SINGAPORE, 15 May 2023 — The CJ’s Cup, a futsal fundraiser organised by the Singapore Academy of Law for the legal community to support the education of ex-offenders has raised over $165,000, a record sum, after a three-year Covid-19 induced hiatus.

Held at the Futsal Arena@Yishun on Saturday (13 May), 19 teams competed in the five-a-side tournament featuring local and foreign lawyers, legal service officers from the AGC, law students and beneficiaries from the Yellow Ribbon Fund. The cup was won by Davinder Singh Chambers after a nail-biting penalty shootout.

The event kicked off with an exhibition match between an all-ladies team from the Law Society of Singapore and a team helmed by Justice Kwek Mean Luck and Justice Hri Kumar Nair, and Mr Terrence Goh, Deputy Commissioner of Prisons and Chairman of the Yellow Ribbon Fund STAR Bursary.

Inaugurated in 2015, the event has raised more than half a million dollars in total for the YRF-SAL Skills Training Assistance to Restart (STAR) Bursary which supports financially needy ex-offenders seeking vocational and skills training. Since its inception, 46 students have since been supported through the SAL-YRF STAR Bursary with 23 having graduated with recognised diplomas/degrees.

“Over the years, the CJ’s Cup has seen greater participation from the legal community. This fifth edition is much awaited, and we have managed to raise the highest amount so far,” said Mr Thio Shen Yi SC, Chairman of SAL’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Working Group. “The response from the legal community is always overwhelming and it displays our commitment to giving ex-offenders a second shot at life.”

Mr Terrence Goh added, “We are deeply encouraged to have the Singapore Academy of Law as a collaborative partner, supporting the Yellow Ribbon Fund STAR Bursary for the past decade through the Chief Justice’s Cup. The unwavering and generous donation has paved the way to uplift our beneficiaries through education and inspire them to be contributing members of society.”