10 Years of Team Nila: Sport Singapore Launches Public Initiative to Honour Sport Volunteers

• To engage wider community for Team Nila’s 10th Anniversary celebrations, Sport Singapore kicks-off nationwide appreciation initiative for public to make upcycled friendship bands from pre-loved Team Nila t-shirts

• Other celebrations include the first-ever Team Nila Carnival, and a special edition of annual Team Nila Awards

Singapore, 7 December 2024 – Team Nila, Sport Singapore’s (SportSG) volunteer force, will mark its 10^th anniversary in 2025 with a series of celebratory initiatives. These activities, open to public participation, aim to recognise the contribution and commitment of volunteers to Singapore’s sporting landscape over the past decade. The celebrations kicked off today with Guest-of-Honour Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth & Social and Family Development, announcing the Team Nila Friendship Band initiative at the inaugural Team Nila Volunteer Leaders Retreat. This nationwide initiative encourages Singaporeans to express their appreciation for Team Nila volunteers’ efforts over the last 10 years.

The Team Nila Friendship Band appreciation initiative, a partnership with environmental social enterprise Terra Singapore, celebrates and honours sport volunteers by gifting them upcycled friendship bands. Earlier this year, SportSG unveiled revitalised uniforms and apparel featuring a lion emblem. The unique bands are created using pre-loved Team Nila t-shirts that have been decommissioned.

In recognition of Team Nila’s commitment over the past 10 years, Mr Tan Hock Leong, Chief of ActiveSG at Sport Singapore, shared: “Over the last decade, Team Nila’s 50,000-strong volunteer force has been the backbone of Singapore’s sporting community, contributing over 1.4 million hours to rally the nation by driving and enabling meaningful sporting experiences for the community. Team Nila volunteers have been fundamental to the organisation and running of large-scale local events like the annual Pesta Sukan. They have also been a constant, energising presence at key sporting events, galvanising the crowds with Team Nila Beats and cheering on our Team Singapore athletes at overseas competitions such as the SEA Games. As we enter into our 10^th year, we are committed to fostering our volunteers’ growth, enhancing their capabilities and expanding Team Nila’s impact to reach even more Singaporeans.”

The inaugural Team Nila Volunteers Leaders Retreat also brought together volunteer leaders among the Team Nila community to brainstorm, celebrate and look forward to exciting opportunities in the coming year. Coming off the back of four successful events organised solely by volunteer leaders at this year’s Pesta Sukan – athletics, bowling, SG Urban Walk and Vertical Challenge – Team Nila volunteer leaders will continue to spearhead some of the key events and initiatives in the coming year, as part of Team Nila’s 10^th Anniversary.

Opportunities for Public Participation in Appreciation Initiative

Members of the public who are interested in making Team Nila friendship bands can participate in upcoming public workshops, which will be held at ActiveSG Sport Centres between January and February 2025. More information will be available on Team Nila’s and ActiveSG’swebsites and social channels (@activesgcircle and @teamnila) in the coming weeks.

 Ahead of the initiative’s launch on 7 December, several closed-door sessions were held for SportSG staff, public agencies and corporate partners to prepare the first batch of friendship bands. These were then presented to the volunteer leaders by SPS Eric Chua at the Retreat to mark the launch of the initiative.

Over 4,000 friendship bands are targeted to be produced across the span of four months. These will then be distributed to volunteers during the Team Nila Carnival in March.

To support the initiative from end-to-end, Team Nila volunteers with pre-loved, decommissioned Team Nila t-shirts are encouraged to drop them off at two collection points at Terra Singapore and SportSG’s offices. With the t-shirts comprising a myriad of colours, each friendship band produced will feature a unique design that cannot be replicated. Members of the public can also drop off plain white t-shirts, which will be used to add a colour contrast to the predominantly purple, orange and yellow volunteer t-shirts.

Upcoming Celebratory Events in 2025

Other celebration and recognition initiatives include the first-ever Team Nila Carnival and the annual Team Nila Awards Ceremony in March 2025, bringing together volunteers, key corporate partners, families, and the community across two events to celebrate the efforts of the volunteers.

• Team Nila Carnival at Bukit Canberra Sport Centre promises a vibrant day of fun, fitness, and meaningful connections for those involved or interested in volunteerism. More than 5,000 participants from all walks of life—including volunteers, key corporate partners, and family and friends of Team Nila —are invited to come together for an exciting lineup of activities.

• Team Nila Awards Ceremony, an annual event, will be held at Singapore EXPO Convention & Exhibition Centre to honour the contribution and commitment of outstanding volunteers in 2024.

To stay updated on Team Nila’s 10th Anniversary celebrations, please visit the website here: https://www.activesgcircle.gov.sg/team-nila.

Annexes

Annex: Information on Team Nila Friendship Band Appreciation Initiative