On any given futsal night at SAFRA Tampines, the courts echo with the familiar sounds of fast footwork, sharp passes and the thud of the ball striking the goal. Among the players darting across the pitch is 49-year-old June Lim — a regular who didn’t set out to make a statement, but has since become a quiet embodiment of what inclusive community sport can look like.
June’s journey with SAFRA Tampines’ Futsal Kakis began not with a lifelong futsal dream, but with simple curiosity. While browsing the SAFRA app one day, she chanced upon the programme and clicked in to read more. One line stood out: “Open to all from age 15 & above.” There were no barriers, no labels, and no mention of experience levels required. Intrigued, June signed up without overthinking it.
“I didn’t expect that I’d be the only female who would turn up for the session,” she recalls. Stepping onto the courts for the first time, she was also surprised by the scale of SAFRA Tampines, which boasts four futsal courts — far more than many other clubhouses that typically have just one or two. It felt like a space built for community, movement and possibility.
That first session was an eye-opener. Futsal, with its fast pace and physical intensity, is often seen as a male-dominated sport, and June was keenly aware of that perception as she joined the game. Some of the male players were clearly surprised to see a woman on the court.
“A lot of male players probably did not expect a female like me to play futsal due to the intensity of such contact sports,” she says. Yet once the game began, labels faded into the background. What mattered was effort, teamwork and a shared love for playing.
Despite having no formal futsal or football foundation, June held her own. There were clumsy moments and missed moves — which she laughs about now — but there were also goals scored, made possible by the support and cooperation of her randomly formed teams.
Futsal Kakis sessions rotate teams frequently, throwing together players who may not know one another’s strengths or playing styles. For June, this made teamwork even more meaningful.
In the midst of some players who preferred to go solo, there were many who adjusted their play, passed the ball and created space so everyone could be involved. “I’m thankful for the teamwork,” she shares, “especially when we didn’t know each other’s skills well.”
Like any contact sport, futsal also comes with its fair share of knocks. June experienced accidents along the way — from a ball accidentally kicked straight into her face to a fall caused by tripping over someone’s feet while attempting a tackle. Each time, the situation was managed calmly and collectively on the spot.
Far from being discouraged, these moments revealed something deeper to her. “The generosity and kindness shown to players like me who have no futsal or soccer foundation revealed the character, personality and skills of individuals through team sports like futsal,” she reflects.
Even during intense matches and despite the intensity of play, there will always be room for humour, encouragement and laughter, with players cheering for good goals — even when they came from the opposing team.
To June, this is where Futsal Kakis truly shines as an inclusive programme. Inclusivity, she emphasises, is not about singling out women or creating separate spaces, but about welcoming everyone.
With participants ranging from teenagers to young adults in their 20s, working professionals in their 30s and 40s, and even semi-retired or retired players in their 50s and 60s, the sessions naturally foster social interaction across generations.
“It lays a good social interaction ground across different ages through futsal,” she says. The result is a vibrant mix of perspectives, experiences and energy, all converging on the same court.
One of the biggest misconceptions about women playing futsal, June notes, is the belief that it is simply too intense or too physical for female players and therefore unappealing.
While she acknowledges that futsal is indeed a demanding, contact-heavy sport, she challenges the assumption that women are uninterested or incapable. “That’s why I continued playing futsal… because of my interest in sports,” she says.
Through Futsal Kakis, she has also become aware of all-female and mixed-gender futsal teams outside of SAFRA, though she has yet to join them. For now, the community she has found in Futsal Kakis is more than enough: the inclusive and pressure-free environment of SAFRA Tampines remains her preferred space.
Ask June about her most memorable moments, and she doesn’t point to a specific goal or match. Instead, she speaks of camaraderie.
The constant rotation of players, the deliberate effort to ensure everyone gets a chance to play regardless of skill level or age, and the willingness of strangers to come together as a team stand out most strongly.
“It’s most memorable to me as a community sport that encompasses the kampong spirit,” she says — a spirit of looking out for one another, sharing space and building bonds through play.
Beyond the social connections, playing futsal regularly has brought tangible personal benefits. It has helped June maintain her fitness level while steadily improving her skills on the court. She takes pride in the progress she has made, particularly in her coordination, even as she continues working on manoeuvring the ball confidently through opponents’ tackles. “It’s something I’ve yet to master steadily,” she admits, “but I’m improving.”
What keeps her showing up month after month is simple and sincere: her love for sports. There is no pressure to perform, no expectation to prove anything — just the joy of movement, challenge and shared experience.
For women who may be curious but hesitant to try futsal, June’s advice is refreshingly straightforward. “Just come and enjoy playing futsal to burn fats,” she laughs. Sometimes, taking the first step onto the court is all it takes.
Looking ahead, June hopes to see Futsal Kakis evolve further with training clinics focused on futsal fundamentals. Structured guidance, she believes, would help players of all levels build confidence and improve their skills, making the programme even more welcoming for newcomers.
Whether through clinics, mixed-team formats or simply more sessions, her hopes are rooted in the same values that drew her in from the start: openness, community and the simple joy of the game.
In a sport often defined by speed and strength, June Lim’s futsal journey is a reminder that inclusivity isn’t about lowering the bar — it’s about widening the door. And sometimes, all it takes is one person’s curiosity to turn an ordinary session into something quietly transformative.
If you are inspired by June, visit Futsal Kakis @ SAFRA Tampines | SAFRA for more information on how to register for the sessions. Free for SAFRA members (SAFRA Member exclusive), with pre-registration required.
