SINGAPORE – More children will be playing badminton and football, as well as swimming, during the school holidays, with over 4,000 signing up for ActiveSG memberships since May 1, when the $100 top-up in credits was rolled out for Singapore citizens and permanent residents aged four to 12.
As at 2022, ActiveSG had about 120,000 active members in this age group, with the national movement getting close to 400 sign-ups during the FunFam SportFest at the OCBC Arena over the weekend.
The two-day event, which is part of the Active Parents School Holiday Programme by Sport Singapore (SportSG), featured learn-to-play programmes for parents and their children, sports try-outs, and booths for them to sign up for ActiveSG academies and clubs.
Ms Norshakila Noor Jahan was at the event on Sunday with her husband, six-year-old daughter and two nieces – aged eight and six – to try their hand at basketball.
“Here, the kids can be exposed to different sports, which is good because my daughter starts Primary 1 next year and needs to start trying out physical activities,” said the 38-year-old, who plans to get an ActiveSG membership for her child.
New ActiveSG members will get $100 credit, which can be used for entry to swimming complexes and gyms, payment for ActiveSG programmes and activities, and booking of sports facilities, among others.
From May 1, members aged four to 12 get an additional $100 credit – an initiative announced by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth in Parliament in March.
Architect Andrew Fassam, 60, was also at the event with his wife and children – Azrael and Azaria, aged seven and five, respectively. Both children are part of the ActiveSG Football Academy, and they also swim, and do Brazilian jiu-jitsu and muay thai.
The parent volunteer said: “Sometimes they don’t want to go but we gently encourage them, and when they get there and start having fun, then you can’t drag them away. ActiveSG lets us expose them to various sports without spending so much money, and it has centres across the island, so it’s very accessible.”
The FunFam SportFest made its debut in December 2022 with over 2,300 participants. The 2023 edition had a turnout of 8,560 over two days.
Ms Diana Seng, SportSG’s director of children and youth programme development, said: “We had a good response last December, so we decided to bring the event back for every major school holiday. It allows parents and children to come together and bond. During school holidays, parents are always looking out for something their children can do.”
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth Eric Chua said: “Sport is a powerful driver in bringing people closer together... It can also impart valuable life lessons and good values to our children, such as sportsmanship, teamwork and resilience.
“We will continue to bring events, programmes and activities like FunFam SportFest, GetActive! SG and National Family Week, to create more opportunities for families to strengthen relationships and create memories together.”
Launched in April 2014, ActiveSG is aimed at creating a sporting ecosystem to make programmes accessible to all. As at 2020, there were 1.6 million members.
