SINGAPORE: Growing up, Gavin Lee's dream was to wear the national jersey.
In his teenage years, he trained at the National Football Academy alongside the likes of Hariss Harun and Izwan Mahbud.
Two decades later, the 35-year-old represents his nation, but in a different capacity. While his former teammates command the pitch – Hariss as national skipper and Izwan a veteran shot-stopper – Lee leads from the dugout as interim head coach of the Lions.
"When I was a young boy, I wanted to play for the national team, but I never thought that I wanted to coach the national team," Lee told CNA.
"Like a player, you just want to do your country proud and the chance to represent the country in the international stage is something that makes me very, very proud ... It's something that I never dreamed of, to be honest."
Now, Lee has a shot at making history.
On Nov 18, Singapore will face Hong Kong at Kai Tak stadium in a winner-takes-all Asian Cup qualifier. If Singapore win, it will be the first time the Lions qualify for the Asian Cup on merit.
Their only appearance at the tournament was in 1984, with an automatic qualification as the host nation.
Lions skipper Hariss Harun crosses the ball in his side's 2027 Asian Cup qualifying match against Hong Kong at the National Stadium on Mar 25, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Matthew Mohan)
"To be in this current position now is exciting, it's a little bit nervy. But this is just a normal response when you're on the edge of something special," said Lee.
"In high performance, pressure is a privilege ... Pressure is just a consequence of our position, and we want to be in this position, so we should enjoy it. We've got quite level-headed players, individuals in the squad, to reframe that thinking and manage all this noise."
A fan of local football from a young age, Lee has felt first-hand the joys of triumph and knows the impact the national team can have. He wants to give fans that same feeling.
"This is our country, this is our national football team, and the national team should be the pride of the local people. If we're not able to give the people the pride, the joy, the inspiration, then we're not doing our jobs or we're not doing a very good job," he said.
"We are very aware of the impact of the national team, and with that comes responsibility. And we want to give people a national team that they can be very proud of."
As a child, Lee would accompany his father Lawrence, a football coach, to training sessions. Apart from a love for football, he picked up values such as punctuality and planning.
"My dad always said: 'If a coach is there half an hour before training, he's late,'" Lee recalled. "That must have driven me or guided me because I hate being late as well. He was always very dedicated to make sure that the session is planned well, and that must have influenced me ... I'm a stickler for planning now."
Gavin Lee at a national team training session in India. (Photo: FAS)
But his father was just the first of many influences, said the former Nanyang Technological University student.
One of his mentors was football academy JSSL's managing director Harvey Davis, who gave Lee "the belief to trust myself". Warriors FC head coach Alex Weaver, under whom Lee served as assistant, showed him how to be a better coach. At Tampines Rovers, where Lee joined as assistant coach in 2017 before he was promoted to head coach, club chairman Desmond Ong taught him leadership.
At 28, Lee became the youngest head coach in Singapore Premier League history.
"I'm probably the luckiest guy in the world because I've met so many good people on the way," said Lee. "Without these figures, I wouldn't be where I am today. "
Lee joined the national team in March 2024 as part of then Lions head coach Tsutomu Ogura backroom staff. He eventually became an assistant to the Japanese tactician.
When Ogura departed in June, Lee was appointed interim head coach.
"When your national team come calling, you don't say no," he said. "I don't think a player would turn down a call-up as well. The opportunity to represent the country is a no-brainer."
Lee credits Ogura with laying a strong foundation. "It made things very easy for me. He's formulated a good working group, he's instilled a style of football that's not too different from my own. And so it's just working off it and making sure we do a little bit better."
But international football presented unique challenges.
"You don't have a lot of time ... Players come and you have two decent trainings before you play a game. What magic can you do?" he said.
"So we do as much as we can as the coaching team and the support staff, to try to get everybody on the same page. Consistency definitely helps reinforces the messages."
Taking the national hot seat, even temporarily, also means dealing with increased scrutiny.
"I cannot control what people say or think. If I try to satisfy everyone, I will have a lot of internal chaos," said Lee. "The players, the team, the staff, they need clarity. They need a direction. And that is why it's about focusing on the voices that matter."
