Living The Football Fantasy

Many men grow up dreaming of playing football against a team of professionals in a live televised match. Gordon Toh is one of them and he is just a few steps away from fulfilling that dream.

By: Nazri Eddy Razali, Sports Editor

Swapping his books for football boots, Gordon Toh will take a shot at living every boy’s childhood dream.

Gordon Toh rubs shoulders with Arsenal legend Ray Parlour during the filming of the First XI. | Photo: Courtesy of Gordon Toh

Many men grow up dreaming of playing football against a team of professionals in a live televised match. Gordon Toh is one of them and he is just a few steps away from fulfilling that dream.

The 24-year-old final-year student from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information is among the top 40 contestants in the second season of Mediacorp’s football reality show, First XI.

Participants will be eliminated on a weekly basis until a final squad is chosen to realise their dream of becoming footballers by playing in a live televised match against an S-League selection side.

From a pool of over 900 hopefuls, the top 40 were selected based on their footballing techniques like passing, shooting, and crossing. They also underwent a multi-stage fitness test, also known as the bleep test.

The contestants will train under the supervision of Liverpool legend Steve McMahon and former Singapore international R. Sasikumar.

Toh said it felt surreal to have made the top 40.

“There are so many good players in our midst. It really is an honour to be a part of this group and I hope to learn under the guidance of our very experienced coaches,” he said.

The contestants that make it into the first eleven will also stand a chance to fly to Spain and train at the Real Madrid Foundation.

You can catch Gordon Toh in action when First XI Season Two premieres next Wednesday, 28 Aug at 8pm on Mediacorp’s Channel 5.