Sports Hub drops claims over $900k damage to National Stadium pitch

Operator will foot $900,000 bill for fixing turf damaged in Youth Celebrate! event

SportsHub Pte Ltd had been in talks for almost six months with organisers of the Youth Celebrate! event over who should bear the cost of damage to the turf.
SportsHub Pte Ltd had been in talks for almost six months with organisers of the Youth Celebrate! event over who should bear the cost of damage to the turf. ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN

It was meant to be the crown jewel of Singapore sports and the epicentre of top entertainment acts.

But since opening less than two years ago, the Singapore Sports Hub has had to deal with pitch woes and stalled negotiations with promoters due to the high charges it levied.

In the latest episode to plague the $1.33 billion facility, The Sunday Times has learnt that operator SportsHub Pte Ltd (SHPL) has decided not to impose charges on hirers - among them the Government - after the National Stadium pitch was damaged during events held there in July and August last year.

It is understood that SHPL had been locked in talks for almost six months with organisers of the Youth Celebrate! event over who should bear the cost of damage to the turf. The joint arts and sports extravaganza last July marked Youth Day as well as the official opening of the Sports Hub. It was co-organised by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) for the nation's jubilee year.

According to documents seen by The Sunday Times, SHPL requested that Youth Celebrate! organisers cover two-thirds of the cost of fixing patches and other issues on the "lay-and-play" pitch before it was used again for the World Cup football qualifiers in October and November, and the Asean Para Games last month.

  • In the spotlight over fees divide

  • The Sports Hub has made the news for other events:

    • After protracted talks with National Day Parade (NDP) organisers, the Sports Hub announced last month that National Day Parade 2016 will be staged under its iconic dome for the first time. The negotiations had dragged on as the Sports Hub's management had asked for $26 million for an extra 35 days of NDP rehearsals. While sources have said the figure had been lowered to $10 million, the final sum agreed is not known. The Sports Hub was built under a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme with the Government.

    • The plug for the Asia Masters Athletics Championships at the National Stadium in May was initially pulled after organiser Singapore Athletics was quoted a $620,000 fee for four days' rental - double the event's entire budget. The event was later revived on Jan 13 after the Sports Hub reportedly reduced its quote.

    • The Merlion Cup, a quadrangular football tournament originally slated to be played at the National Stadium this month, has been rescheduled to an unspecified date. Negotiations between international sports media rights company MP & Silva and the Sports Hub lasted almost a year until last month, when the former pulled out of talks owing to cost issues. The J-League's Yokohama Marinos, Chinese Super League's Shanghai Shenhua and the Myanmar national team were said to have been invited for the competition, which was to provide the Singapore national team with match practice.

    Sanjay Nair

The bill is believed to have been just over $900,000 before goods and services tax. This included consultancy fees to Melbourne-based HG Sports Turf, which is providing the warm weather grass system as part of a three-year deal with the Sports Hub.

In a statement to The Sunday Times yesterday, SHPL chief executive Manu Sawhney said talks were held with national sports agency Sport Singapore regarding the "management of third-party costs incurred to restore the pitch after events held during July and August 2015".

The Barclays Asia Trophy football tournament featuring English Premier League clubs Arsenal, Everton and Stoke City together with a Singapore Selection team, as well as the Sing50 concert of Singaporean singers, were also staged during that period.

Mr Sawhney said: "We can confirm that no charges are being levied on the hirers."

He added: "The management of the top-quality pitch in our National Stadium requires the cooperation of all users. SHPL is committed to continuing to work with all our stakeholders to constantly improve our management processes and at the same time, to educate and team up with hirers on their roles in these efforts."

SHPL declined to explain how it went from seeking partial compensation from Youth Celebrate! organisers to footing the bill entirely.

Asked about the matter, an MCCY spokesman noted SHPL's decision not to levy any charges, and added that it "gleaned valuable insights from the first 18 months of operations to improve the attractiveness and accessibility of the Sports Hub for events and to the community".

A 53,000, near-capacity crowd were entertained by more than 4,000 student performers during the Youth Celebrate! showpiece. Unlike other performances at the venue, no protective covers were laid over the field as youth football matches were held there on the same day as part of the event.

The pitch has been a thorny issue for the Sports Hub since the National Stadium opened its doors two years ago.

Its original $800,000 Desso GrassMaster field, a hybrid surface made up of synthetic fibres and natural cool weather grass, was unable to grow and take root properly in Singapore's heat and humidity. More than $2 million has since been invested in growth lights and a "lay-and-play" surface, grown at a Kranji nursery and transported in rolls to the Kallang venue.

The decision not to pursue charges for fixing the field will be watched closely by potential hirers, who have been concerned over the possibility of being liable for any damage even if they have followed the Sports Hub's precautionary measures.

The state of the pitch will come under scrutiny once more when it is covered for American pop star Madonna's gig on Feb 28.

Mr Michael Roche, managing director of the concert's promoter Live Nation Lushington, is of the view that his company "should not have to pay for anything" if the field is damaged due to people stepping on the protective covers.

He noted: "If there's damage caused by our equipment or additional infrastructure outside of our agreement with the Sports Hub, then it is our problem.

"There is also the issue of proving what exactly caused the damage."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on January 24, 2016, with the headline Sports Hub drops claims over $900k damage to National Stadium pitch. Subscribe