Lee was appointed interim national team head coach in June. (Photo: FAS)
Singapore's path to the Asian Cup has had its share of ups and downs. After a stalemate against Hong Kong at home and a 2-1 win over Bangladesh in Dhaka, the Lions dominated India at home in October but conceded a late equaliser.
Their qualifying hopes appeared to dim. But then came a hard-fought 2-1 triumph in India and Hong Kong's surprise 1-1 home draw with Bangladesh.
"It hasn't been an easy journey," said Lee. "We've dropped points where we shouldn't have dropped points, but we've gotten points where the going got very, very tough.
"A team is defined not on the good times ... It's how we behave or how we respond in the not-so-good times, when the going gets tough. I'm very glad that people got to see ... that these boys could respond, could get through these tough times."
With four games played, Hong Kong top the group with eight points, followed by Singapore, also with eight. Both sides have the same goal difference, but Hong Kong has scored one goal more.
Bangladesh and India each have two points.
Under the tournament’s regulations, head-to-head results take precedence over goal difference when teams are level on points. This means that the winner of the Singapore-Hong Kong clash will qualify for the Asian Cup.
Should the crunch clash finish in a draw, qualification could come down to results on the final matchday where Singapore host Bangladesh at home and Hong Kong travel to play India away.
Singapore’s Ikhsan Fandi (left) celebrates with his teammate Ryhan Stewart after scoring the opening goal during an AFC Asian Cup qualifier against India at the National Stadium on Oct 9, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)
"If we do make the step into the Asian Cup ... I'd just be very proud and in a way, satisfied, because I can safely say I've left the shirt in a better place," said Lee.
He also wants to recognise those who got the team to where they are today. "This would not have been possible (but) for the work of all the youth coaches, all the school coaches, all the PE teachers," he said.
"I hope we succeed, I hope we we go on and make history. And if we do manage to do that, that should be a chance for us to shine light on people that have come before, people that have contributed in this pathway but are often overlooked."
But Asian Cup qualification is not the be all and end all, Lee added.
"If we do qualify, it is not our finish line. If we don't qualify, it's not the end of the world. Tomorrow will still come," he said.
"Our job is – how can we continue to progress from where we have left off? Qualification is like a signpost ... but the national team's road is never-ending."
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In his teenage years, he trained at the National Football Academy alongside the likes of Hariss Harun and Izwan Mahbud.
Two decades later, the 35-year-old represents his nation, but in a different capacity. While his former teammates command the pitch – Hariss as national skipper and Izwan a veteran shot-stopper – Lee leads from the dugout as interim head coach of the Lions.
"When I was a young boy, I wanted to play for the national team, but I never thought that I wanted to coach the national team," Lee told CNA.
"Like a player, you just want to do your country proud and the chance to represent the country in the international stage is something that makes me very, very proud ... It's something that I never dreamed of, to be honest."
Now, Lee has a shot at making history.
On Nov 18, Singapore will face Hong Kong at Kai Tak stadium in a winner-takes-all Asian Cup qualifier. If Singapore win, it will be the first time the Lions qualify for the Asian Cup on merit.
Their only appearance at the tournament was in 1984, with an automatic qualification as the host nation.
Lions skipper Hariss Harun crosses the ball in his side's 2027 Asian Cup qualifying match against Hong Kong at the National Stadium on Mar 25, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Matthew Mohan)
"To be in this current position now is exciting, it's a little bit nervy. But this is just a normal response when you're on the edge of something special," said Lee.
"In high performance, pressure is a privilege ... Pressure is just a consequence of our position, and we want to be in this position, so we should enjoy it. We've got quite level-headed players, individuals in the squad, to reframe that thinking and manage all this noise."
A fan of local football from a young age, Lee has felt first-hand the joys of triumph and knows the impact the national team can have. He wants to give fans that same feeling.
"This is our country, this is our national football team, and the national team should be the pride of the local people. If we're not able to give the people the pride, the joy, the inspiration, then we're not doing our jobs or we're not doing a very good job," he said.
"We are very aware of the impact of the national team, and with that comes responsibility. And we want to give people a national team that they can be very proud of."
"THE LUCKIEST GUY IN THE WORLD"
As a child, Lee would accompany his father Lawrence, a football coach, to training sessions. Apart from a love for football, he picked up values such as punctuality and planning.
