Terence Ong

The journey has been a tough one but Terence Ong would not have had it any other way. Three knee operations before the age of 21 left the one time promising youth footballer rueing what might have been as he entered national service with his dreams of playing the game he loved in tatters.

The promising ex youth player tried his hand in the banking industry after his enlistment but the lure of the beautiful game proved too much for Terence as he found himself drawn once more to football. With his knee unable to stand the rigours of the professional game, Terence fell in love with the art of football freestyling. Along with a fellow freestyler, Terence founded the Urban Street Team which is now recognised as one of the pioneering freestyle crews in Singapore.

Their exploits have seen them truly live the football dream having travelled the world, performed at multiple international events like the International Champions Cup, SEA Games and Youth Olympic Games as well as rubbed shoulders with stars such as world cup winner Paul Pogba European champion Luis Nani & Singapore legend Fandi Ahmad.

Success though, did not come easy as Terence struggled to convince friends and family that his football dream would come good. Gigs were hard to come by in the early days and the lack of stability made Terence question his decision to pursue football full time. Fuelled by his passion and with a lot of hard work Terence pushed through till he ultimately found success.

Having been through many ups and downs, the then 31 year old decided he wanted to impart his knowledge and belief in hard work to a younger generation and together with world renowned club Sporting CP, Terence helped set up their Singapore academy.

As a role model to kids, Terence also turned his life around wanting to set the best example he could to his students. Through hard work and dedication, the freestyler turned coach changed his lifestyle and (with some difficulty!) diet to be the best inspiration to his kids.

Now 35, the boyish Terence is in the best shape of his life both physically and mentally and having scored many goals on the field, now hopes to help as many people as he can achieve theirs.