No need to rush to book slots for badminton after 40 new courts open

Badminton enthusiasts in Singapore have had a smashing time this year following the opening of over 40 new courts in the country.

Twenty are in the heart of the city at the Suntec convention centre while 22 are at the Singapore Expo Convention & Exhibition Centre.

The addition of courts has been a boon to recreational players like Jiten Khemlani. The IT solutions consultant used to wake up at the crack of dawn just to book a court on ActiveSG's website, where slots are released for booking at 7am two weeks in advance.

But the 32-year-old no longer has to "camp" to make the bookings, having been able to secure at least one slot a week recently at the Singapore Badminton Hall @ Expo, where he has played at least 10 times. He said: "It's good that these courts have opened because it gives people more chances to play badminton since the other courts are so hard to book."

Mr Richard Tan, chief executive of Arina Holdings which runs the facility, along with another 14-court outlet in Geylang, said an average of 60 per cent of slots are now booked daily, after it opened in September. He has signed a one-year lease for the location but hopes to keep the courts there beyond that.

Mr Tan, 59, said: "It's a win-win kind of collaboration because without events, the area is very dead, and now with more people coming, it helps the businesses in the area and people get to enjoy more badminton courts.

"There's also a better utilisation of my workers and materials."

Mr Nicholas Mak, head of research and consultancy at ERA Realty, said operating such sports facilities in exhibition halls is a creative use of space that is under-utilised during the pandemic.

He said: "Covid-19 restrictions still prevent people from gathering in large numbers. Looking at badminton, it's not like football or basketball where people are in close contact. They're still spaced apart.

"It might not be as profitable as holding exhibitions. (But this) allows (those running the exhibition halls) to switch back to a convention hall quite quickly if space is needed and they don't have to spend a lot of money or energy."

The courts at the convention centres charge between $12 and $30 an hour, depending on time and location. This is higher than charges at ActiveSG sports halls ($3.50 to $9.70 an hour) or the OCBC Arena ($5 to $13 an hour), but that has not stopped players from getting their weekly badminton fix.

Mr Toon Ong, founder of Teamsport Singapore, which runs the Suntec courts, said the place is always full at peak hours - weekends and after 6pm on weekdays - while it is 70 per cent booked in the afternoons, with mornings the quietest.

Business undergraduate Darren Tan, 25, who played at Teamsport Arena @ Suntec for the first time recently, said he and his friends were initially put off by the high charges but decided to give the courts a shot. He usually plays at sports halls in Bishan, Yio Chu Kang and Yishun. "It's really hard to book courts (at ActiveSG sports halls) and even if we get them, we have to wait for two months," said the final-year Singapore Management University student.

While admitting that "price is really a concern", he said he and his friends may still go there (Suntec) once in a while. "My friends and I really enjoyed playing there. It beats other courts because sports halls are usually dusty and kind of stuffy. So this place with air conditioning is a bonus."