For 17-year-old Nor Huzairee Bin Nordin, it all began with a Google search.
A lifelong National Day Parade fan, he had grown up fascinated by the flags and ceremonies of Singapore’s biggest national celebration. In February 2023, while at his grandparents’ house, he searched for “National Day Parade volunteering” as he thought about what he wanted to do that year.
What came up was Team Nila, Singapore’s national sport volunteerism movement. More specifically, it was the OneTeamSG Marching Contingent under Team Nila. For a teenager obsessed with the National Day Parade and flags, it felt like the perfect fit.
“I decided to search for ‘National Day Parade volunteering’, and the OneTeamSG Marching Contingent under Team Nila popped up,” said Huzairee. “Knowing my mother loves the Parade & Ceremony segment, and given my own obsession with flags, it felt like the perfect fit.”
That decision has since taken him far beyond what he first expected.
Huzairee, an ITE student, began volunteering in Secondary 2 and has marched in the NDP contingent for three consecutive years from 2023 to 2025. He will return in 2026 and remain active with Team Nila Beats, the volunteer group that brings energy to Team Singapore events.
What began as a way to get closer to NDP has turned into something much bigger.
“Through Team Nila, I not only got to be part of the national celebration I had always loved but also found a community that has become an important part of my life,” he said.
A Community Across Generations
Team Nila honoured 633 volunteers at the 2026 Team Nila Awards – the largest cohort since the awards began in 2021. Collectively, these volunteers contributed more than 220,000 hours in 2025, supporting major events including the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025, the Toyota World Para Swimming Championships 2025, HSBC SVNS, and the Singlife Nations Cup.
But behind those numbers are people like Huzairee, who found confidence and belonging; 65-year-old Tan Soh Koon, who turned retirement into a new kind of team sport; and 45-year-old Merelyn Domingo Anacleto, who found in Team Nila not just a volunteer platform, but a support system during one of the hardest periods of her life.
Their lives outside Team Nila look very different. But once they put on the purple shirt, the reason for coming back sounds familiar: the people, the purpose, and the feeling that there is always a place for them to contribute.
Retirement Reimagined
For Tan, volunteering has been part of life for more than a decade.
His journey began at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games and continued at the 28th SEA Games in 2015. When Team Nila was established during that period, he joined the movement. Since then, he has earned Bronze in 2019, Silver in 2022 and back-to-back Gold awards in 2023 and 2024 – honours based on the number of volunteer hours contributed each year.
At 65, Tan could have spent retirement slowing down. Instead, he found a different rhythm through sports volunteering.
“Volunteering allows me to make small but meaningful contributions to events or organisations I support,” he said. “It also keeps me socially active and connected with people from different walks of life.”
Some of his most memorable moments have come at international and regional events, where he has served as a host ambassador to foreign athletes competing in Singapore.
At the World Aquatics Championships 2025, he was a team liaison officer for four foreign water polo teams – a role that required patience, attentiveness and a deep sense of hospitality.
“My most memorable interactions were with the athletes, who were very friendly and appreciative of the support provided,” he said. “It was meaningful to know that even small acts of assistance could help make their time in Singapore more comfortable.”
For Tan, that is what Team Nila is all about. The role may not always be glamorous. It may involve long hours, logistical details, and work done far from the spotlight. But every small contribution adds up.
“There are many different roles, and there is something for everyone,” he said. “No contribution is too small, and every role contributes to a smooth event.”
Showing Up for Life Again
For Merelyn, volunteering carries an even deeper meaning.
Her journey with Team Nila began quietly, during a season of healing, faith, and rediscovery of purpose.
After her first cancer journey in 2015, she began volunteering more actively in church. Surviving cancer changed how she saw life, heightening her awareness of its fragility and preciousness. In 2017, she volunteered at OCBC Cycle, her first experience volunteering outside the church, where she was inspired by a Group IC member who mentioned Team Nila.
But it was only after her second, much more difficult battle – a relapse in 2022, when she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer – that Team Nila became a major part of her life.
After completing treatment in October 2023 and hearing the words “no more cancer” in January 2024, Merelyn knew she could not simply return to life unchanged.
“I felt an overwhelming desire to live differently, not just to survive, but to serve more deeply,” she said. “I wanted my healing to mean something beyond myself.”
While recuperating, she looked again for ways to serve the community. Team Nila was the answer.
She reconnected with the movement through T100 in 2024 and soon began signing up for events, including Rugby 7s, HYROX and Air Safety. By December 2024, she had been accepted as a Volunteer Leader and took on her first Volunteer Leader role at the Singapore Tennis Open in January 2025.
In 2025 alone, she volunteered at events including the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup, HSBC Rugby SVNS Singapore, Pesta Sukan, NBA Rising Star Invitational, Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships, Toyota World Para Swimming Championships Singapore, FIBA Intercontinental Cup, World Aquatics Championships and NDP25.
But for Merelyn, Team Nila is not just a full volunteer calendar. It is a place that helped her step back into the world.
“Volunteering became one of the clearest expressions of that reason,” she said. “It helped me move beyond being a patient or survivor and reminded me that I could still be a giver. In many ways, it became part of my healing.”
She added: “I stopped asking, ‘Why did this happen to me?’ and began asking, ‘How can I use this journey to help someone else?’ That shift changed everything.”
A Different Meaning
For Merelyn, putting on the Team Nila shirt carries a meaning that goes beyond event duties.
It is a reminder of what she has lived through, what she has overcome and what she still wants to give.
“When I put on the Team Nila shirt, oftentimes it feels emotional. It is not just another uniform. For me, it is a symbol of survival, purpose and gratitude,” she said.
“Wearing it feels like wearing resilience. It feels like stepping into purpose. It feels like saying, ‘I have been through pain, but I am still choosing service. I am still choosing hope.’”
Her experience has also made her determined to advocate for breast cancer awareness whenever possible. Through Team Nila, she has met fellow survivors and people currently undergoing cancer treatment, and she hopes her story can encourage others to prioritise their health, attend screenings and feel less alone.
“Breast cancer awareness, for me, is not just about medical facts,” she said. “It is about reminding people that early detection matters, hope matters, and no one should feel alone.”
The People Behind Singapore Sport
In 2026, Team Nila is preparing for its next chapter, with plans to deepen engagement through three pillars: “Play More”, “Support More” and “Jio More”. These include more sports days, training workshops, a new “Home of Team Nila”, and outreach via Team Nila on the Move, which will bring the movement to sports centres, community events and schools.
The broader goal is to strengthen Singapore’s volunteer base ahead of the 2029 SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games, while creating more pathways for volunteers to stay connected, build their skills and take on greater roles.
For a movement that already supports many of Singapore’s major sporting events, that next phase will be about keeping people engaged long after their first deployment and giving them more reasons to keep showing up.
For Merelyn, that is what Team Nila has become: more than a volunteer platform, but a place where service, community and purpose converge.
“Team Nila is no longer just another volunteering group. It became a space where I could honour my journey, celebrate my healing and use my second chance to uplift others.”
