Team Nila Unveils New Programmes to Bolster Continued Growth of Sport Volunteerism Movement

• New initiatives include the Little Team Nila Programme for children and youths, expanded partnerships with organisations, and more training and growth opportunities for volunteers.

• 421 volunteers were recognised for their significant contributions to the movement in 2024.

• Beyond opportunities in Singapore, volunteers can look forward to the 2025 SEA and ASEAN Para Games in Thailand to continue contributing, learning and growing.

(From left) Mr Tan Hock Leong, Chief, ActiveSG, SportSG; Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Social and Family Development; Mr Toh Boon Yi, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, SportSG; and Ms Stefanie Ang, Team Nila Division Head, SportSG cutting the Team Nila 10th Anniversary cake.

Singapore, 22 March 2025 – Team Nila, Singapore’s national sport volunteer movement, unveiled new initiatives at its 10^th Anniversary Dinner today, in a bid to further strengthen volunteer engagement and grow the sport volunteerism movement in the years ahead. Guest-of-Honour, Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary (SPS), Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Social and Family Development attended the event, where he also presented awards to volunteers for their outstanding contributions.

New Programmes and Opportunities for Continued Growth

The new initiatives that were unveiled included:  

       i.         Little Team Nila Programme – Aimed at fostering a love for sport and sport volunteerism from an early age through sustained pathways. The programme will see children and youths aged four and above cheering on Team Singapore athletes at key events and competitions in Singapore and contributing to other key sporting events, along with their schools and parents.

     ii.         Expanded partnerships – Team Nila aims to forge mutually-beneficial partnerships with at least 100 organisations and schools across Singapore in 2025, in support of their wider corporate social responsibility and student development goals.

    iii.         More training for volunteers – Team Nila aims to increase the number of volunteers trained from 1,000 in 2024 to 5,000 in 2025, as part of efforts to improve volunteers’ skillsets. This is in conjunction with the various large-scale events that Singapore will be playing host to this year.

    iv.         Growing number of Team Nila Volunteer Leaders – Double Team Nila’s leadership base to over 260 leaders by the end of 2025. Team Nila is looking to increase this number to 1,000 by 2029, in time for Singapore’s hosting of the 2029 Southeast Asian (SEA) and ASEAN Para Games.

     v.         Two new categories for Team Nila Awards – These awards seek to honour volunteer leaders who have shown dedication in leading events such as Pesta Sukan, as well as corporates and schools that actively support Team Nila. Both awards will debut in 2026, with more information to be announced at a later date.

Team Nila 10^th Anniversary Dinner: A Celebration of the Impact of Sport Volunteerism

The fifth edition of the Team Nila Awards was held in conjunction with its 10^th Anniversary this year. A total of 421 awards across three categories – 86 Gold, 103 Silver, and 232 Bronze^[1] – were presented in recognition of the volunteers’ exceptional commitment to Singapore’s sporting ecosystem. This marked an increase from the 397 awards given out in 2024, signifying greater commitment among more volunteers who have come forward to give back through sport.

Mr Tan Hock Leong, Chief, ActiveSG, Sport Singapore, shared, “As we celebrate ten years of Team Nila bringing the community together through sport volunteerism, we are excited to be introducing new initiatives that will further empower our volunteers and enrich their experience with us. We look forward to bringing more people onboard the movement, and co-creating a stronger and more inclusive Singapore through sport as we head into an exciting SG60 year.”

Since it was established in 2015, Team Nila has grown into a network of 50,000 volunteers, contributing 1.5 million volunteer hours to support world-class sporting events in Singapore and other national-level events, including beyond the realm of sport. The Team Nila 10^th Anniversary Dinner not only honours the service of the volunteers, but also acknowledges the lasting impact they have made in fostering a culture of volunteerism through sport.

More Volunteering Opportunities in SG60

Team Nila can look forward to more opportunities to witness and contribute to large-scale sporting events in 2025. A 10,000-strong volunteer force is estimated to contribute 250,000 hours towards supporting SG60 events - these include national-level celebrations such as the annual GetActive! Singapore National Day celebration through sport, as well as international events such as the World Aquatics Championships 2025 and World Para Swimming Championships 2025.

Beyond the opportunities available locally, over 100 Team Nila volunteers will also be travelling to the 2025 SEA and ASEAN Para Games in Thailand, where they will be instrumental in cheering on Team Singapore athletes. The volunteers will also be able to gain insight into how Major Games are organised and apply their learnings for the preparation and organisation of the 2029 SEA and ASEAN Para Games, which will be hosted in Singapore.

Those interested to be a part of Team Nila and the numerous upcoming opportunities available can visit https://www.activesgcircle.gov.sg/team-nila to sign up. 

For more information on Team Nila, please visit https://www.volunteer.gov.sg/volunteer/agencies/agency_details/?code=TeamNila.

[1] Awards criteria – Gold: 360 hours, Silver: 180 hours, Bronze: 90 hours or more