The word is out, now let's go for the Youth World Cup

Maradona made the 1979 World Youth Championship his own, leading Argentina to victory in the tournament.

Owen and Riquelme starred on fields in Malaysia in the 1997 edition.

Twenty-six years after his country's greatest made his spectacular bow at the tournament, Messi announced his arrival on the world stage, leaving Holland with the Golden Ball, Golden Boot and another World Youth Championship trophy for Argentina.

Some of the best footballers in the world graduate from the Under-20 World Youth Championship.

The announcement that the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is mulling a bid for the 2019 tournament, or the 2019 Under-17 World Cup, was a stunning development.

I hope the FAS takes the plunge and throw its hat into the ring in 2015, and pull out all the stops to land the U-20 World Cup.

This is a nation in love with football.

This is a nation that had the audacity to stage a Formula 1 night race in the heart of the city, and after six years, it continues to roar magnificently.

With the $1.3 billion Singapore Sports Hub set to open its doors next April, women's tennis will stage its glamour end-of-season tournament, The WTA Championships, at the Indoor Stadium from 2014 to 2018.

It is time football asserts itself.

Stacy Allaster, chairman and CEO of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), told me on Tuesday there is energy and excitement in the country and she senses it is on the move.

The FAS must be bold.

Considerable money will have to be spent, but for a Youth World Cup, I am sure corporations will bite.

Working with partners like the Singapore Sports Council, the FAS has to take advantage of the current climate.

It is a mammoth undertaking, with 24 teams in the competition.

We may lose the bid.

Our national team have hardly made an impact at Asian level.

Right now, the spectre of match-fixing hangs like a dark cloud over the country.

There will surely be rivals with much more established credentials in the football world. But Fifa wants to reach out beyond their traditional hot spots.

The pitch to Fifa has to be that this young nation is on the move and football development is high on the agenda.

The pipeline for local talent development will be improved. Local coaches will benefit. As will administrators.

Infrastructure like stadiums all over the country will be improved for SLeague clubs to benefit.

Unlike the Grand Prix or the WTA Championships, the Youth World Cup will be spread across the island, raising a din in the heartlands of Woodlands, Tampines and Toa Payoh, and the new National Stadium.

Fifa apparently needs guarantees on tax exemption, security, transport and accommodation of players, visa and foreign exchange. Singapore can check all the boxes. Winning the bid for the U-17 World Cup will be easier when it comes to preparing the Singapore side because of the players' National Service commitments.

But the U-20 tournament will see more established players in town, with some who will already be world stars.

It is more glamorous, the world will tune in, and it will be a magical treat for Singaporeans.

A successful bid could well be the spark that fires up football and all its stakeholders in the country.

Let's put together the best possible plan, and prepare to bid for the U-20 World Cup.

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