"My dad always said: 'If a coach is there half an hour before training, he's late,'" Lee recalled. "That must have driven me or guided me because I hate being late as well. He was always very dedicated to make sure that the session is planned well, and that must have influenced me ... I'm a stickler for planning now."
Gavin Lee at a national team training session in India. (Photo: FAS)
But his father was just the first of many influences, said the former Nanyang Technological University student.
One of his mentors was football academy JSSL's managing director Harvey Davis, who gave Lee "the belief to trust myself". Warriors FC head coach Alex Weaver, under whom Lee served as assistant, showed him how to be a better coach. At Tampines Rovers, where Lee joined as assistant coach in 2017 before he was promoted to head coach, club chairman Desmond Ong taught him leadership.
At 28, Lee became the youngest head coach in Singapore Premier League history.
"I'm probably the luckiest guy in the world because I've met so many good people on the way," said Lee. "Without these figures, I wouldn't be where I am today. "
THE HOT SEAT
Lee joined the national team in March 2024 as part of then Lions head coach Tsutomu Ogura backroom staff. He eventually became an assistant to the Japanese tactician.
When Ogura departed in June, Lee was appointed interim head coach.
"When your national team come calling, you don't say no," he said. "I don't think a player would turn down a call-up as well. The opportunity to represent the country is a no-brainer."
Lee credits Ogura with laying a strong foundation. "It made things very easy for me. He's formulated a good working group, he's instilled a style of football that's not too different from my own. And so it's just working off it and making sure we do a little bit better."
But international football presented unique challenges.
"You don't have a lot of time ... Players come and you have two decent trainings before you play a game. What magic can you do?" he said.
"So we do as much as we can as the coaching team and the support staff, to try to get everybody on the same page. Consistency definitely helps reinforces the messages."
Taking the national hot seat, even temporarily, also means dealing with increased scrutiny.
"I cannot control what people say or think. If I try to satisfy everyone, I will have a lot of internal chaos," said Lee. "The players, the team, the staff, they need clarity. They need a direction. And that is why it's about focusing on the voices that matter."
Lee was appointed interim national team head coach in June. (Photo: FAS)
HISTORY TO BE MADE
Singapore's path to the Asian Cup has had its share of ups and downs. After a stalemate against Hong Kong at home and a 2-1 win over Bangladesh in Dhaka, the Lions dominated India at home in October but conceded a late equaliser.
Their qualifying hopes appeared to dim. But then came a hard-fought 2-1 triumph in India and Hong Kong's surprise 1-1 home draw with Bangladesh.
"It hasn't been an easy journey," said Lee. "We've dropped points where we shouldn't have dropped points, but we've gotten points where the going got very, very tough.
"A team is defined not on the good times ... It's how we behave or how we respond in the not-so-good times, when the going gets tough. I'm very glad that people got to see ... that these boys could respond, could get through these tough times."
With four games played, Hong Kong top the group with eight points, followed by Singapore, also with eight. Both sides have the same goal difference, but Hong Kong has scored one goal more.
Bangladesh and India each have two points.
Under the tournament’s regulations, head-to-head results take precedence over goal difference when teams are level on points. This means that the winner of the Singapore-Hong Kong clash will qualify for the Asian Cup.
Should the crunch clash finish in a draw, qualification could come down to results on the final matchday where Singapore host Bangladesh at home and Hong Kong travel to play India away.
Singapore’s Ikhsan Fandi (left) celebrates with his teammate Ryhan Stewart after scoring the opening goal during an AFC Asian Cup qualifier against India at the National Stadium on Oct 9, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)
"If we do make the step into the Asian Cup ... I'd just be very proud and in a way, satisfied, because I can safely say I've left the shirt in a better place," said Lee.
He also wants to recognise those who got the team to where they are today. "This would not have been possible (but) for the work of all the youth coaches, all the school coaches, all the PE teachers," he said.
"I hope we succeed, I hope we we go on and make history. And if we do manage to do that, that should be a chance for us to shine light on people that have come before, people that have contributed in this pathway but are often overlooked."
But Asian Cup qualification is not the be all and end all, Lee added.
"If we do qualify, it is not our finish line. If we don't qualify, it's not the end of the world. Tomorrow will still come," he said.
"Our job is – how can we continue to progress from where we have left off? Qualification is like a signpost ... but the national team's road is never-ending."
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