SINGAPORE – For the first time, four Singapore Premier League (SPL) teams – Young Lions, Hougang United, Geylang International and BG Tampines Rovers – will have their home games played at one stadium, leaving some teams concerned about training and logistics disruptions.

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) released the SPL fixtures list for the 2024-25 season on April 12 and raised eyebrows when it was revealed that four out of the nine clubs will host matches at the Jalan Besar Stadium (JBS).

The Young Lions have long called JBS home while Hougang moved there in 2023, as their stadium was slated for renovation, which started in April.

Meanwhile, Geylang and BG Tampines have also shifted there from Our Tampines Hub (OTH) after the People’s Association confirmed that the pitch will be re-turfed this financial year. A return has been earmarked for 2025.

The other local teams in the league also share stadiums, with champions Albirex Niigata and Tanjong Pagar United based at Jurong East Stadium, and Lion City Sailors and Balestier Khalsa based at Bishan Stadium. Brunei DPMM, who hosted matches at JBS in 2023, are back at the revamped Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Bandar Seri Begawan.

It is understood that stadium-sharing is aimed at balancing SPL and public use, while the implementation of the video assistant referee also requires time and money. The teams moving to JBS are generally satisfied with the condition of the artificial pitch, although some are worried about congestion and extra costs.

Geylang manager Leonard Koh said: “There are implications in terms of logistics and costs when we train at other venues such as Safra Tampines and The Arena, and when we have to transport our merchandise booth and equipment from OTH to JBS for our home match days.

“These would cost hundreds of dollars for each training session and each home match day.”

His coach Noor Ali added: “It doesn’t look very professional having teams move around and training sessions disrupted as we try to coexist with community and corporate use, as we have done at OTH.”

The Straits Times understands that while Hougang and the Young Lions train at JBS and the Geylang Lorong 12 pitch respectively, there has been no indication of where Geylang and BG Tampines will train once they are to vacate OTH, which is Noor Ali’s main concern.

Although Hougang have more clarity about their training plans, they also have had to improvise after losing home-ground advantage.

A Cheetahs official said: “Between Hougang and Young Lions, we have had to deconflict the timings of our training sessions. There are also grassroots football activities as well as referees and coaching courses being held at JBS.

“This season, we also have had to manage the timings of our women’s team and youth team training sessions, and our women’s team have been sharing the pitch with our Under-21s for their respective sessions.”

In a joint response to ST queries, national sports agency Sport Singapore, which manages most of the stadiums in Singapore, and the FAS, noted the development and rejuvenation of sports facilities were to “meet the diverse and evolving sporting needs, interests and aspirations” of residents.

The statement said new facilities such as the Punggol Regional Sports Centre and Toa Payoh Integrated Development are expected to be ready in early 2026 and 2030 respectively, while the Hougang Sport Centre is expected to be refurbished by mid-2026.

It added: “More than 370 facilities including free-to-play fields have also been made available under the Dual Use Scheme. These facilities serve our community as well as our high-performance athletes, including our players in the SPL in land-scarce Singapore.

“As the development and rejuvenation of facilities take time, several short- to mid-term efforts were put in place to ensure that residents including SPL teams continue to have access to sporting facilities.”

BG Tampines coach Gavin Lee preferred to get on with things, saying: “We’ve always liked to play at JBS as it’s a pitch newer than the one we have at OTH.”

He added: “The main downside to this arrangement is the longer travel time for our fan base in Tampines, but we have a very loyal group of fans whom we will bank on for their support this season.

“In terms of training, we are leaving it to the governing bodies to help find the best arrangement for the clubs involved. We trust our media and marketing and management teams to do their best to make JBS as home-like as possible for us on match days.”

SportSG and FAS also addressed the issue of maintaining the JBS pitch, which will host 64 of the 144 games this term as SPL teams play a quadruple round-robin format of 16 home and 16 away matches.

“We will monitor the pitch condition at Jalan Besar Stadium vis-a-vis usage and weather patterns to ensure that it remains conducive for players. Maintenance efforts will also be adjusted to support the usage.”