Team Nila 10th Anniversary Dinner 2025

Speech by Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Social and Family Development, at the Team Nila 10th Anniversary Dinner 2025 on 22 March 2025

Team Nila Volunteers,
Ladies and Gentlemen

1. A very good evening, everybody.
2. I am very happy to join all of you this evening at the Team Nila 10th Anniversary Birthday Dinner.
3. Two weekends ago, I was at our Team Nila 10 th Anniversary Carnival, marvelling at how far Team Nila has come. And tonight feels even more special because this time to recognise and honour the great work of Team Nila volunteers in the past year.

Achievements in 2024

4. Tonight, we are honouring the largest number of Team Nila awardees yet in Team Nila’s history.
5. Team Nila has been a key pillar of Singapore’s sporting community. I have witnessed for myself firsthand your hard work, passion, and teamwork – qualities that have shaped Team Nila into what it is today.
6. Last year, 2024 was a very exciting year for Team Nila.
1. We saw Team Nila in full force. Our volunteers brought energy, enthusiasm, and heart to sporting events; rallied behind Team Singapore athletes; and some even turned up as event photographers, coaches and games officials.
2. We cheered on our Lions as they took on Southeast Asian heavyweights at the Mitsubishi Electric Cup.
3. We championed disability inclusion by supporting community events such as Play Inclusive.
4. We also unveiled the Team Nila Volunteer Leaders programme to empower you to step up and take charge. We aim to double Team Nila’s leadership base to over 260 leaders by the end of this year alone, and to have 1,000 Team Nila Volunteer Leaders by 2029.
5. Your dedication had been nothing short of inspiring. We hope that Team Nila volunteer leaders can continue to inspire others and make an impact, where it matters.

Recognising our dedicated Team Nila Volunteers

7. Tonight, 421 dedicated volunteers, including 86 who are receiving the prestigious Gold award, 103 Silver and 232 Bronze award recipients.
8. Gold, Silver or Bronze: Each award reflects the extraordinary commitment and passion our volunteers have shown in serving the community. I would like everyone to join me in thanking all the volunteers for the hard work that they have put in in 2024.
9. Now, worthy of a special mention. One of them is our Gold Award recipient, Mr Zainuddin Mohd Adam, one of Team Nila’s resident volunteer photographers.
1. Over the years, he has captured beautiful, significant moments at events like Pesta Sukan and the Singapore Youth League. His photos have been regularly and prominently featured on SportSG’s and Team Nila’s social media channels.
2. I know there are many instances where he would head off for his night shift work right after volunteering. I think that calls for a big round of applause.
3. His remarkable dedication is reflected in the more than 2,000 service hours that he has contributed since he began volunteering with Team Nila 10 years ago. And 485 hours were contributed in 2024 alone.
10. Another volunteer is Ms Lisa Wan. Lisa is a Silver Award recipient with over 200 volunteer hours in 2024.
1. Lisa is a Human Resource Manager. She applies her experience to her role as a Team Nila Volunteer Leader. She has helped oversee teams at events like Pesta Sukan, ensuring smooth operations and volunteer welfare. Ladies and gentlemen, a big round of applause for Ms Lisa Wan!
11. And we also have Ms Oh Hsu Wei. Hsu Wei is a Bronze Award recipient with over 90 volunteer hours last year. Her work with Team Nila reflects her believe in empowering individuals with special needs.
1. As an educational psychologist, she believes strongly that disability sports provide opportunities for the community to build friendships and grow social skills.
2. Since volunteering at the 2015 ASEAN Para Games, she has remained active and spends her time volunteering for disability sports programmes, such as supporting training sessions with the Wheelchair Basketball Association.
12. A big thank you to Zainuddin, Lisa and Hsu Wei. Your passion and commitment to volunteering is truly outstanding.
13. Tonight, all award recipients we honour have contributed more than 90,000 hours. Big round of applause, mighty, mighty congratulations!

SG60: A Milestone Year to Contribute More

14. This year, we celebrate Singapore’s 60 th birthday. At the same time, we are also preparing to welcome the world.
1. For the first time, Singapore will host both the World Aquatics Championships and the World Para Swimming Championships – the first Southeast Asian nation to host the former and the first Asian nation to host the latter.
15. Team Nila will play a crucial role. More than 10,000 of you will be a part of this incredible and amazing journey.
1. Many of you have already stepped up, and I look forward to joining you as we cheer on our athletes.
2. Let us all showcase the best of our Singapore to the world.
16. Beyond the championships, SG60 celebrations will also be in full swing and there will be many opportunities for us to come together.
1. For instance, our GetActive! Singapore National Day celebration through sport will be a key part of SG60.
2. Let us continue to be a strong force for good at these events and promote sport as a way of life for all Singaporeans to stay active and live healthy.

Growing Sport Volunteerism

17. I think having come 10 years in Team Nila’s journey, it is opportune that we project– what do we want to be in the future. I think it’s clear that we want to build a more empowered and even more capable Team Nila.
18. To nurture the next generation of volunteers, we are launching the Little Team Nila programme, instilling the spirit of volunteerism from a young age. At the same time, we are introducing a new partnership development programme with organisations and schools to create sustained volunteering pathways.
19. Since 2015, our volunteers have been a pillar of support for our athletes overseas, giving them a strong sense of home support.
1. I am excited that over 100 Team Nila volunteers will join Team Singapore at the SEA and ASEAN Para Games in Thailand towards the end of this year, and I am looking forward to that. A big round of applause!
2. I have seen our Team Nila volunteers in action where they cheered on our Team Singapore athletes. One of the most notable moments was in 2023 SEA Games when we cheered on our water polo national team to reclaim Gold. How about a big round of applause for that!
3. And that was an occasion where I saw for myself, firsthand, the power of Team Nila. Team Nila as our resident force for good and as our resident cheerleading force – you have, you can and I’m sure you will continue to make a big, positive difference.
4. This experience of being part of the next SEA and ASEAN Para Games, I’m sure will deepen our volunteers’ understanding of event operations and will enhance our capabilities, ahead of us hosting the 2029 SEA and ASEAN Para Games.
20. And tonight, in recognition of outstanding contributions, I am also pleased to share that Team Nila is looking at introducing two more award categories next year. These awards will recognise two more categories of volunteers – first, our volunteer leaders and second, our partners.
1. The first award will honour volunteer leaders who have shown exceptional dedication, leading and championing events like Team Nila Sports Day and Pesta Sukan.
2. The second award will recognise corporates and schools that actively support Team Nila, strengthening our corporate volunteerism pillar. With an ambitious goal of welcoming over 100 partners this year, this award will celebrate those who help drive our mission forward.
3. And we will share more details in the months to come.

Conclusion

21. Team Nila has come an extremely long way to become one of Singapore’s most dedicated volunteer force. Your purple uniforms have become a symbol of commitment and service, instantly recognisable at sporting events across our nation.
22. Personally, I am extremely proud of what Team Nila has accomplished, and I look forward to seeing each of you continue to make a difference as we work to bring sport to every Singaporean.
23. Congratulations to all awardees tonight and thank you for the hard work that you have put into making Team Nila a formidable force behind every sporting event.
24. Happy 10 th Anniversary, Team Nila. Here’s to many more years of creating sporting memories together. Have a wonderful evening everyone.