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Drone soccer, a fast-paced game where spherical drones act as flying footballs, has been gaining ground in Singapore since the first local competition in December 2023. The sport allows mixed-gender teams, with strikers aiming to score goals by flying drones through hoops while defenders block them. SP has emerged as a strong contender, with its seven-member Team 1 winning five out of seven school- and national-level tournaments. On 22 July, the team narrowly lost 20-22 to RP in the final of the Drone Odyssey Challenge. The team was formed in July 2024 after second-year Diploma in Aerospace Electronics student Zhu Zixuan, encouraged by his lecturer, gathered course mates and Diploma in Aeronautical Engineering students to compete. Despite their initial unfamiliarity with the sport, the group’s passion for aviation and drones fueled their success. Their coach and teammate, RP Diploma in Aeronautical Engineering student and national drone soccer player Phyo Thiha Oo, said the sport now has about 200 active players locally. He hopes SP’s future teams can qualify for the 2026 Federation of International Drone Soccer Association World Cup.

[The New Paper]