La Liga side Valencia has "committed to helping develop football in Singapore after announcing a year-long series of events" which will culminate with the club playing at the National Stadium next year, according to Gabriel Tan of ESPN. Valencia, which finished 12th in the recently concluded season, arrived in Singapore on Wednesday to announce the Singapore Football Festival, in partnership with La Liga and supported by the FA of Singapore. Valencia held a media conference to announce its plans, marking the start of a "five-day stay which will see them conduct a series of community events." The club revealed that it agreed to a three-year partnership with S.League club Geylang Int'l, which will "eventually see the introduction of the Valencia Soccer School in Singapore." Valencia Commercial & Marketing Dir Peter Draper said, "We're here to announce a new initiative in Singapore starting next year, or actually, towards the end of this year and culminates with Valencia CF coming to Singapore next summer. This isn't just about coming and playing a game, but trying to give something to football in Singapore and the region." Valencia already has "strong links to Singapore," given Owner Peter Lim "hails from the island nation" (ESPN, 5/18).
