SINGAPORE – The Deloitte Women’s Premier League (WPL) kicked off on March 9 to much fanfare and, while off-field conditions have improved, another issue has arisen to the frustration and anger of players, coaches and fans.

On the opening day, players encountered uneven and sandy surfaces at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium. Conditions deteriorated the next day when rain caused parts of the field to become muddy and waterlogged.

In videos seen by The Straits Times, the teams struggled to keep the ball moving as the poor pitch conditions slowed down play and resulted in errant passes.

All 72 WPL matches will be played at Choa Chu Kang this season, with two back-to-back matches every Saturday and Sunday on most weekends.

The women’s league was played at the Yishun Stadium in 2022, with three other venues, including Choa Chu Kang, added the next year. In 2022, ST reported problems faced by WPL players, including poor pitches, no dugouts and insufficient changing rooms.

While improvements have been made – all matches are now played at a centralised venue, there are sufficient changing rooms and sheltered dugouts – the pitch remains a serious issue.

Players and coaches were grateful for the off-field upgrades, but stressed the need for a good playing surface.

Albirex Niigata striker Lila Tan, 20, said: “It’s quite evident that the field is not in the best condition and it’s just not the most ideal for us. The pitch today (March 10) was messy and muddy.”

With the penalty area one of the worst-hit parts of the field, goalkeepers are also impacted.

Albirex custodian Lutfiah Hannah, 23, said: “There tends to be bumps and when the ball hits them, it will go in another direction so it’s hard to be in the right position every single time.”

Geylang International coach Ratna Suffian, 45, said that while he was not looking for excuses, the pitch was partly responsible for a goal they conceded in their 3-0 loss to Albirex.

He explained: “Whether you’re an amateur or professional team, a poor pitch will affect your execution plans. Some areas are just unplayable, you miskick, it leads to a goal; your plans go down the drain. The players needed to dig deep to clear the ball and… it led to an improper clearance which caused an unfortunate goal.”

Still Aerion president Simon Tan, whose side defeated Tanjong Pagar United 1-0 on March 10, added: “I personally feel that with a waterlogged pitch like that, the game shouldn’t even continue because it affects the playing quality. It wears the players down very easily.”

Their frustrations were also felt by fans. Security supervisor Kamal Raj, 32, called the pitch condition “terrible”, adding: “The number of passes not completed because the ball got stuck halfway was crazy. The players weren’t able to show fully what they were capable of.”

Aside from WPL games, the stadium is also being used for training by Albirex’s youth and men’s teams due to the returfing of their home ground at Jurong East.

With the increased workload, Lion City Sailors midfielder Ho Hui Xin, 31, said: “All the games are going to be here, week in week out... I don’t know whether the pitch can hold up, especially when it is already in this state on matchday one.”

Agreeing, Lila Tan added: “If we’re going to continue playing on this field for the rest of the season, nothing would change.”

In response to ST’s queries, the Football Association of Singapore and Sport Singapore (SportSG), which operates the facility, said that various factors were considered when selecting the venue, such as sufficient dressing rooms for four teams on matchdays.

“ActiveSG Choa Chu Kang Stadium was chosen as the primary venue for WPL as it best fulfilled these considerations,” they said via e-mail.

“In land-scarce Singapore, sporting spaces will need to be optimised for various uses and shared among different stakeholders.

“In the case of ActiveSG Choa Chu Kang Stadium, it also serves other sporting needs such as hosting Albirex Niigata’s training, Singapore Youth League matches as well as National School Games for athletics.”

Both bodies added that the stadium’s natural grass pitch was closed from Dec 1, 2023 to Jan 31, 2024 for annual maintenance, and is closed on Mondays for weekly maintenance.

“However, even with regular maintenance efforts, the pitch condition is subject to weather and usage patterns,” they said.

“Hence, SportSG also monitors facility usage closely and increases the frequency of maintenance when necessary. The functionality and safety of our facilities remain our priorities.”

But with the WPL season only in its second week, it remains to be seen if conditions will improve.

There are also injury concerns, say players and coaches. Geylang captain Mastura Jeilani, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury at Toa Payoh Stadium in 2019, felt a “genuine feeling” of fear after seeing the pitch, adding that her friends cheekily asked if she “was playing on a football or a plantation field”.

BG Tampines Rovers coach Faizal Zainuddin, 35, added: “You just need to plant your foot on an uneven surface and change your direction, and that’s it. It’s unfortunate, but we definitely want it to be avoidable.”

But crucially, teams are worried if the pitch condition will deter fans from coming to games. Mastura said: “Even if we have good facilities but we can’t play good football on the field, what’s the purpose?”

Players should not be forced to choose between high-quality facilities and a well-maintained pitch, stressed Ratna.

He said: “If you want to change stadiums, make sure the facilities are also available there. (Choosing between them) is not the right way to move forward.”