisher=[[Singapore Press Holdings]] |url=}}</ref>
==Rivalries== Admiralty FC has a huge rivalry with fellow [[Singapore National Football League|NFL]] club [[Sembawang Sports Club]],<ref>"Sundram stars in Sembawang triumph", The Straits Times, 10 May 1993, Page 30</ref> due to the fact that both teams have stemmed from the [[Sembawang]] area in northern Singapore. Both teams often locked horns in the [[Singapore National Football League|NFL]] Division One in the nineties.
==Honours== *'''National Football League''' **Division 1 Champions: 2006 & 2007 **Division 2 Champions: 2012
== Notable players ==
* [[Mohd Noor Ali]] * [[Azhar Baksin]] * [[Tan Sio Beng]] * [[Shariff Abdul Samat]] * [[Jean-Charles Blanpin]] * [[Nordine Talhi]]
==External links== *{{facebook|admiraltyfootballclub}} *{{instagram|admiraltyfootballclub}} *[https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090657284762 Eastern Thunder FC] on [[Facebook]] *[https://www.instagram.com/eastern_thunder_fc/ Eastern Thunder FC] on [[Instagram]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
[[Category:Football clubs in Singapore]] [[Category:Singapore Football League clubs]]