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