SINGAPORE - A new five-storey, 21,000 sq m clubhouse for Home Team national servicemen and the public officially opened on Saturday (April 10).
HomeTeamNS Khatib features an indoor adventure hub with slides, obstacle courses and climbing facilities, a Peranakan-themed indoor playground, and an indoor airsoft arena for player-versus-player competitive team shooting games.
Dubbed Singapore's first "smart" clubhouse, it counts self-help kiosks, real-time visitor tracking and the use of a mobile app as among the ways it is digitalising its operations.
The app allows members to book facilities remotely and check the capacity of facilities in real time, and provides contactless access via QR code scanning, said HomeTeamNS, which operates clubhouses for NSmen and their families and has more than 200,000 members.
The app is used by members in place of physical membership cards, helping to reduce administrative workload.
HomeTeamNS chief executive Agnes Eu said digitalisation will help enhance the HomeTeamNS experience for NSmen.
"Through back-end integration, we are able to analyse the data gathered to better understand their preferences and thereafter, improve the way we engage them," she said.
Attending the opening event on Saturday, Minister for Law and Home Affairs K. Shanmugam, who is chairman of the HomeTeamNS board of governors, said HomeTeamNS Khatib is the first of the modern, new-look Home Team clubhouses.
"We wanted the best in design, facilities and technology. We appreciate our national servicemen who have given a lot to ensure the safety and security of Singapore," he said.
As part of initiatives to build a stronger NS community, Mr Shanmugam said NSmen will be able to use HomeTeamNS gyms for their NS Fitness Improvement Training (FIT) from May.
A mobile app is also being piloted to streamline registration, attendance taking and performance tracking for fitness training sessions, he added.
Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, president of HomeTeamNS, said there has been a marked increase in membership sign-ups and renewals among members living in the north, from October last year to March this year. This is compared with the same period a year ago, he added.
"The opening of Khatib clubhouse has been very well received by our members, scoring well above the industry norm in customer satisfaction."
About 500,000 visitors have been to HomeTeamNS Khatib since August last year as Covid-19 safety measures were gradually relaxed.
The clubhouse is home to Adventure HQ, an indoor hub complete with mid-air aerial installations such as a roll glider, rock climbing walls, sensory adventure trails and rope courses.
Energy-efficient features include charging stations for electric cars and smart lighting controls. About 1,370 sq m of solar photovoltaic panels are housed on the rooftop, while a rainwater-harvesting system will help with water conservation.
It also has the first eMart located outside of the Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force premises where servicemen can purchase personal equipment and other items, as well as a range of food and beverage outlets and recreational facilities, including a 1,500 sq m gym.
The Khatib clubhouse is the fifth Home Team NS clubhouse to open in Singapore. There are four other locations in Balestier, Bukit Batok, Chinatown and Tampines.
Another clubhouse at Bedok Reservoir Park is slated to open at the end of 2022, while the HomeTeamNS Tengah Clubhouse will be completed between 2030 and 2035 and will replace the current Bukit Batok Clubhouse.
