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Straits Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Forum: 10,000-seat stadium plan for Toa Payoh
We thank Mr Edwin Pang for his letter 'Old Turf City can feature mid-tier football stadium' (April 22). Singapore is proud of the Lion City Sailors' historic qualification for the AFC Champions League Two final. The Sailors have been working with various partners to explore viable homeground venues. Together with Sport Singapore, the Football Association of Singapore and sports industry partners, the Sailors are working on preparation works at Bishan Stadium to ensure it is ready for the upcoming final. We share Mr Pang's views on developing multi-use spaces that cater to various segments of our community. In land-scarce Singapore, this has to be our approach in the development and rejuvenation of our sports facilities. One of our ongoing projects under our Sports Facilities Master Plan is the Toa Payoh Integrated Development, which has plans to include a 10,000-seater stadium, making it the second-largest football facility in Singapore, slated for completion by 2030. As for Bukit Timah Turf City, the area has been planned for a new housing estate featuring multiple new amenities that are sensitively integrated with heritage and nature to serve current and future residents. This will include recreational spaces that are suitable for sporting activities, to support an active and healthy community. We thank Mr Pang once again for his suggestions and his support for Singapore's sports ecosystem. Lim Hong Khiang Chief, Sport Infrastructure Group Sport Singapore More on this Topic Forum: What readers are saying Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Forum: Old Turf City can feature mid-tier football stadium
I refer to the article 'Sharjah FC do not want Asian final against Lion City Sailors to be held at Jalan Besar Stadium' (April 18). This is not the first time Singapore football has had to resort to considering using the relatively small Jalan Besar or Bishan stadiums with their 6,000-seat capacity to host a major football match. In 2024, Jalan Besar Stadium was used to host the semi-finals of the Asean Championship between Singapore and Vietnam, much to the chagrin of both countries' fans, when the National Stadium was unavailable. Now, we read that the National Stadium will be unavailable again, for a match which marks the first time a Singapore club team has qualified for the final of a major regional tournament _ the Asian Champions League 2 _ between the Lion City Sailors and UAE's Sharjah. Besides being frustrating to fans from both countries because of the limited number of tickets available, it is embarrassing that Singapore, which touts itself as a world-class venue for international events, can offer only the small Jalan Besar Stadium with its much-maligned artificial turf. There have been calls to build a medium-tier stadium with a capacity of about 20,000 to 30,000 (Rush for football tickets shows mid-tier stadium is needed, Dec 24, 2024). However, this will not be easy in land-scarce Singapore. Apart from having space for the stadium itself, there must be enough available room around it for supporting infrastructure like carparks, bus stops and even cafes and restaurants. Besides the mid-tier stadium being planned at the Sports Hub, another solution might be to convert one or even both of the two former grandstands at the former Bukit Timah Turf City, which have a combined capacity of 60,000, and the fields of natural grass in front of them into a medium-tier stadium which can seat about 30,000. This place also has existing space around it which used to have bus stops, carparks, shops and restaurants, which can be refurbished for use again. When there are no major football matches, this proposed stadium can be used to host clinics, training for football schools and clubs, Singapore Premier League matches, or be used for other sports such as rugby, and even concerts. Edwin Pang More on this Topic Forum: What readers are saying Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
